MR.

RAMKRISHAN Himachal Pradesh (India) Key Basketball Fundamentals The fundamentals of basketball are the MOST important thing to master because they will make you and your team better no matter what age level or team you play for. Shooting Shooting the basketball is the MOST important skill for you master. That's why we developed this comprehensive basketball shooting resource for both players and coaches. Basketball Shooting Tips for Players 21 Easy Ways to Improve Your Basketball Shooting Percentage By Jeff Haefner Tip #1 Locate Your Target (the Rim) Earlier Getting in the habit of locating your target (the rim) earlier will improve your shooting percentage. Why? Locating the rim just a split second earlier gives your brain more time to subconsciously calculate distance and focus on your objective. Your eyes should be on the rim as early as possible. To make this little trick work, you need to develop this habit in practice, which carries over into games. Tip #2 Always Hold Your Follow Through Youve probably heard this a hundred times but theres good reason for it. Holding your follow through solves a multitude of shooting problems. This simple movement helps you maintain good basketball shooting technique without even thinking about it.

Tip #3 Finish with a Floppy Wrist A common mistake is for players to follow-through with a tense wrist. Your wrist should be as relaxed as possible. Your hand should finish on line and often bouncing during follow-through. Tip #4 Use a Colored Ball to Improve Rotation To improve the straightness of your shot, try a colored basketball during practice. This makes it easy to see the rotation and direction of the ball. The immediate feedback makes it quick and easy for you to adjust and improve your shot. Tip #5 Dont Shoot like Kobe TOO many kids try to copy Kobe and end up with bad shots for the REST OF THEIR LIVES! Youngsters have no business trying to hang like Kobe and shoot. Kobe is a freak of nature! You should shoot as youre going up (at least 1 inch before you reach the top of your jump). Trying to mimic Kobes shot will just earn you a place on the bench and lots of frustration. Tip #6 Stop Thinking about Your Shot During Games One of the worst things you can do is think about your shooting mechanics during a game. Thinking about your shot is for practice, NOT for games! In fact, you should only think during certain parts of your practice. Its ok to think during a form shooting session or when learning a new skill, but once you start developing rhythm and get further into practice, dont think! During games, train yourself to think about other things or nothing at all. Youre going to miss a few. So what! Dont think, just shoot the damn ball!!! If you adopt this mentality, your shooting percentage will go UP. Tip # 7 Eliminate Negative Thoughts with this Simple Trick

Eliminating negative thoughts can dramatically improve your basketball shooting percentage. To stop thinking and eliminate bad thoughts, you can try this little trick Before each game, practice, and shooting session, tell yourself that you dont care if you make any baskets. Say it out loud or in your head several times. THEN, when you go to shoot (right as youre catching the ball), say something to yourself like, Nice shot. I can do better. In other words, try not to care if it goes in or not. This simple little trick helps you to relax into the process and not think about the result. Using this technique will be enough to break you out of mini slumps and restore your confidence. Tip #8 Develop Optimal Arc DID YOU KNOW that a shot with a flat 35 degree arc only has .6 inches of margin for the ball to clear without hitting the rim? The shot has to be almost perfect to get a swish. BUT a shot with a 45 degree medium height arc has a 3 inch margin of error! Thats right. Just by increasing the arc of your shot, your margin of error could increase as much as 500%! How many shots bounce OUT of the basket because you missed by just a fraction? As a general rule of thumb, finish your follow through with the rim clearly visible beneath the fingers of your shooting hand. That way you will ensure that you have a decent arc on the shot. Shots with proper arch have a much better chance of going in. Just dont go too high. Because if your arc gets too high, youll loose your distance control. Tip #9 Watch DVDs

Simply by watching great shooters groove their shots over and over, you can improve your confidence and form. The good habits and examples can be contagious. As you watch, the good form becomes ingrained in your mind. Not to mention, you should never stop learning. There are lots of good shooting DVDs and books for you to learn from. Tip #10 Use a Partner to Tune your Shot Alignment Spend a little time during each practice lined up along a court line about 20 feet from a partner, shooting back and forth and trying to have the ball bounce as close to the line as possible. This simple practice technique will help you to fine tune your control of the precision of your shot. Tip #11 Land in the Same Spot Balance is a very important aspect of shooting. You achieve balance primarily through a proper stance and footwork. After your shot, you should land pretty much exactly where you started. This means you have established good balance from your stance. Tip #12 Film Your Shot Youd be amazed at how filming your shot in both games and practices can help you. The most common response from players is Thats how I shoot!!?? Thats right. Most players havent seen their own shot before. Seeing your shot on film can help you to detect poor mechanics and motivate you to make commitments for improvement. Bottom line its a great way to refine your shot. Tip #13 Get a Partner When possible, try to shoot with a partner. Because when youre alone, you end up chasing the rebound before following through properly.

This is important. Think about how you practice You shoot and then you start following the shot immediately so you can get lots of reps. Guess what? This can mess up your follow-through. You need to FINISH each shot and hold your follow-through. Thats why we recommend getting a partner to rebound for you. Now just because you cant find a partner you can (and should) still practice by yourself. Just be aware of holding your follow through. Tip #14 Fix Bad Habits by Immediately Correcting Your Shot This is one of the easiest ways to break bad shooting habits. For example, lets say you forgot to hold your follow-through. Well, immediately after you shoot, raise your hand back up and put your hand in the correct follow-through position. This simple technique will help you quickly correct the bad habit Tip #15 Use a Return Device Using basketball rebounding and return devices can literally double the number of shots you can take in practice. Just think how much time you spend chasing the ball when you practice. A return device solves that problem and lets you take more shots in less time. Tip #16 Keep the Ball Above Your Waist When you catch the ball, always keep the ball above your waist and in the shot pocket. Theres NO need to dip the ball. This is wasted movement. Tip #17 Dont Fall for Gimmicks Too many players spend their hard earned money on shooting gloves and gimmicks, thinking this will make them great shooters. You cant use these devices during a game so it really doesnt do you much good. You need to learn how to shoot effectively without these devices. There is NO magic pill. Tip # 18 Keep Your Shot Motion Balanced, Fluid, and Consistent

