Developing skill level of individual players can push a team to the next level and lead to more success.  In the off season players can spend countless hours in the gym honing their skills and working on specific aspects of their game, but the challenge arises in season where the emphasis on team practice and game schedule can cause time spent on individual skills to get lost in the shuffle.  With this pressure to use time wisely in mind, coaches should take a proactive approach and build skill development into the daily and weekly routine of their teams.

Throughout my young coaching career, I have enjoyed individual development time with players of all ages.  From working out high school kids in Pennsylvania to college players at various Universities to professional players in the USBL and overseas, the following drills have always remained an integral part of my post player development arsenal.

This article focuses on those specific drills needed to improve the skills of post players at any level.  No matter the time of season, the following developmental drills can be outstanding for post players and easily integrated into a busy practice.
 
MIKAN SERIES
Most coaches and players are aware of the Mikan drill which is excellent for footwork and finishing layups around the basket with either hand.  But while the Mikan Drill is well-known, the "Mikan Series" builds on the basic Mikan Drill in order to develop a variety of finish skills.

Players begin with the regular Mikan Drill and progress to "Reverse Mikans" for the first part.

Phase two turns to "Straight Swish" and "High off Board".  The straight swish uses no backboard and no rim with the emphasis on a clearly defined release and follow through.  Meanwhile, High off Board helps post players develop ability to adjust shot trajectory while maintaining a soft touch.

Part three of the Mikan Series moves to "Ball Movement" as players begin the "Pass Fake and Finish" advancing to "Big Circles".  When pass faking, players should use different pass fakes every shot and finish in one motion.  Moving the ball clockwise and counterclockwise along with the Mikan Footwork, Big Circles forces players to separate ball movement from the body movement.

The final phase of the Mikan Series is the "Show it-Move it" and "Bang Board-Finish".  During the Show it-Move it, players practice changing their release point as they work on showing the ball to the defender before extending out as far as possible for a release with space.  Finally, when a player bangs the ball off the board, they should finish before their feet hit the floor which can simulate a different timing of the release helping to convert through contact or get an AND 1.

Once players understand the teaching points of these simple drills, they can practice a wide array of finish skills in a short amount of time.
 
RAPID FIRE POST MOVES
When a player would like to improve their perimeter shooting, the general consensus is to get into the gym and shoot.  Repetitions, then are an important part of improvement.  After establishing proper shooting form and technique, repetition is the building block for development.  Almost every team performs some sort of a 3 man 2 ball shooting drill with a shooter, passer and rebounder.  An obvious answer for perimeter shooting, most would probably overlook the importance and value of repetition to help post development.  "Rapid-Fire Post Moves" is an outstanding drill for post men to get dozens of shots within a short amount of time.  Once a player understands proper technique for a drop step finish, jump hook and turnaround jumpshot, Rapid Fire Post Moves provides the structure for skill development.

To execute the drill, a passer stands on the wing with 2 basketballs and a rebounder stands under the basket.  The drill begins with the passer feeding the post and the post player immediately making a move to score.  While the player finishes, the passer already has the second basketball in the air.  Instantly the offensive player catches and is into the same move to the opposite shoulder (ex Jump hook right then jump hook left and so on).  The rebounder must move quickly to return the ball back to the feeder to keep the tempo up.  Alternating right and left, the drill is completed when the player finishes 10 makes.  If the player operates at a slow tempo, hit them with the ball and they will get the picture quickly.

In sets of 10, the drill progresses from the block to the middle of the lane and to the opposite block.  Every attempt in the group should be the move in focus.  For example, jump hooks from the left block to 10, followed by jump hooks from middle of lane to 10 before moving to jump hooks from the opposite block.  Rotating from feeder to shooter to rebounder or in reverse, every player can get 30 plus repetitions in a matter of minutes.  To work on sealing and shooting over a contesting defender, a dummy defender can be added to the drill.
 
LANE SLIDES AND FINISHES
Daily footwork and agility drills can also be beneficial in helping a big man stay sharp.  Incorporating slides and finishes into the weekly practice routine can also help post players improve.

Starting the drill, every post player has a basketball and is in one line on the baseline.  When up, the post player faces the coach, hands off the basketball to the coach and begins to backpedal up the lane-line.  Once the post player reaches the elbow, a hard, sharp change of direction turns into an agility slide from elbow to elbow.  Once at the opposite elbow, the post player executes another hard sharp change of direction attacking the rim.  During the cut, the post player receives their basketball back in a pass from the coach along the baseline and executes the desired finish.  Once the player finishes, they should take the basketball to the opposite lane line and a line that repeats the process in the opposite direction.  One by one, the post players on the team work on their footwork and agility while practicing their finish skills.  Coaches can require any number of finishes ranging from a two-foot power finish, a shot-fake and finish or a one dribble finish.

After completing the lane slides and finishes, players move their line to the wing for rebounding situations.  Once again handing the basketball to the coach when their turn arises, players now train to go get the basketball when rebounding.  First, coaches can toss the ball off the board in order to help their players practice tip-dunking.  Next, players should perform a "Quick Second Jump" rebound and finish (first jump is to secure the basketball and second jump should be a quick spring back up to score).  Third, players should rebound the ball and land in a "Wide base" before powering up to score.  Fourth, players progress to a shot-fake and finish before finally rebounding the basketball and using one dribble to score.   In a matter of minutes, quality drill work provides players the platform to improve.
 
 
PICK AND POP/ TRAIL SPOT/ STEP OUT - I-CUT  SHOOTING
The last developmental drill we will discuss focuses on "Game-like" shot attempts for post men.  Incorporating trail spot shots from the top or corner can help players gain confidence to drill open looks when opportunities arise.  Next, pick and pop situations emphasizing "spacing" can be practiced from a variety of locations on the floor.  Finally, post players must constantly be prepared to space the floor and play off penetration especially when they are on the ballside (driving side block posting up).  Practicing "Step Out" shots when the ball is dribbled to the middle and the post steps quickly to the short corner along the baseline or working on "I-Cut" shots when the basketball is driven baseline and the post player must create space stepping up the lane.  When drills are completed in this progression from Mikan Series to Rapid-Fire Post Moves to Lane Slides and Finishes, shooting drills become a perfect complement to repetitions of skills, footwork and finishes.
 
These individual development drills can be great for any time of the year ranging from preseason to post season.  Recently, with my Bundesliga team ratiopharm Ulm, we included these drills in morning workouts for skill development and in practice at least one day a week throughout the entire season.  Because of their active nature, they can be implemented during post and perimeter segments of practice or used as a warm up for individual players.  The important part of the repetitions remains the attention to detail in shot technique.  Practicing proper fundamentals and working with correct form over repetition after repetition builds quality habits.

No matter what age or ability level, fundamental skills can always be improved or refined or sharpened.  And these four drills are an intelligent use of time for developing skills in the post.