As a guard, your three most important skills are ball-handling, shooting and playing defense. Perimeter players who consistently get to where they want on the floor, put the ball in the basket and prevent their opponents from scoring are in high demand by college coaches.

The best way to improve in these areas is to simulate game speed and conditioning. The following basketball drills for guards, inspired by elite NBA players, will help you become the most dominant perimeter player on the court.

J.J. Redick Shooting Drill

• Set up three cones, one in the half-court center circle and one each where the sidelines meet the half-court line
• Start at the center cone
• Sprint toward the center of the free-throw line, collect pass and shoot ball
• Immediately turn and sprint toward one of the sideline cones
• Touch cone, turn and sprint to the closest corresponding elbow and receive ball for another jump shot
• Return to the center cone and sprint back to the center of the free throw line
• Continue in this fashion for either a specified time or a target number of made shots
• Make this drill more challenging by having the passer contest each shot

One-on-One Touch Drill

• Stand on the wing with a partner, one of you on offense, the other on defense
• Offensive player begins in triple threat position, defensive player in low defensive stance
• Ball is live when the defender touches it; the offensive player has three dribbles to score a basket
• Whether offensive player scores or is stopped, the two players switch position
• Play until nine points
• Make the drill more challenging by starting under the basket as the defensive player and attempting to close out on the offensive player. You can also change positions on the floor, and add or subtract dribbles

Kyrie Irving Drill

• Set up three cones three feet apart on the perimeter in a zigzag pattern going toward the basket
• Attack the cones off the dribble and make three quick change-of-direction moves of your choice (crossover, between the legs, spin, behind the back, etc.)
• Finish with either a lay-up or jump shot
• It’s important to treat the cones as if they were players instead of just cones
• Work on using all of your dribble moves in a quick but controlled manner