A fluid motion means that there are no jerky movements or stopping points, just one constant flow from start to finish. Consistency cant be stressed enough. Your feet, arms, shot pocket, and jump height should use a consistent motion every time you shoot. All the greatest shooters in the world have amazingly consistent movements. Tip #19 Groove 50 Shots Before Every Game Before every practice and game, face the basket and shoot 50 EASY shots about four to ten feet from the basket. Not only does this improve your shooting form, but it helps to develop phenomenal confidence. Youll quickly become very good at grooving these shots over and over. Youll see the ball going in the basket over and over. Youll swish the ball repeatedly and probably shoot 60%, 70%, 80%, or more, which is great for your psyche. Why do you think that NBA players do this before games? Why do you think that Tiger Woods starts all of his practice sessions by making 100 three-foot putts? Because it works! Dont overlook this powerful strategy. Tip #20 Quickly Chart Your Shot to Determine Tendencies Head to the gym and shoot a bare minimum of 50 shots. Ask your partner to chart your shots. The KEY is to chart the detailed results of each shot. You will track how many shots fell short, too long, to the left, and to the right. This information will help you to determine what you need to work on. For example, if you consistently miss short (like many players do), youll need to work on your power and distance control. If you consistently miss to the right and the left, you need to fix the mechanics of your foot and/or arm alignment. Tip #21 Work Game-Like Movement into Your Practice

To make game shots, you need to practice game shots. You should use good shooting drillsand practice movement off screens, cuts, chairs, and pivoting in both directions. How to Develop Supreme Basketball Shooting Confidence (Required to Become a Great Shooter) They will all tell you that confidence can be the difference between an AVERAGE shooter and a GREAT shooter. Confidence will greatly improve your shooting percentage! So how do you develop supreme and unwavering shooting confidence? Here are three few extremely effective techniques:

1 GROOVING Before every practice and game, face the basket and shoot 50 EASY shots about four to ten feet from the basket. Not only does this improve your shooting form, but it helps to develop phenomenal confidence. How? You'll quickly become very good at grooving these shots over and over. You'll see the ball going in the basket over and over. You'll swish the ball repeatedly and probably shoot 60%, 70%, 80%, or more, which is great for your psyche. Simply by seeing your shot go in over an over, you'll become more confident. Why do you think that NBA players do this before games? Why do you think that Tiger Woods starts all of his practice sessions by making 100 three-foot putts? Because it works! So don't overlook this powerful strategy.

2 CHARTING This is another technique that you should NOT overlook! Lots of coaches talk about it, but we give credit to Dave Hopla for helping us realize the power of charting. He has been preaching it for years. To improve your confidence, start charting all of the shots that you take in practice. It's easy to do and you'll be absolutely amazed at how much it helps. After every practice session, keep track of what kinds of shots you took, the number of shots taken and the number of shots that you actually made. Why does this help? It seems so trivial, but the greatest shooters in the world have discovered this secret and will all tell you the same answer. Their chart continually reminds them of how great they are. They can see on paper that they shot 65% for all of their 10 foot jumpers. They can see that they shot 90% for free throws. Then what happens? You start believing both at a conscious and deep subconscious level that you're an awesome shooter! And you have the proof right there on paper. It shows you that you've made thousands of shots. And you won't soon forget how to shoot because you've done this thousands of times and you can knock 'em down! Take our advice. Start charting your shots, especially the shots that you groove.

The chart doesn't need to be complicated. It just needs to make sense to you and be easy for you to carry around, like a notebook, journal, or a binder. Here's a simple example of a shooting chart, but you should come up with one that makes sense to you:
Date 3/21/2008 3/21/2008 3/21/2008 3/21/2008 Shot Type Form shooting 6' grooves 12' catch & shoot Free throws Attempts 50 50 100 10 Makes 40 38 62 8 Percentage 80% 76% 62% 80%

3 PRACTICE This alludes to an obvious technique to improve your confidence... Practice! We all know that practice improves confidence.

If you're reluctant to shoot, not confident, and hesitant, then you're probably going to miss. Even though confidence is the mark of a great shooter, you can't invent confidence out of thin air. It has to be based on some evidence and experience. This comes from practice. You will be able to relax and shoot with a confidence that has been earned. No tricks or tactics here. You just need to get it done. For a little motivation, you might want to recruit a good partner. You can also set goals. Do whatever it takes. A high school player should be taking around 500 shots a day and charting

them all. We suggest that you implement all of the techniques above. You should groove your shots every day, chart your shots, and practice ALL the time. 5 of the Biggest Basketball Shooting Mistakes (And How to Fix Them) For most of these fixes, you are going to need to start away from the hoop and take hundreds and thousands of shots. You can find a wall and do this by yourself or find a line and shoot it back and forth to a partner. Once, you begin to feel comfortable with your adjustment, take hundreds of shots really close to the basket and gradually move out. Thumb on Shooting Hand Players often have the ball sit on the tip of their thumb on their shooting hand. This position is awkward and forces the body to strain to hold the proper shooting form. In order to be a good shooter, you have to be comfortable. It you don't strain, your elbow sticks too far out. How do you fix it? You need to have the ball rest on the side of the thumb rather than on the tip of the thumb on every shot. It may feel awkward at first, but it will help tremendously and more of your shots will travel to the dead-center of the rim. If you can not determine when you are doing this, you may need to have someone critique your shot or video tape it. 1. Thumb on Guide Hand Some players flick the ball with their thumb on the guide hand when shooting the basketball. This will cause serious problems for the shooter and the ball will

often spray left and right. It's tough enough to judge the distance, yet add another factor of left and right into the equation. Most players develop this problem when they are too weak to get the ball to the rim, and the habit carries through their teenage and adult years. How do you fix it? You can squeeze your thumb against the index finger on your guide hand. This will not let you shoot the ball with the thumb. If the problem still continues, take your guide hand off of the ball by about a halfinch and shoot with one hand. 2. Unnecessary Jerky Movements These jerky movements can cause you to become an inconsistent shooter:
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Twisting the body. Leaning Backwards, Forwards, and to the left or right. How do you fix it? You need to evaluate when this jerky movement is happening and what type of jerky movement is occurring. This may mean you need to video tape your shot if you have nobody to help. Two major reasons players twist their body when they shoot is:

3. Their feet are not aligned correctly. 4. They bring their guide hand down too early.

Make sure your feet up correctly before every shot. This means you may need to pivot more as you receive the pass or as you step into your shot off the dribble. If you use a hop, make sure that you are turning enough while in the air to align your feet properly as you land. If your feet are not set correctly, this will force your body to twist while shooting to try to compensate for it. If you bring your guide hand down too early, it brings extra movement into your shot that causes you to twist your body. If you don't believe me, sit in your chair and shoot with one hand and bring your guide hand down to your waist at the same time. What naturally happens? Your torso will twist. That's why it is important to keep your guide hand extended in the correct position. Pro players use this method to stop their upperbody from twisting when they take shots when they are off-balance or their feet are not aligned appropriately. It helps keep their upper body from twisting during the shot. I do NOT advise for players under the age of 18 to practice this shot, because it can mess up your mechanics. A good way to stop leaning is to "Stay Tall." That means you try to hold a posture that would make you tall. Don't strain to do it, but try to stay relaxed and upright. Make sure that the players jump and land on the same spot. You may also have analyzed when the player starts to jerk their body or lean in a certain direction. The player may only do a jerky movement when dribbling to the left and pulling up for a jumper. If this happens, they need to take hundreds and thousands of repetitions doing that same type of shot with great shooting form. No Arc - Flat Shot - Flinging the wrist. If you are missing a lot of shots because you have a flat shot or you don't seem to get many shooter's

bounces, it could be because you are flinging your wrist or have a flat shot.

