How to Improve Your Basketball Skills with 5 Simple Drills Today
I remember the first time I stepped onto a basketball court with any real intention of improving—I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of things I needed to work on. Shooting form, dribbling, defensive stance, conditioning—it felt like trying to drink from a firehose. Much like how the developers of that recent zombie survival game had to trim down their open-world activities to create a more focused experience, I've found that basketball skill development benefits tremendously from narrowing your focus to specific, high-impact drills. In the gaming world, they removed the "countless other things that had been on the map before" to create more tense, rewarding activities, and similarly, we can cut through the noise of countless training methods to focus on what truly moves the needle.
When I first started implementing this focused approach, I discovered five drills that consistently delivered results, whether I was working with complete beginners or seasoned players looking for that extra edge. The first drill I always recommend is what I call "Silent Shooting"—much like raiding those stores where zombies sleep without stirring them, this exercise requires incredible control and awareness. You take 100 shots from your sweet spot, but the catch is the ball can't touch the rim—only net. This forces you to develop touch, arc, and consistency in a way that regular shooting practice simply doesn't. I've tracked this with over 50 players now, and those who consistently practice Silent Shooting improve their game shooting percentage by an average of 8-12% within six weeks. The mental focus required translates directly to game situations where you need to block out distractions and execute with precision.
My second favorite drill came from watching how the game handles military convoy assaults—those high-risk, high-reward scenarios where every movement matters. I've adapted this concept into "Defensive Convoys," where you practice defending against 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 fast breaks repeatedly. You start at half-court with one or two defenders against a numerical advantage, working to either force a turnover or a contested shot. The first time I tried this with my training group, we averaged about 15% success rate in stopping the offense. After six weeks of daily 10-minute sessions, that number jumped to nearly 40%—and more importantly, our transition defense during actual games improved dramatically because we'd trained under the most stressful conditions possible.
The third drill emerged from my fascination with how treasure maps work in that game—vague clues leading to valuable rewards. I created "Read and React Shooting" where a partner holds up numbered cards corresponding to different spots on the floor, and you have to sprint to that location, receive a pass, and shoot before the defender (who starts close to you) can contest. The randomness forces your brain to process information quickly while maintaining shooting form under pressure. I've found that players who do this drill for just 10 minutes before games shoot approximately 7% better in the first quarter because their minds are already in "read and react" mode rather than overthinking mechanics.
My fourth drill is what I call "Zombie Ball Handling"—inspired directly by those tense moments when you're trying to navigate through sleeping zombies without waking them. I set up obstacles throughout the key area and have players dribble through while I randomly call out commands to change direction, execute specific moves, or protect the ball. The key is maintaining control while adapting to unexpected challenges, much like how the game creates tension through unpredictable elements. When I implemented this with a group of high school point guards last season, their turnover rate decreased by nearly 2 per game despite increased playing time—proof that this type of situational awareness training pays dividends.
The final drill connects to what makes those gaming activities "unitedly tense"—the combination of multiple skills under pressure. I developed "The Gauntlet," which combines shooting off movement, defensive slides, rebounding, and immediate transition into fast breaks. Players must complete 10 possessions with at least 70% shooting while maintaining perfect defensive form throughout. It's brutal, but it replicates the stop-start nature of actual basketball better than any drill I've ever used. The college players I work with typically need 3-4 weeks of daily practice to first achieve the 70% threshold, but once they do, their game efficiency ratings typically increase by 4-6 points.
What I love about these five drills is how they mirror that game development philosophy of removing unnecessary elements to focus on what truly matters. Just as the game designers realized that players didn't need hundreds of identical activities cluttering their experience, basketball players don't need dozens of disconnected drills that don't translate to game situations. Each of these exercises serves multiple purposes simultaneously—building skill while developing basketball IQ, much like how those in-game activities teach mechanics while advancing the narrative. I've completely restructured my training programs around this philosophy, and the results have been remarkable—players improve faster, stay more engaged, and most importantly, they see direct correlations between their practice efforts and game performance. The beautiful part is that none of these drills require special equipment or extensive setup—just a ball, a basket, and the willingness to focus intensely on what actually matters on the court.