Mikan drill
Basketball drill · Under-9 and up
One player, one ball, one basket: lay it in on the right, catch it out of the net, step through and lay it in on the left. Named after George Mikan, who did it every day, it builds the soft touch and two-handed footwork every player needs within three feet of the rim.
Adding it to a session puts it on your run sheet with its time and cue. It does not use up one of your saved plays.
- Time
- 5 minutes
- Players
- 1 per basket, or pairs taking turns
- Equipment
- 1 basket
- 1 ball per player
Setup
- Start on the right block, just in front of the basket, holding the ball high.
- Lay the ball in off the backboard with the right hand, jumping off the left foot.
- Catch the ball as it comes through the net, without letting it touch the floor.
- Step across under the basket to the left side and lay it in with the left hand off the right foot.
- Keep going for 30 seconds or a target number of makes, then swap with a partner.
Coaching points
- Keep the ball high, above your shoulders, the whole time. Bringing it down is how it gets stripped.
- Stay close to the basket and use the backboard; this drill is about touch, not height.
- Catch it with two hands out of the net and go straight back up. Rhythm matters more than speed at first.
- Use the correct hand on each side: right hand on the right, left hand on the left.
On the run sheet: Ball stays high above your shoulders, catch it out of the net, step through and finish with the other hand
Progressions
- Count makes in 30 seconds and try to beat it next session.
- Reverse Mikan: face away from the baseline and finish with reverse layups.
- Add a coach with a pad bumping the finish.
How it runs
The player starts on one side of the basket with the ball held high and lays it in off the glass. As the ball drops through the net they catch it, still above their head, take one step across under the rim and finish on the other side with the other hand. Then back again. The animation shows three of those finishes in a row, right, left and right, with the player crossing underneath the basket between each one.
It looks simple and is not. Most players can do it slowly with their strong hand; doing it at rhythm with both hands, without the ball ever coming down to their waist, takes weeks.
Why every player should do it, not just the bigs
Mikan was a centre and the drill is often treated as one for tall players. But every guard who drives finishes at the rim too, usually off balance and usually with a hand in their face. Five minutes of this at the start of practice is the cheapest way to build the touch and the two-handed footwork that turns a drive into two points.
The mistakes to watch for
Bringing the ball down to the chest before going back up, drifting away from the basket so every finish becomes a longer shot, and using the strong hand on both sides.
More basketball drills
Put Mikan drill in Tuesday's session
It lands on your practice plan already timed, with the coaching cue printed under it, next to your own plays.
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