You can check to see if you have this problem by bringing the ball to your set point and then bringing it straight down. If your shooting-hand lands on top of your head (or the back of your head) instead of grazing your forehead, then you've got a bad set point. How do you fix it? Move the ball forward so that when you bring it straight down, the back of your shooting hand grazes your forehead. Practice shooting to yourself from this position until it becomes your new set point. You should reinforce your new set point by daily form shooting close to the basket. In fact, you should rebuild your shot slowly by stepping back one step at a time as you establish consistency from a given range, using the new set point. Shooting after the Top of your Jump. Players who shoot past the top of their jump will often develop a hitch and jerky shot. The same with players who try to jump as high as they can on every shot. A player should focus on shooting before the top of their jump for a few different reasons:
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Quicker release. If you shoot before the top of your release, it gives the defender less time to recover to defend the shot. Make more shots. The shot is fluid which results in a smoother and softer shot, because you don't stop the shot motion at any point in your shot. Longer range. If you shoot at or after the top of your shot, it takes a lot more upper body strength to get the ball to the rim. If you shoot as you

are going up, the momentum from your legs help carry the ball a lot farther. Try shooting away from the hoop when doing this. How do you fix it? This one is pretty simple. You need thousands of repetitions shooting the basketball before the top of your jump.

In order to fix any of these problems, you are going to have be persistent and focused. "Sometimes, you have to take two steps backwards, to take three steps forwards." What that means is that your shot will most likely become worse before it gets better. Always keep the long-term in perspective. Who cares if you don't shoot the ball well during summer league, if you'll be able to shoot lights out once basketball season rolls around! How to Get Your Shot Off Quicker Like Stephen Curry If you watched any of the NCAA Men's basketball tournament this spring, you'll know Stephen Curry is the guard that torched the nets as he led the Davidson Wildcats to the Elite 8 and a near upset of the eventual NCAA champion Kansas Jayhawks. One thing you'd notice right away is that Stephen has one of the quickest shots in the college game. If you gave Stephen a millisecond to shoot, you'd see the ball splashing through the net. Now, you may be wondering how the heck can I shoot the ball that quickly or how can I teach my players to do that. Developing a "quick shot" is all about eliminating wasted movement and excess motion.

The higher you go in competitive levels, the more intense the defensive pressure you will face which makes it very important to be able to shoot more and more quickly without sacrificing any of your accuracy.

Here are seven keys to developing a quick shot release: 1. Be prepared before you catch the ball. Every time you catch the ball, your knees should be bent and your feet should be aligned with the basket a split second before you catch the ball. So now all you have to do is catch and go right up with your shot. On the other hand, if you catch the ball and then bend your knees, that is excess motion and wasted time. This gives your defender extra time to block your shot. Along the same lines, you should cut with your knees bent... Reggie Miller and Richard Hamilton are two examples of NBA players who are great at moving without the ball and getting their shot off quickly. If you watch them on TV, they always cut off screens with their knees bent. So when they get open, they only have to catch and shoot. Bottom line, always have your knees bent and feet ready before you catch the ball. 2. Provide passers with a target near your shot pocket.

3. Having great passers on your team can help you get your shot off quicker. To help them give you more accurate passes, you should always provide them with a hand target right at your shot pocket. If you're moving in your shot-hand direction, then your target can be your exact shot pocket. If you are moving in the direction of your off-hand, you should provide a target as much in line with your shot pocket as possible and use your off hand to get the ball over to the pocket as quickly as possible.

This is pretty subtle, but the idea is that rather than reaching over to bring the ball over with your shooting hand, you are emphasizing the force of the off-hand on the ball to deliver it to the proper position. Even though you are catching the ball with both hands, you will find that you're gaining a split second of quickness by developing this offhand-force habit. 4. Put the ball in shot pocket immediately. The quicker you can move the ball in your shot pocket, the quicker you can shoot. This takes practice!! You need to practice moving the ball into you shot pocket off the catch and off the dribble. This takes thousands and thousands of practice repetitions. You need to practice catching the ball, then quickly and fluidly moving the ball directly into your shot pocket. If you fumble the ball, then the defense has an extra split second to contest your shot. This is a very subtle movement you must practice over and over. 5. Eliminate wasted movement in your shot delivery.

Your shot pocket is the place you put the ball before going into your shot motion.

When you catch the ball, it should go immediately into your shot pocket, and then you should go right up into your shot from there. You should not put the ball in your shot pocket and then dip your knees or move the ball downward. The ball should go straight up, along with the rest of your body (legs, hips, etc). Any such excess motion adds time to your delivery, plus it is doing nothing positive for your shot. The simpler your motion, the more it is continually upward from your loaded stance, the quicker your shot will be. 6. Shoot just before the top of your jump. Shooting a split second before the top of your jump improves quickness, too. If you wait until the very top, that may be all the time needed for a quick defender to get up for the block. 7. Try dipping rapidly Another concept that can sometimes help players is to dip rapidly as you're catching the ball. To get your shot off as quickly as possible from your jump stop, you should work on a rapid dip into a squared-up jump stop rather than a leap that gets you into the air and covers distance. This dipping technique involves a sudden crouch into your jump stop, catching the ball in your shot pocket as it returns from a dribble, and springing right up into your shot. It is a sudden delivery that gives the defender hardly any time at all to react to your shot. 8. Think shot, shot, shot. One way to improve all the areas above, is to be in the new triple threat position every time you touch the ball, the triple threat of "Shot, Shot, Shot." In other words, any time you touch the ball, you have the ball in your shot pocket, your eyes on the rim, and your feet and stance loaded in case you have an opportunity to take a good shot.

