As the starting point guard, you’re the heartbeat of your team during games. Your responsibilities are to make sure the coach’s game plan is carried out, control the design of the offense and be ready to take the open shot when needed. To prepare properly for your role as point guard, you need to focus on game-speed drills that work on these game-time scenarios.

The following point guard speed drills, courtesy of Kansas Basketball Academy Foundation and Wichita-Eclipse AAU, reinforce effective passing and smart shot selection. They are your best bet for dominating the court this season.

Hit the Cutter Drill

Summary: Guard dribbles from half court toward the left side, attacking the defender, and passes to a wing player making a back door cut for a left-handed layup. This should be repeated on the right side as well. In the second phase of the drill, the guard fakes the pass, takes two strong dribbles and rises up for a jump shot.

Equipment: chairs, basketball, whistle, stopwatch

Players: 2-4

• Place 2 chairs at the elbows (corners of free throw line)
• Place 2 chairs just above the low-post boxes
• Point guard starts at half court dribbling ball
• Dribbles to the left as player on left wing cuts toward basket
• Point guard makes a pass leading wing player to basket
• Pass ball with knees bent, below waist, under arm bar
• Goal is to avoid hitting the chair with the bounce pass
• Practice on both sides of the court for 3 minutes each
• Practice faking the pass and shooting off the dribble, 3 minutes both sides

Spin It Drill

Summary: Guard uses a spin dribble to reverse the ball and hit the back door cutter from the wing. Guard dribbles towards the corner, spin dribbles to reverse the ball towards the free throw line and hits the baseline cutter with a bounce pass.

Equipment: cones, basketball, stopwatch

Players: 2-4

• Place cones away from the elbows (free throw line extended)
• Point guard starts with ball at the top of key
• Wing players (left=wing 1, right=wing 2) set up on both sides with or without defense
• Guard dribbles towards the right, spin dribbles toward left
• Dribbles towards teammate’s defender as teammate flashes and cuts to basket
• Guard makes a bounce pass leading wing 1 to the basket without hitting the cone
• Guard relocates; wing 2 cuts through the paint while guard is spinning away from right side
• Spin move should be practiced for 3 minutes each side
• Guard practices not making the pass and pulling up for a shot
• Progressions: move wings to corner of three-point line and top of key inside 3-point line
• Spin from corner post, pass to cutter for right-handed layup
• Perform on each side for 3 minutes
• Spin away from top of key and hit baseline cutter for layup
• Practice not making the pass and pulling up for a shot