Are you looking for a way to “play” with your entire team, but at the same time build up the skills necessary to compete at high levels and actually win basketball games? If so, then here are 10 games you can play to make both yourself and your whole team better:
1: Cradle Jump Shot
This is a timed game. Move from the foul corner to the foul-line corner without dribbling. Then, shoot a jump shot by squaring up to the basket and using follow-through as you shoot. This game is played with two or more players. The player with the highest score at the end of the preset time wins. In the event of a tied score, have a play-off game!
2: Jump Shots Off The Dribble
This too is a timed game. The shots are always taken from the perimeter, and the player will always dribble to a different side of the court with each shot. Shoulders should be squared up to the basket, with follow-through as you shoot. Again, the player with the highest score wins the game.
3: Twenty-One
To play Twenty-One, you need two players and one ball. A foul-line shot is worth two points and a layup is worth one point. You can only take one layup in a row. Start by shooting a foul shot, getting your own rebound (if necessary), and shooting a layup. Get the rebound and pass back to the other plays to shoot. Then go back to the foul line and repeat the process. The first player to get twenty-one points wins.
4: Triple Twenty-One
This is another version of Twenty-ne that uses three players and two balls. Again, the first player to twenty-one points is the winner. Triple Twenty-One is a much faster game. To keep track of your score, call out your score each time you make a basket.
5: Team Twenty-One
Another variant of the game Twenty-One, Team Twenty-One is played with four or more platers, divided into equal teams. Each team then works from one corner of the foul lane. The first time to score twenty-one points wins.
6: Thirty-Three
To play Thirty-Three, take three-point shots only. Rebound your own shot and pass it to the next player in line. After you rebound, go back to the end of the line and wait for your next turn to shoot. There are no layups or two-point shots. The first player to score eleven basketbs or thirty-three points wins the game.
7: Forty-Four
In Forty-Four, three-point shots count for three points, and layups or rebounded shots are worth one point. You must shoot the ball from where you get the rebound. You get only one rebounded shot. The first player to get forty-four points or more wins the game.
8: Follow The Leader
To play Follow The Leader (FTL), each player must have a ball. The object of the game if you are the leader is to not wait until the follower has shot, but to shoot as often and as quickly as possible. The follower(s) must make the same shot as the leader. If the leader misses, he or she immediately goes to the end of the line and the first follower becomes the leader. In this game, you get a letter by not matching and making the same shot that the leader makes. When a player gets all three letters, F, T and L, the player is eliminated. This game is fast paced and fun! Play is best with two to five players.
9: I.C.E.
Another game of elimination, called I.C.E., uses pressure-packed foul shots only. Any player who misses a foul shot gets a letter, and any plater who misses three foul shots or gets all three letters (I, C, E) is disqualified (one letter for each foul shot missed). This game can be played with two to five players. You can also play it as a one-shot elimination and yell “ICE” when someone misses and is eliminated.
10: Lightning
One of the most popular games of elimination is known as Lightning (or Bump). This game is played with only two basketballs. To play Lightening, all players shoot from behind the foul line area first and missed or rebounded shots second. If you miss your long shot, you must make your rebounded shot before the player behind you scores a basket by making a foul shot.
If you make a foul shot or rebounded shot before the player behind you makes a shot, you are still in. Go to the end of the line. At your next turn, try to eliminate the player in front of you before the player behind you eliminates you. If the player behind you scores a basket before you do, you’re out. If you are the last player to be eliminated, you win!
Players must try trhe foul shot first. If they miss, they must make the rebounded shot second. The rebounded shot must be taken only if the player missed the foul shot.
If you make your shot before the person behind you makes one, go to the end of the line and keep playing. But if the person behind you scores before you do, lightning strikes and you have been eliminated.
By Coach John Scott – The BASKETBALL DOCTOR®