Note that this doesn't mean that you should shoot every time you touch the ball. No, that wouldn't make much sense; but you should be ready to shoot every time you touch the ball. You will find it much easier to move from that readiness into a pass or dribble than to transition from a passing or dribbling expectation into a shot-ready mentality. How to Develop Long Distance Basketball Shooting Range Would you like to make MORE shots from farther back? Would you like to become a great 3-point shooter? We have some very effective shooting tips for you... When extending your range, you need to know about some surefire RIGHT and WRONG ways to get it done. You need to be very careful because all too often players will try to extend their range and acquire some subtle, yet dead-serious shooting flaws!! The trick is to extend your range while maintaining the EXACT SAME FORM. There are only TWO ways to increase your range: 1. INCREASE YOUR PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND POWER. 2. ADJUST YOUR POWER. SHOT MECHANICS FOR ADDITIONAL

With that said, we'll teach you exactly how to increase your range both ways. It's up to you to decide which method you choose. Many times, it's best for players to make very small improvements in both areas. How to increase your physical strength and power for increased range. The most obvious answer is to start a weight training program.

Increasing the strength of your entire body will help. You'll want stronger and more explosive legs, core, wrist, forearms, and triceps. In addition, by simply practicing more, you will increase the strength of your wrists and forearms. Taking 500 shots a day will increase your strength. Lastly, you can try using a heavy ball (twice the weight of a regulation ball) and then going back to the regulation size one. Players usually find it easy to shoot from farther out because of the contrast. Wait until at least junior high before working with an oversized or weighted ball. If you use a weighted ball, be sure to practice away from the basket. Do form shooting with one hand. Put your guide hand in the normal position, but an inch off the ball so you're not touching it. Focus on shooting the ball high and far, but do not sacrifice good form in order to do so. How to adjust your mechanics for additional power. This can be tricky because changing your mechanics can throw off your shot. Big changes to your mechanics will require you to retrain your muscle memory and you'll need thousands of repetitions to retrain your muscle memory. In most situations, it's best to make very minor adjustments to your shot delivery. ADJUSTMENT TECHNIQUE #1 good technique for developing range is to intentionally shoot the ball all the way over the backboard. This kind of power is achieved through using optimum leg power and releasing the ball a split second before reaching the top of the jump motion. If done properly, then generating enough force to shoot over the backboard, even from beyond the 3-point line, is not that difficult. Once players realize how much power is available through this motion, they can learn to control it for shooting at the rim. Since this takes less force than shooting over the backboard, players have more confidence shooting from long ranges. It's important to shoot a split second BEFORE you release the top of

your shot. You'll lose tremendous power if you jump, hang, and shoot on the way down. Plus, you just give your defender more time to block your shot. ADJUSTMENT TECHNIQUE #2 Another effective technique is to drop your elbow. If you watch Steve Nash you'll notice that he drops his elbow when shooting three pointers. If you're going to adjust mechanics, this is a good option to consider because it doesn't alter your delivery mechanics too dramatically. ADJUSTMENT TECHNIQUE #3 Yet another technique to consider is to try to decrease the time that it takes to get the ball from your shot chamber to your release point. This will add power to your shot and increase your range. The safest way to increase shooting range If you want to take the safest route, here's a surefire way to extend your range without sacrificing your accuracy. Let's say you are proficient at mid-range but you want to become a great 3-point shooter... The obvious answer is to practice. The question becomes what to practice. Shooting revolves around rhythm and form, so that is where the answer lies. It might sound strange, but to become a better 3-point shooter, you have to practice a lot, close to the basket. Take 100's and 1000's of shots 12' from the basket. The purpose for this is to really ingrain yourshooting form from an area that you can shoot comfortably and have some success. It doesn't make a difference what drills you do or how you practice it, as long as the primary thrust of the work is your form. Once you have your form ingrained, gradually move back. If you get to a point where you feel the rhythm change or your form start to change, that is the limit of your range. Stay at that spot until your shot feels like it

did at 12 feet. Once it feels comfortable again, shoot several hundred shots until it becomes automatic again. Once it feels automatic again, start to move back until you reach the limit of your range and shoot continually from that spot. Once you feel comfortable from behind the 3-point line, you can start shooting drills that will make you more proficient. Players struggle from behind the arc because they have to change their shot to get the ball to the basket. This not only makes the shooter inconsistent from the 3-point line, but it affects his shot from everywhere else. Remember, to be a good shooter, you have to take the same shot every time, no matter where you shoot the ball. Basketball Shooting Tips for Coaches 10 Tips When You Are Coaching and Teaching Basketball Shooting Tip #1 - USE THE WORD "ADJUSTMENTS" INSTEAD OF "CHANGES". When working with players and developing proper shooting technique, use the word "adjustments" instead of "change". Nobody wants to change! Tip #2 - CUT OUT PICTURES TO USE AS TEACHING AIDS. Many times, visual aids of famous players are EXTREMELY memorable for young kids. You'd be surprised how they might remember everything about Michael Jordan's form, but nothing about the lecture you just gave before practice. Keep an eye out for good pictures in the paper or magazines. If you find a great picture of an NBA player showing great form, cut it out and post it in the locker room. Show your players what they are doing right. Tip #3 - GIVE THEM A FOLDER FOR A SUMMER WORKOUT.

Take the time to put together a folder for your players' summer workout. Not only does this show your players that you are serious. But it makes it much easier for them to remember what to do. It also shows them that you care about their personal development. Tip #4 - COACHING IS NOTHING OTHER THAN SALES. 80% of coaching is sales. You need to convince your players that your way is the right way so they will be motivated to perform for you. Don't forget to explain the "reason why" you are doing things. This is a simple yet powerful sales technique. Tip #5 - OFFER SHOOTING CAMPS IN THE OFF SEASON. Want to get your players in the gym? Then have a couple of shooting camps. You could even bring in some outside coaches to generate a little excitement. In fact, you might even be able to recruit our own Don Kelbick to run a shooting camp for you. Tip #6DON'T LET YOUR "NEIGHBORHOOD PASSES". PLAYERS THROW

As our friend and shooting guru Dave Hopla says, "Don't throw neighborhood passes!!" What's a neighborhood pass? Well, it's a pass that's in the neighborhood. It didn't hit your teammates in the shooting pocket, but it's in the neighborhood!! Good passers will improve your teams shooting percentage. Tip #7 - FILM YOUR PLAYERS.

One of the best ways to improve your players' arc, mechanics, and stroke is to film them. Most players have never seen their shot and they'll be amazed when they do. The camera is a powerful tool. Tip #8 - DON'T CHANGE SOMEONE'S SHOT IF IT'S WORKING. If you have a player that shoots lights out... DON'T MESS WITH IT! Too many coaches try to over-coach and change shots that don't need changing. Don't fall into this trap. Tip #9 - SUB PLAYERS AFTER DOING SOMETHING GOOD. Want to lower anxiety and improve confidence? During games, try to sub players out after they have done something GOOD. This will lessen the anxiety many players feel if they are pulled out soon after missing a shot or making a blunder of some kind. If they are taking good shots but nothing is falling, reassure them that you expect them to continue shooting. Communication from you, the person in charge, will go a long way toward keeping them from a tailspin. Tip #10 - ALWAYS ADJUST MECHANICS AWAY FROM THE BASKET. Never make adjustments to a player's shooting form and send them to a basket. They will consistently miss, get discouraged, and quickly revert back to their old habits. Instead, get hundreds of reps AWAY from the basketball. Have them shoot to a partner, to a line on the floor, or against the wall.

