Shooting Drills

















 

 
Form Shooting Drill
Having good, solid form is a key element in being a good shooter. To work on your mechanics, use a close to the basket shooting drill.

Stand 2 or 3 feet from the backboard and on one side of the basket. Using only your shooting arm, shoot a bank shot into the basket. Use perfect form (ball on finger tips, elbow in, shoot up-and-out towards the basket, follow through with good backspin on the ball). Rebound the ball and shoot again. Shoot at least 15 shots from each side of the basket. Shoot with your right arm from the right side of the basket, and shoot with your left arm from the left side of the basket. Once you've shot 15 shots from each side, step back 2 or 3 feet further away from the basket and repeat the drill.



Mikan Drill

Named after George Mikan, one of the NBA's early stars, this drill is a key to improving your shot. The drill involves shooting a hook shot in the lane, but it really helps you improve your overall game. The Mikan drill helps you improve your hook shot, but it also helps you improve your coordination, touch around the basket, shot release, follow through, and confidence in your short range game.

Start in front of the basket, 2 to 3 feet in front of the rim. Jump off of your left leg and shoot a right-handed hook shot off the backboard and into the basket. Rebound the ball, and immediately go into the shooting motion of shooting a left-handed hook shot (jumping off of your right leg). Remember to explode up and off the ground as you shoot the shot. Keep both hands on the ball until you are in the final stages of releasing the shot. Fully extend your shooting arm, and release the ball high in the air, using your non-shooting arm to create space between you and the defender. Shoot 15 shots with each arm, then move back 2 or 3 feet and repeat the drill, shooting another 15 shots with each arm.


Distance Shooting Drill
Improving the distance on your shot is important to becoming a better offensive player. Extending your shooting range should be a goal for any player, regardless of what position you play, or what your shooting range is currently.

After you are warmed up and have done some close-in form shooting drills, work your way back to the the furthest distance from the basket you are comfortable shooting from (in other words, the extent of your current shooting range). Shoot 10 jump shots from this range. Once you have made 8 out of 10, you are ready to move back 1 to 2 feet further than you would normally shoot from. Make sure you use the same form on the shot you normally use, getting extra strength and power from your lower body. Really focus on shooting with perfect form. Shoot 10 jump shots from this distance. Then, move back another 1 to 2 feet and repeat the drill. Continue to move back 1 to 2 feet from the basket for each series of 10 shots, but stop once you are unable to maintain solid form on the shot. Once you can no longer use your typical shooting form, stop the drill. Your goal is to increase your shooting range over time, a little bit each workout.


Fake and One-Dribble Moves
There will be times in a game when you catch a pass and immediately go up for a jump shot. But it is important that you're able to shoot the basketball at the end of a move as well. Working on fake and one-dribble move drills will help you improve this part of your game, and more realistically simulates scoring opportunities you'll likely get in actual games..

Toss the ball out to yourself, catch it and pull it into your body and get into the triple threat position. Make a good, solid pump fake and then take one strong dribble to your right. Make sure your dribble moves you past an imaginary defender and towards the basket (the dribble should take you at a 45-degree angle towards the basket). Come to a solid, on-balance stop, then go up for your jump shot. Do this drill 5 times pump faking and dribbling to your right, and 5 times dribbling to your left. Do this drill from 4 to 5 different spots on the floor (for example: on the baseline, on the right and left wings, and on the right and left elbow.


"If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat."  Herschel Walker