How To Do the Mikan Drill | Basketball

This youth basketball drill improves many skills around the basketball hoop. It is called the Mikan Drill, named after George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers, and this short range shooting drill is especially useful for taller players who want to improve their dexterity for layups and hooks close to the basket. Make sure players turn shoulders in, work on their footwork, and keep the basketball up, without bringing it any lower than where it is caught.

Transcription:

In this segment, we're gonna introduce a drill that reinforces a couple of skills that we use around the basket, first of all, our lay-up drills. It's called the Mikan Drill, named after George Mikan. He played for the Minneapolis Lakers. He is the first big man and this drill was used for his dexterity around the basket.

So what we're gonna do is work our layup footwork, Ian, on the left side, go ahead. He's gonna step with his right, left knee up, he's gonna step through and now make a righty layup. He's gonna step through and make a lefty layup.

Some of the teaching points, you want him to turn his shoulder. He's catching the ball and not bringing any lower than where he catches it. He's extending up to the basket. He's turning his shoulders in and working on his footwork. On the left side, his left knee is coming up when he is shooting with his left hand and on the right side, his right knee is coming up, shooting with his right hand. Stop for a second Ian. 

We could do this again for 30 seconds or we could do it for 5 or 6 or 10 makes. It's up to you as a coach what you want to do, but again, the teaching points. Left side, Left knee, left hand. Right side, right knee, right hand. Catch it at a height, don't bring it down any lower. That's important because if you're in a game and you're stepping through and you catch a ball and you bring it down, you expose it to the defender and the defender can tip it away. So you want to keep the ball up high and finish around the basket. A great drill for finishing moves for your big players.