Simple Trick to Improve Your (or Your Team's) Shooting Confidence As we all know, confidence is required to be a good shooter. However, most basketball coaches feel that it's terribly difficult to improve your player's confidence. Believe it or not, this is something you can control (to a degree)... The following technique which we refer to as "Grooving Your Shot" will give you some control and allow you to improve your team's shooting confidence. Every day before or during practice, have your players shoot 50, 6 foot jump shots. No movement. Just catch and shoot. Chart the number of shots they make and do this almost every day. Guess what happens? Your players will see themselves improve. If you practice just a little, it's not very hard to make 6-8 foot jump shots. And you're players will regularly hit 75% or more of their 6 foot jump shots. They swish shot after shot. Nice and smooth They will also see on paper that they have improved and that they shoot a very high percentage. You'll notice that players will start to change their mentality. As an example, if a player misses two shots in a row, they'll think "Whoa, I missed two in a row? That's not like me!" It's a whole different mindset.

So if you're a coach, try this technique and you'll improve the confidence of your players and help them increase their shooting percentage! I'll bet this was something you never thought you could control. Now you can! Allocate some time every day, whether it's before practice or during. Basketball Fundamentals: Learn the Critical Skills and Secrets to Become a Better Player or Coach The fundamentals of basketball are the MOST important thing to master because they will make you and your team better no matter what age level or team you play for. There's a good reason that the best college and NBA basketball coaches in the world spend the majority of their practices on fundamentals. A basketball player will be faced with a variety of different situations:

You'll see different opponents that use different tactics (pressing, fast breaks, switching defenses, banging in the post, etc) You'll face opponents that have heavily scouted you and know your offense inside and out. And you'll also face other opponents that have never seen you before. You'll see a different levels of competition from youth recreation leagues and possibly all the way to professional basketball. You'll play for different coaches that have very different coaching styles. Your middle school coach might like to press -- and your high school coach might have a completely different style and like to slow things down. You could literally see a dozen different offenses through your basketball career! There are SO many different situations that coaches and players face. And the only thing that works against ALL situations, no matter what age level or team are the FUNDAMENTALS!

It's those little things that make the best teams and players. If you can master those little fundamentals, they work no matter what! For example, by working on the fundamentals of shooting, you will get better no matter what team you play for. The fundamentals of shooting include proper foot alignment, leg bend, hand position, arm angle, follow through, and so on. Those are some of the little things that make a difference. Learn them! The same goes for lays ups, foot work, post play, passing, jab steps, jump stops, pivoting, blocking out, and so on. That's why we emphasize the fundamentals and highly recommend that ALL coaches and players learn and practice them! If you're a coach, we suggest that you spend at least half of your practice time working on fundamentals. In the long run and towards the end of the season, that's the best thing for your players. In fact, most of the teams that win championships work on the fundamentals from day one, instead of gimmicks and things that work against mediocre teams. So when they get to those final rounds, they are effective no matter how much the other team has scouted them. Off Season Development Trick - This is When You Improve Your Team's Shooting Percentage If you want to develop better shooters and improve your team's overall shooting percentage, you must start in the off season! Why?

It's almost always counter productive to fix shooting mechanics during season. It must be done during the off season.

It's impossible to turn a kid into a great shooter during your short season (especially when there are WAY too many other things to do). It must happen in the off season. It's difficult to develop new skills and improve during the season. It must be done during the off season. What you need is a step-by-step process to develop a great shooting team starting after your season is over, all the way through the summer, until the very end of your season (when you're hopefully playing for a state title)! Here's a great technique to evaluate your players and help them improve after the season is over. Very few coaches know about this technique... When your season is over, you need to chart your players "shot tendencies". This is important! We learned this awesome trick from coach Herb Magee. Herb suggests that you are wasting your time if you don't analyze your shot tendencies. And we think he's right! Here's how it works: You have each player shoot a bare minimum of 50 shots and chart their shots. The key is to chart detailed results of each shot. You will track how many shots fell short, too long, to the left, and to the right. This information will help you determine what this player needs to work on. You will discover that each player tends to consistently miss a certain direction. In many cases, players consistently miss short and hit the front of the rim. It's extremely useful for players and coaches to know this information. However, almost NO coaches or players chart this information. They practice with little purpose or direction. In some cases the player need to work on everything because their

mechanics are terrible. In other cases, you'll often find that players consistently miss either short, long, or to a certain direction. If a player consistently comes up short, now you know this player needs to work on distance control and getting more power in their shot. If you think about it, it's silly to go out and practice hours and hours without knowing your shot tendencies. You can get a lot further in life by practicing smart. After watching and assessing your players, make a list of all your players, with special notes beside each player. As an example, you can do something like this:
Name Joe Smith Mechanics Great mechanics but tends to miss short. Areas to Improve Needs to improve distance control, mid-range shot, and free throws Improve Goal / Notes overall shooting percentage and develop a great mid-range shot. Just needs to step things up to the next level by practicing more. Jeff Johnson Good mechanics, except release point is low (flat shot). Alex Bell Terrible shooting grip. Continually misses target to right and left. Raise release point locate target earlier. and Get in lots of reps to raise release point, locate target earlier, and learn to shoot off the dribble better. Improve percentage in all those area with more practice. Needs to change mechanics, grip on the ball, and arm alignment. Get LOTS of reps AWAY from the basket. Fix grip mechanics and arm alignment. Be ready for game shots late summer.

Essentially you are setting logical and attainable things you want to improve with each player. This will allow you to develop a logical shooting program for your players, easily keep tabs on things, and help your players improve. Basketball Shooting Fundamentals and Technique Proper Basketball Shooting Technique, Fundamentals, and Form If you want to be a superb shooter, you MUST HAVE very good

basketball shooting form and technique. However, you don't need "perfect" shooting form. Register for 2012 Summer Basketball Camps Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and More Locations. Limited spots available. Florida,

In other words, your shooting form will never be 100%, and you don't want to be robotic. With that said, you'll never be a great shooter unless you have "satisfactory" form and mechanics. It's very common for players to have fatal flaws in their approach, and frankly they have no chance of becoming consistent shooters. Stationary Basketball Shooting Form and Technique In this section, we give you the raw form and mechanics of stationary shooting. In other words, this section does NOT address the fundamentals of shooting on the move and more advanced footwork you'll need for game situations. Here's a quick roadmap of the stationary shooting fundamentals that we'll be covering: 1. Eyes on Target 2. Stance and Balance 3. Shot Pocket 4. Grip 5. Balance Hand 6. Delivery 7. Upforce and Landing 8. Follow Through 9. Correct Shot

EYES ON TARGET

To improve accuracy, locate the target (rim) as early as possible. Keep your eyes on the target and do not follow the flight of the ball. Keeping your target focus is very important!

