Alright, let’s talk about this Brett Thompson basketball stuff I tried out recently. Heard the name floating around, some guys at the court were mentioning his drills, so I figured, why not give it a shot? Always looking to mix things up a bit, you know?
Getting Set Up
So, I did a little digging, found a couple of drills attributed to him. Nothing fancy, seemed pretty basic, which is good for me. Didn’t want anything too complicated. Picked two to focus on for my session: one focused on footwork and passing, and another on tight dribbling.
Went down to the local court, pretty empty thankfully. Warmed up like usual, some light jogging, stretching, basic dribbling, just getting loose. Then, I decided to tackle the footwork drill first.
Trying the Pivot-and-Pass Drill
This one involved setting up a cone, catching the ball, making a strong pivot – like, really emphasizing planting that foot – and then snapping a pass to a spot on the wall. Sounds simple, right?
Well, easier said than done. My first few tries were clumsy. My pivot foot felt like it was stuck in mud, and the pass was weak. I really had to concentrate on the sequence:
- Catch
- Plant HARD
- Pivot quick and low
- See the target
- Snap the pass
Took me a good 15 minutes to start feeling a rhythm. Had to keep reminding myself to stay balanced and not rush the pivot just to get the pass off. It was more about the footwork discipline than the pass itself, I think. Felt a bit silly focusing so much on just pivoting, but hey, fundamentals.
Moving onto the Low Dribble Weave
Next up was the dribbling drill. Set up about five cones in a straight line, fairly close together. The idea was to weave through them using a low, controlled dribble, switching hands, keeping my eyes up.
This felt more familiar, but the emphasis was different. Thompson’s approach (or what I interpreted as his approach) seemed really focused on keeping that dribble super low and tight to the body, almost protecting it constantly. My usual crossover felt too wide for this drill initially.
I spent maybe 20 minutes on this. Lost the ball a few times trying to go too fast or getting lazy with the height of the dribble. Had to slow right down, focus on pounding the ball low, feeling the cone with my leg, and making that quick hand switch. It definitely forces you to be more precise with your handles.
Wrapping Up and Thoughts
Finished up with some free throws, my usual cool down. So, what did I think? It was… interesting. Nothing earth-shattering, no magic bullet. But it did make me focus intently on specific, small movements. The pivot drill really highlighted how lazy my footwork can get. The dribbling forced a level of control I don’t always practice.
It wasn’t fun like playing a game, obviously. It was work. Repetitive work. But I could see the point. Building those solid habits through focused repetition. Will I keep doing these specific drills? Maybe mix them in sometimes. It’s good to be reminded of the basics, break things down. Felt like I actually practiced something specific, rather than just shooting around. So yeah, decent session overall. Added a little something to think about for next time.
