Q: My girls are loving the fact that we can work on the drills in the off season so we can hit the ground running once the season officially starts.

A question I had, though, is when we do the “Fundamental 15” drills in practice, how long would be an adequate time to do them to get a good warm-up in as well as accomplishing “building the habits?”

A: Congratulations on getting an early start on the season. Regarding how long it takes to “build the habits”: I have no idea. There are too many variables in play with each team to say with any certainty.

Each day, you can use the drills for warm-ups, shooting drills, 1on1 drills, defensive drills, etc. I’d work them into every facet of your practice that’s possible. You must send the message directly and indirectly that “this is NOT a play; this is HOW you play - all of the time.”

Every day in practice, scrimmage at least a little bit. Use it to judge how well the habits are sticking. Let your players know what you’re doing. Players like to play, not drill. Let them know that if you see them playing R&R with a certain level of expertise, then you’ll back off some of the drilling. If they don’t display the habits of the drills, then there’s no need to play. Playing with old habits means that it will only take longer for the new habits to form. Players seem to learn quicker when they know what’s on the line.

Hope that helps.