STANCE AND BALANCE

Feet are shoulder width apart for good balance. Feet should be in a slightly staggered stance that is consistent and comfortable for you. Your shooting foot is slightly ahead of the non-shooting foot in a comfortable position. Point your feet in the general direction of the basket, but not necessarily directly at it. We prefer an open stance, but you can also use the closed (squared) stance if that's more comfortable for you. With an open stance, your feet point towards one side of the basket. For example, a right handed shooter will point his or her feet just to the left of the rim for a more natural position and shooting motion. Once you develop a comfortable stance, line up your feet the exact same

way on every shot. Whatever stance you use, consistency is critical.

Flex/bend your knees on every shot.

SHOT POCKET

As you catch the ball, move it quickly into the shot pocket. Line everything up so the ball and your shooting eye form a straight line to the basket. This is VERY important. Position the ball several inches above your waist. Grip the ball properly and be ready to shoot. Position the ball in your shot pocket the SAME way every time you catch it.

GRIP

Place the air hole between the middle and index fingers. Line up your fingertip pads parallel to the long seams of the ball, so you can monitor the back spin. Leave space between the ball and the middle of your palm. You should be able to insert a pencil between the ball and your palm area.

Spread your fingers far enough apart to comfortably balance the ball in one hand. The ball should sit on your finger pads.

BALANCE HAND

Your non-shooting hand should be on the side of the ball. Your balance hand should not add force or spin to the shot.

Your non-shooting hand should not move on delivery and should ALWAYS come off the ball FIRST.

DELIVERY

The ball should start motion directly upwards from the shot pocket (no dipping of the ball). Your elbow should be positioned comfortably under the ball. The ball stays in front of you and should not go behind your head.

Uncoil your body with your legs, core, and arm power all coordinated. Your elbow and wrist should extend in a straight line to the basket.

Your shooting hand should extend in a straight line to the rim. Hand position on delivery is very important. The ball should come off the hand with perfect symmetrical backspin. As shown in the picture to the right, your guide hand stays to the side and does not influence the flight of the ball.

UPFORCE AND LANDING

Release the ball on the way up, just before the top of your jump. Use your legs to generate up-force. You should land in the same spot that you jumped, which shows that you have good balance on your shot.

FOLLOW-THROUGH

Your wrists should be floppy (relaxed). Fingers should be pointed at the target (rim). Finish high. You should see your fingers at the top square of the back board. Hold your follow through position until the ball hits the rim.

What is Perfect Basketball Shooting Form? By Joe Haefner Recently, I received an interesting email about Dave Hoplas shooting form. It was in response to listing Dave as one of the shooting experts that we interviewed in our new Basketball Shooting Guide. The email stated that Dave Hopla did NOT have great shooting form in the picture that was displayed on our site (you can see the actual picture on the right). Now in all fairness, this is not a good picture of his actual shooting form. But this comment brings up a really interesting and important point about shooting the basketball. Heres my response that explains what Im talking about: You know what. I thought the exact same thing when I first started studying shooting. I thought Dave Hopla doesnt have that great of shooting form, but after studying shooting for countless hours and developing our new Shooting Guide, I have came to a NEW conclusion on basketball shooting form

You dont need perfect or even great mechanics to be a great shooter. You need CONSISTENT & REPEATABLE shooting mechanics. If your shot is the same every time, its easier to make adjustments. While I do highly recommend using good shooting mechanics, you can also look at Larry Birds and Peja Stojakovis shooting form. Anybody with some knowledge of how to shoot would quickly notice that they had bad shooting form, yet they are arguably two of the top shooters that the NBA has seen in the last 25 years. Even though, they didnt have good shooting form, they did have the same shot mechanics on every shot. Now imagine if a coach wouldve said to Larry after he won back to back 3-point shootouts, Now Larry, your form doesnt look good so were going to have to change it. As the old saying goes, If it aint broke, dont fix it. I think us coaches (me included) get a little obsessed sometimes with perfection not only when it comes to shooting, but other areas of the game as well. We want the players to have the perfect defensive slide or the perfect passing technique. We forget that basketball is an art. There is no perfect way to do anything. The real question is Is the player effective? which pertains to anything in basketball. Im not saying that coaches shouldnt critique and help players make adjustments to become a better player, we just need to be careful and use logic and rational when doing so. If a kid knocks down 50% of his three point attempts, but his elbow sticks out while shooting, Im not going to be the one to change it. Now, if you have a kid with bad shooting form that shoots 20% from the field, you should try to help the player make some adjustments to his/her shooting form. Thats where coaching comes into play and where the top coaches/trainers earn their money. They know when to leave players alone and when to offer advice to help them become a better player. And back to Dave Hopla, the guy makes about 98% or 99% of his shots. Ive never personally seen his speeches or shooting demonstrations, but Ive heard theyre simply amazing and very few people in the world if anybody can do what he does. Hes had demonstrations where hes made 350 of 350 shots while talking to the audience the entire time. If any of my players could do that, I couldnt care less how he shoots the ball.

Some of the NBAs best players such as Kobe Bryant have consulted with Hopla. He is also currently an assistant for Washington Wizards. So I do highly value what he has to say. The end goal is to put the ball in the basket. It doesnt matter how pretty it looks. I know Dave Hopla does a heck of a job, so Im more than willing to listen to what he has to say. Basketball Shooting Drills Ray Allen Shooting Drill The Ray Allen shooting drill is a great drill that you can use for a shooting warm up or to end the workout in a fun, competitive manner. It can easily be adapted for beginners and pros. Check out the instructions, diagrams, and video below for more details. There are 5 lines. From each line, there are 5 spots. This is approximately the distance on each shot: Spot 1 - 4 Feet Spot 2 - 8 Feet Spot 3 - 12 Feet Spot 4 - 16 Feet Spot 5 - 20 Feet You have to make a shot from spot 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 in 5 consecutive shots in order to advance to the next line. If you miss from any of the spots, you start over in that line. If you miss a shot in line 3, you start over from line 3. You don't go back to line 1. Your goal is to finish all 5 lines in 2 minutes.

