The Scoops Drill: Master Your Underhand Touch
The Scoops drill is a high-intensity wall ball exercise designed to develop elite hand-eye coordination and soft touch around the rim. By isolating the underhand motion used in scoop layups and interior pocket passes, this drill helps players of all levels—from youth to pro—refine their wrist mechanics and reaction speed in a controlled environment.
How to Perform This Drill
- Setup: Stand 10 to 15 feet away from a solid brick or concrete wall. Drop into a low, athletic stance with your feet wider than shoulder-width and knees bent. Hold a basketball in each hand.
- Initiate: Start by delivering a firm underhand scoop pass against the wall with your right hand. Focus on extending your arm and rolling the ball off your fingertips.
- React: As the ball ricochets back, prepare to catch it with the same hand. The moment you make the catch, immediately fire the second ball with your left hand.
- Flow: Establish a piston-like rhythm. As one ball hits your hand, the other should be leaving it. Keep your core engaged and your body square to the wall.
- Finish: Complete 20 consecutive reps (10 per hand) without breaking your stance or dropping the ball.
Why This Drill Works
This drill bridges the gap between ball handling and finishing by isolating the specific wrist flexion required for creative finishes in the paint. In a game, you rarely have the time or space for a perfect gather; you often need to manipulate the ball from a low angle to avoid shot blockers. By forcing you to react to the wall's rebound velocity, Scoops trains your central nervous system to execute soft-touch releases under pressure, translating directly to higher finishing percentages in traffic and sharper passing in the pick-and-roll.
Pro Tips
- Stay Low: Fight the urge to stand up as you get tired. Keeping your hips dropped ensures you are engaging your glutes and simulating a real game-drive posture.
- Snap the Wrist: Do not rely solely on arm swing. The "soft touch" comes from a sharp wrist snap at the very end of the motion, which generates the backspin needed for the ball to sit softly on the rim or hit the receiver's hands.
- Target Practice: Don't just throw the ball blindly. Pick a specific brick or mark on the wall and try to hit it with every single rep to build precision accuracy.
- Increase Velocity: As you master the rhythm, throw the ball harder against the wall. This decreases your reaction time and forces your hands to move faster, overloading your coordination.
