Basketball Shooting Drills

Talk of a particular sport like soccer & one of the things that comes to mind are the drills which are practiced regularly. I mean, there would hardly be anyone who might not have seen a video clip or footage of these players going through their motions & practice drills. Nevertheless, the point was that, these drills are absolutely necessary for any player.

This one is good for beginners. It is perfect if you are alone and want to get some good practice. The primary concept is that, when you shoot the ball into the basket, you get one point. If you miss, consider that as 2 points.

Getting to 10 points by shooting accurately as against misses has to be the aim. Consider the drill as an actual game, and after the shot, retrieve the ball quickly and have fast movements from one spot to another.

To do this drill, what a player does is that, he first tosses the ball to himself. He then catches the ball and pulls it towards his body. He follows that by getting in the triple threat position. After this, he takes a good and solid pump fake, taking a strong dribble to his right.

The player here makes sure that his dribble moves him beyond an imaginary defender, and toward the direction of the basket. He comes to a balanced stop and finally goes for a jump shot.

A player here shoots 10 free throws as per the instructions of the coach. The number of shots he misses, the team has to run the same number of conditioners. This is followed by the coach asking the player to shoot the number of shots he missed.

Once again, the team will be asked to run the number of conditioners this time missed by the player. This goes on till the number of shots missed is zero.

Here, a player stands 2 feet away from the basket. One player should stand in the front, and another on the side. The player holds the ball in his palm facing up, and his arm has to be in a 90-degree angle, with his triceps parallel to the ground. With knees bent and his focus on the rim, he has to shoot with one hand.

The player will try and shoot from the farthest point that is comfortable for him. He will shoot around 10 jump shots from that point. After getting 8 out of those, he will move back around 2 feet. He would get extra strength and power from his lower body, and he would use the same form.

He would concentrate on shooting with a perfect form. Again, shoot 10 shots from this distance. Continue moving back 1 or 2 feet from the basket, and have 10 shots for every time you go back 2 feet. Try this till you are unable to maintain solid form on the shot.

Here are a few pointers which may help you.

• Get a good balance by spreading your feet shoulder-width apart, and the knees slightly bent. This is the popular triple threat position, from where you pass, shoot, or dribble.
• Focus your eyes at the front of the rim always, and have a follow-through. For that, you have to keep your off hand on the side of the ball.

• If you get tired or if monotony creeps in, relax and shoot some free throws.
• Using your strongest muscles in your body is the best bet to impart enough power to a shot.
• Finally, avoid thinking too much about where to shoot and what to do with the ball, when you actually get it. Think about it beforehand.

Do these drills in an actual game-like simulation. This will help you progress leaps and bounds as a player.