All great shooters have their own basketball shooting drills that they run through daily in order to perfect their shooting and to keep their game on point. Creating your own shooting routine may be just what you need in order to develop your shooting skills and playing style so you can become an even better player. Our shooting routine is simply a guide that you can use until you create one specifically designed for you. You can try out all the shooting drills or use the ones that you feel are the most effective for your shooting style.
Top Shooter Drills
Our shooting drills will help you to develop and maintain sound shooting techniques while working on consistent form and helping to improve your confidence out on the court. Basically, with practice, these drills will make you a better shooter.
For new players who are interested in fixing their shooting form, these drills can be incorporated into their daily workout.
For advanced players, these drills can be an excellent way to refine shooting techniques or as an effective way to warm up. Warming up is important and it’s a must if you want to keep consistently making those tough shots. That’s why many of the top players in the NBA practice several shooting drills every day.
One-Hand Form
Most players are familiar with the one-hand shooting drill. However, even if you’re familiar with it, don’t quickly dismiss how important this drill is to the foundation of your shooting style. It works by reinforcing proper technique in regard to the release portion of a shot. For this drill, you must focus on placing both feet shoulder width apart and remain in a balanced, strong position.
With each shot, make sure your feet are properly spaced apart so you can develop this type of consistency with each shot. Some players prefer to place their feet slightly narrower than shoulder width apart, or slightly staggered. Choose what feels right to you.
Now, take your shooting arm and make an L shape. You should focus on pushing the ball out and up, with the elbow finishing above eye level. Next, push the ball through the fingers. Usually, a player ends up with their middle/index finger pointing at the hoop or their index finger alone pointing at the hoop. Again, do what feels right for you.
When shooting out and up correctly and pushing through your fingers you’ll end up getting just the right amount of backspin.
Another option is practicing shooting at a wall so you can focus on using proper mechanics. Once you’ve developed the consistency you need with foot placement then you can advance to the basket.
For your shooting workout, your goal should be fifty shots at the basket and ten shots at the wall. You shouldn’t progress until you’ve made at least eight out of the ten wall shots using the right shooting technique. For beginners, this can take some time.
When you move on to shooting at the basket you’ll need to take ten shots from five different spots on the court. The distance should only be a few feet from the basket. You need to try and make at least seven out of the ten shots from each of these spots. If you’re not using the right technique during a shot, then the shot shouldn’t count.
Adding the Guide Hand
Many athletes tend to overuse their guide hand, and often, players will usually miss to the left and the right. If you’re able to eliminate shooting to the left or right, you’ll make more shots automatically.
The guide hand should be placed near the side of the basketball. It should never be placed behind or in front of the ball. The guide hand should remain still.
For your drill workout, try one-hand form shooting. Shoot ten shots from a total of three spots and stay at least five feet from the basket. In order to progress with this drill, you must make at least eight out of the ten shots.
Now try for fifty shots using the one-hand form shooting drill with your guide hand. Ten shots should be taken from five different spots. Again, you’ll want to stand about five feet away from the basket with a goal of making at least eight of the ten shots.
These next drills are very important in regard to developing proper shooting technique. However, drills that teach things like arc, fluidity, coordination, proper release, and rhythm are usually neglected or forgotten. If you want to be a better shooter, we can’t emphasize enough the importance of following drills. Doing so can make the difference between being a great shooter or a poor one.
Set to Go
If you’ve studied some of the greatest shooters in the NBA, then you’ve noticed that the ball begins to come up before they extend their legs. However, if you attempt to do this it probably screws up your coordination and rhythm. This next drill will focus on developing the coordination of extending the legs in order to shoot as the ball moves up through the shoulder position.
Stand a few feet away from the basket, with your arm angled at ninety degrees and the ball positioned near your shoulder. Once you’re ready, extend your legs and shoot at the same time, using one fluid motion. Since there is little to no jumping, the shot is like a free throw.
Make five to ten shots, taking one step back and repeating the drills until you’ve reached the free throw line.
It’s important that you focus on doing it right on every repetition, so make sure you take your time. If you start forming sloppy habits it will severely impact your shooting progression. Get in the correct position before every shot and be smart about consistency.
You can combine shooting drills with dribble drills. That way you will keep things balanced when progressing.
For your workout include twenty one-hand form shots, twenty one-hand form shots with your guide hand, and forty of these set to go shots. Repeat this interval three to four times and remember to always use the correct form. You’ll notice after a week or two how much your shooting accuracy has improved. With ongoing practice, you’ll have the right tools to significantly improve your game on the court and your shooting accuracy.