Kevin Durant Shooting Drills and Workout The Kevin Durant shooting workout is a great workout because it incorporates shooting, ball handling, footwork, and finishing drills that you will use in game-like situations. These are the type of drills that the pros use to get better. In this article, you will learn a super-efficient way to get open that Kevin Durant does all of the time. Below, you will also see a video that Kevin demonstrates the move and a second video of the Kevin Durant shooting workout that we've been taking some of our players through. The Kevin Durant Post Cut Kevin Durant frequently uses this super-efficient and easy way to get open, but for some reason, very few people use this cut. It also takes a lot less energy. It's called the post cut. You take the defender down to the mid-post or high post area, post up on the defender, as soon as you feel like you have the defender on your back, you put your hand up and cut out to the perimeter to create space. Sometimes, you don't even have to cut. You can just step out and use a reverse pivot to create space. Kevin Durant Work-out Details: Take a set number of shots from each side of the court for each progression. Examples of Workouts Beginner - 5 shots attempted on each side of the court. Shoot 5 free throws. Intermediate - 5 shots made on each side of the court. Make 5 free throws. Advanced - 10 shots made on each side of the court. Make 10 Free throws. Random - Shoot a different shot each time. Shoot 2 free throws. Once you have developed consistency with your footwork and your

shooting, this can be a great way to simulate games where you rarely get the same shot twice in a row. It is also a great way to practice game-like free throw shooting with only 2 free throws at a time. For example, you might choose a series of 3 to 5 shots. If you take the drill above, here is a sample that you can do. 1. 2. 3. 4. Post Cut - Reverse Pivot - Shot. Post Cut - Reverse Pivot - Sweep - Lay Up. Post Cut - Reverse Pivot - Sweep - Shot. Two Free Throws.

Track and chart your shots to gauge progress. They Key to This Workout Is in the Details! You might look at this workout and think, "Duh. There isn't anything special there." Well, there isn't anything special in WHAT you do, but what separates the great players from the good players and the good players from the okay players is HOW you do things. Pro players incorporate these same drills and they probably use a lot of the same drills that you use, but what makes them great is HOW they execute the drills. You will see the details mentioned in the progressions below. Progression 1 - Reverse Pivot - Shot You need to get the defender on your back. Otherwise, the initial cut won't be open. You need to repeatedly practice the step-out and reverse pivot at full speed so you can get the shot off in a split second while making a high-percentage of your shots. If you don't, the defense can easily take it away because the defense has more

time to recover to contest your shot and get set to defend the dribble drive.

Progression 2 - Reverse Pivot - Sweep - 1 Dribble Lay Up Sweep (rip) aggressively below your knees. Get to the rim in one dribble As long as you become effective with your step-out and reverse pivot in progression 1, this will force the defense to close out at full speed. If you have the defender closing out at full speed, this puts you at a huge advantage to drive by the defender because they have to sprint at full speed to stop your shot, then they have stop, and then they go in the opposite direction to stop your dribble drive. You have the advantage! This is how SLOW players like Larry Bird were so effective. Now, it's also important that you get to the basket in one dribble. This will get you to the basket quicker and put more pressure on the defense. If you don't, it allows recovery time for the defense to take away an easy basket that you could have had. Progression 3 - Reverse Pivot - Sweep - 1 Dribble - Shot Make sure to cover ground on the dribble.

Progression 3 is set up by being great at progression 1 and 2. If you don't have the mentality to aggressively attack the basket (progression 2) after somebody takes away your initial shot (progression 1), the jump shot will not be open. In order to be effective, you need to create separation with the dribble. Otherwise, the dribble will not get you anywhere and the same defender who you initially had an advantage against can disrupt your pull up jump shot. You see this often when the defender blocks the shooter from behind. Progression 4 - Reverse Pivot - Sweep - 1 Dribble Change - Lay Up Dribble hard at the chair, snap the ball below the knees and close to the body on the change of direction. Make it game-like. Progression 4 is another counter to Progression 1 and 2. If the help defense slides over (second chair), you can now change directions with the dribble and attack the rim. If you are not aggressive with your dribble, the defender can attack and control what you do. By being aggressive with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd dribble (if needed to score the lay up), this puts the defense on their heels and gives the advantage back to you. In the video above, we used 3 dribbles because we were working on becoming effective with a low crossover with this player. You can also perform the drill with 2 dribbles by using the push crossover which players like Dwyane Wade and Manu Ginobli are highly effective at.

Progression 5 - Reverse Pivot - Sweep - 1 Dribble Change Shot

Cover ground on the change of direction to create space for the shot. Progression 5 is a counter to Progression 1, 2, and 4. Now the defense is sending everybody at you because you're destroying your man and even picking apart the first line of help defense. After you change directions at the first help defender (second chair), the defense has sent everybody to the lane, so now you pull up for a jump shot. Just like on progression 3, you need to create separation with your dribble. So make sure to snap that change of direction dribble to cover lots of ground to open up space for your jumper. Progression 6 - Reverse Pivot - Sweep - 1 Dribble Change - Finish Counter Dribble hard at the third chair, you have to make the defender commit to open up the finish counter whether it's a drop step (spin), step through (up and under), a Rondo, side step (Euro Step), or any other creative, effective finishing move. This is a counter to progression 1, 2, and 4. If the help defense slides over to stop you after your change of direction dribble, you can use a finishing counter to attack the defense and get to the rim. However, this isn't effective if you don't perfect the details. If you dribble at the 2nd help defender (3rd chair) hesitantly, they can easily cover your finishing counter move and disrupt your shot. It's vital that you dribble at the 3rd chair as aggressively as you can, this will get you

in the habit of getting that help defender on their heels which will leave your finishing counter move wide open. Now, you certainly don't need to perfect all of the progressions to be a good player. You should work on perfecting the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd progressions. Besides being better than 99% of the players out there after you perfect those 3 progressions, you can start to add the additional progressions. Wanted to give a special thanks to Don Kelbick for being a huge influence on our training methods and making us better coaches which leads to better players. 4 Spot Fast-break Shooting Drill Drill Purpose: This drill is great to work on shooting off the fast break. You can do it by yourself or with a partner. We also show you how to work ball handling into this drill, so you can manage your time better. Instructions 1. Start at half court with a ball. 2. Spin the ball towards the 3point line area. Spin the ball high enough to get there in one bounce. 3. Run under the ball and step-into a jump shot. 4. Get your own rebound. If you miss, score a lay up. 5. When dribbling the ball back to half-court, perform a dribble move at the 3-point line. That way, you can work on ballhandling at the same time. Once, you get back to half court, do the same thing again.

