Here we are working on our underdrag TB series. This skill stack challenges players to have poise when dribbling and a few micro skills. Many times, when a tennis ball is added into a skill stack, players speed up or lose control of their pace. The skill stack. - Turn dribble + Underdrag + Footswitch + Second step finish. We have to 3 reference points of poise in this specific skill stack which involves us placing the tennis ball into the cone, picking it up on the footswitch and then placing it into our 3rd reference point to slow down (the last cone). If a player is not under control throughout the skill stack then the cone will fall over or the tennis ball won't be placed in the cone and pop out of it. This is a drill players and trainers can use to train poise and challenge a player to many micro skills in one sequence.

The girls have been putting in the work. Main focus here was using drop pivots to attack closeouts. Then we added speed stops into crosses or push crosses, depending on the player into another speed stop before taking shooting the jumper.

We're live today training. Let's put in the work today!

Here are some workouts with the girls. They did their thing that last week and was locked in.

I left in some of the mistakes on purpose, because it’s important to see that messing up is part of the process, especially when we’re focusing on building new skills. This is exactly why I lean more toward skill enhancement training instead of just basic skills training. If this drill was stripped down to only layups, these girls wouldn’t miss. But once I added distractions, suddenly the layups became harder. That’s the point. In this drill, the tennis ball forces players to lock in on pace and timing. If your footwork and ball-handling don’t match the rhythm of the tennis ball, everything feels off. The second part of the drill takes it further: players have to float the ball on the under-drag, switch their feet to attack from a new angle, place the tennis ball inside the cone, then grab it again. It looks simple, but if your timing or pacing is off, this drill will expose it. And that’s the value. It enhances multiple skills at once and builds real versatility. Basketball is a game full of distractions. The players who can finish consistently through them are the ones who separate themselves. That’s why skill enhancement training matters, when you push yourself like this, the actual game feels easier.