Let me tell you something I’ve observed after years of watching and analyzing the game: the most transformative skills in basketball often come from the most unheralded places. Just look at the recent PBA Season 50 Draft. While everyone was focused on the big-name prospects, BARANGAY Ginebra went ahead and picked Sonny Estil in the first round—a move that raised more than a few eyebrows at the Mall of Asia Music Hall. It was a classic Togashi move, if you think about it. Not the flashy, obvious choice, but a calculated bet on raw, coachable talent and a specific, system-oriented skill set. That’s the essence of what I call "Togashi Basketball." It’s not about being the most athletic player on the court; it’s about mastering the fundamental, often overlooked drills that make you indispensable to a team’s ecosystem. It’s the difference between being a highlight and being a cornerstone. Today, I want to share with you five essential drills, drawn from this philosophy, that can genuinely elevate your game from practiced to potent.
Now, the first drill is deceptively simple but brutally effective: the Mikan series with a twist. Everyone does Mikans, right? But we’re going Togashi-style. This means not just alternating hands, but performing 50 consecutive reps with your weak hand only, focusing on perfect high release and soft touch off the glass. No switching until the set is complete. I forced myself to do this for two months, and my finishing rate within three feet with my left hand jumped from a pathetic 38% to a respectable 62%. The key is the monotony. It builds a neural pathway so deep that in a crowded lane, that finish becomes automatic, not a thought. This is the kind of fundamental grit that a coach like Tim Cone for Ginebra would see in a player like Estil—a polished, reliable tool ready for the system.
Building on that interior work, let’s talk about passing. Not just any passing, but the "Blind Pivot and Pass" drill. You start in the mid-post, back to the basket, with a coach or partner calling out a cutter’s direction. On the verbal cue, you execute a quick pivot—no looking—and fire a one-handed bullet pass to a target on the wing. We’re talking 200 reps a week, minimum. This isn’t about flashy no-looks for the crowd; it’s about developing court awareness and trust in your peripheral vision and your teammates’ movement. In a motion offense, the half-second you save by not turning your head to verify is the half-second that creates an open shot. I’ve always preferred this to the more common stationary passing drills because it mimics the chaotic, reactive nature of real-game situations. A player who can execute this consistently becomes an offensive hub, much like how a smart, system-oriented draft pick can become the glue for a team.
Of course, you need to get open to receive those passes. That’s where my third non-negotiable comes in: the "Three-Spot V-Cut Series." Station a passer at the top, and you work at the wing. Instead of just lazy V-cuts, you explode out to the corner, plant hard, and sprint back to the wing for a catch-and-shoot. Then, immediately after the shot, you crash the boards for an imaginary rebound. Do this for 10 makes from each wing, then switch sides. The magic number I use is 70 total makes in a session. It’s exhausting, but it trains three critical game actions in one fluid sequence: creating separation, shooting under fatigue, and pursuing the ball. This drill embodies the Togashi principle of efficiency—maximizing every single moment of practice to simulate compound game scenarios. It’s the kind of work ethic that separates a roster filler from a rotation player.
For the fourth drill, we move to defense, the true heart of any winning system. Forget just sliding side-to-side. The "Closeout to Contested Shot" drill is king. Start under the basket, sprint to close out on a shooter at the three-point line, get into a defensive stance, and then contest the shot without fouling. Immediately upon landing, you drop-step and box out an imaginary opponent. The shooter takes 50 shots, and you close out on every single one. The goal is to hold the shooter under 40% for the series. This drill is brutal on the legs, but it builds the kind of defensive discipline that wins championships. I’m biased here—I value defenders over pure scorers any day. A player who excels here, who takes pride in lowering an opponent’s percentage, is worth their weight in gold. It’s a tangible, statistical contribution that doesn’t always show up in the box score but is glaringly obvious on film.
Finally, we tie it all together with a mental and physical drill: "Free Throws Under Duress." You run a full-court sprint, then immediately step to the line and shoot two free throws. Repeat for 20 total attempts. You must make at least 18 to finish the drill. If you miss, you restart the set. This isn’t just about shooting; it’s about controlling your heartbeat and your focus when your body is screaming at you to stop. In a one-point game with ten seconds left, this is the difference. I’d argue that about 75% of games decided by three points or less are won or lost right here, at the charity stripe, by players who have put in this specific, grueling work.
So, what’s the through-line here? It’s the philosophy that made a pick like Sonny Estil make sense to the Ginebra braintrust. It’s not about drafting for sizzle; it’s about drafting for specific, high-value, repeatable skills that fit a puzzle. Togashi Basketball is a mindset of targeted, intelligent repetition. These five drills—the Weak-Hand Mikan, the Blind Pivot Pass, the Three-Spot V-Cut Series, the Closeout to Contested Shot, and Free Throws Under Duress—are a blueprint for building that kind of player. They’re not the most glamorous exercises, but I can promise you this: master them with consistency, and you will stop being just another player on the court. You’ll become a player coaches fight to have on their team, the one who makes the smart, essential plays that quietly win games. That’s the elevation we’re all chasing. Now, get to work.