6. If working with a partner, you can have the partner position himself a little above the 3-point line and make passes to you as you start running from half-court. 7. Pick 4 spots on the floor and take a few shots from each spot. Drill for Guards: Post Feed / Spot Up Drill Purpose Teaches players how to feed the ball in the post and reposition for the shot. It also improves ball handling skills. Instructions 1. 2 people are needed for this drill. The second person can be a player or just another person to catch a pass. 2. Set up a line of chairs, starting near the mid-court line and directed toward the baseline but no deeper than the foul line extended. This is an optional step to be used to work on dribbling. 3. Place a chair on the wing with a ball on it. The position of the chair is of your choosing at a distance within player's shooting range. 4. The 2nd person is in the strong-side low post. 5. Ball handler dribble weaves through the chair line (remember this is an optional step). Experiment with your dribbles and use different types of changes.

6. Ball handler extends dribble to a good angle for a post feed. 7. Ball handler throws a post entry pass. 8. Low-post receiver, if a player, makes a low post move. If not a player, (a coach for example) he just holds the ball.

9. Ball handler then cuts to chair with the ball, scoops up the ball for shot.

Teaching Points

Use the 3-point line as a spacing guide. Many passes are fumbled because the passer is too close or the defense is not spaced enough. Work on different types of entries: baseline bounce pass, lob pass, etc. Teach passing angles. If a coach is present, he can position himself as a dummy defender to teach the passer to read the defense. He can play over the top (use baseline bounce pass), baseline (throw middle pass), full front (lob or reversal pass). Emphasize passer movement after the feed to space out off the post and strip the help. Teach that some of the best shot opportunities, especially 3-point attempts, come "inside out" after a post feed.

10 Spot Shooting Drill Here is a basketball drill that will allow you to improve your shooting while also improving some of the other subtleties that separate good players from bad players. This basketball drill features high shot repetition, intensive pivot work, effective ball handling, agility and conditioning. Instructions Pick 10 spots on the floor that you feel you will shoot from in your games. There should be 5 spots on one side of the basket and the same 5 on the other side. It is very important that you work on both sides of the basket. Start under the basket with the ball. Toss a "spin out" to the first spot. A "spin out" is a toss of the ball on which you put significant backspin on. The backspin will force the

ball to bounce up in the air instead of rolling away. After tossing a spin out, chase the ball and catch it on the first bounce. Use a right foot pivot to square to the basket. Once squared, shoot the ball. After shooting the ball, sprint after the rebound. If the shot missed, put it in the basket on the rebound. After rebounding, spin out to the 2nd spot, pivot and shoot. After rebounding, spin out to the 3rd spot. Continue until you have shot from all 10 spots. Once you

finish the 10th spot, start again, going back the other way, using a left foot pivot. After shooting from the 10th spot, go to the foul line and take 5 foul shots. After your foul shots, begin again, using a different pivot. Take 5 foul shots in between each rotation. After using all your pivots, continue the drill using 1 dribble moves. Make the same move from all 10 spots, going both ways, using both pivot feet. Set a goal of 300 shots, which would be 15 rotations going in both directions. That will also give you 75 shots. Pivots to practice (using both feet as a pivot foot) Front pivot, inside pivot, drop-step to inside pivot. Dribble moves to practice Jab and go, crossover, rocker. Two Ball Shooting Drill Drill Purpose: This drill allows the shooter to get a high number of shots in a short amount of time from different spots. Instructions

1. You need 3 players: a rebounder (Player 3), passer (Player 2), and shooter (Player 1). 2. Player 2 and the Player 3 start out with the basketballs. 3. Player 1 makes a cut to another spot on the floor and Player 2 throws a pass leading Player 1 to the spot. 4. Player 1 shoots the ball on the catch. 5. After Player 2 passed the ball to Player 1, Player 3 passes the ball to Player 2. 6. Player 3 rebounds the shot.

7. Player 1 cuts to back to a new spot and Player 2 passes him the ball. 8. Player 1 shoots the ball. 9. Player 3 passes the ball to Player 2 and goes to rebound the shot. 10.This pattern continues for a set amount of time or until a certain number of shots have been taken or made. 11.

Teaching

Tips

&

Points

of

Emphasis:

Keep your hips low, so you can catch the ball and go straight up into your shot. Move at GAME SPEED. If you do NOT shoot at full speed, you'll never shoot the ballwell during the game, because your brain/body is not accustomed the speed. Good Passes. Every pass should hit the shooter in the hands and lead them into their shot.

Go -

to

different Elbow Wing

spots

on to to

the

floor. Elbow Wing

Change positions of the passer. Offensive Patterns. You can perform this drill with certain patterns and cuts. For example, from the wing, you could fade to the corner. From the corner, do v-cut and pop up to the wing for a shot. 2 Ball Pass / 2 Man Shot Basketball Drill This drill is from our Offseason Workout product coming out very soon. Drill Purpose:

This advanced drill challenges a player's ball handling ability while working on their shot. Instructions 1. Player 1 has 2 balls and dribbles both balls to the chair. 2. Player 2 cuts from the corner to the wing. 3. Player makes 1 hand push pass to Player 2 on the wing. 4. With the other ball, Player 1 does a 1 dribble crossover and shoots the ball. 5. Player 2 shoots a jump shot. Flex Offense Drills - Screen the Screener Shooting Drill This flex drill isolates and simulates the "screen the screener" action, which occurs after the flex screen. The drill improves players' footwork and ability to knock down shots coming off the screen. This is how you can work on this skill with a large group of players at a basket.

No matter what offense you run, it's very important that you break down your offense into drills like this in order to get game-like shots. Players line up near the baseline. Each player has a ball. Place a chair or a cone on the lane line to represent the screen. Coach is on the wing. The first player in line passes the ball to the coach. The player then cuts off the screen to the top. The coach passes the ball and the player shoots. The player then gets

their own rebound and goes to the end of the line. The next player quickly passes to the coach and the process repeats. Points of Emphasis

Players are focusing on their catching and shooting skills off the screen. Good footwork is important to get the shot off quickly and hit a high percentage. Players should cut hard and move at game speed. Competitive One on One Fast Break Drills - 1v1 Attack It is unfortunate that the game players play the most is also the least relevant to the game of basketball; "One-On-One." Go past any schoolyard and you'll see two players playing one-on-one. Take the ball out on the top of the key, take 10-12 dribbles to back the opponent down to the basket and then try to shoot over him. That is the way 99% of all one-on-one games go. It builds bad habits, limits understanding of the game and erodes needed skills. Below are some different one-on-one basketball drills that might do a better job of improving players' skills and help them reach playing objectives. These are also great drills to simulate fast break situations. Instructions Half Court 1v1 Attack

1. Place 2 chairs just short of mid-court on the right side of the court. 2. Players start on the baseline, opposite the chairs. 3. The player on the outside has the ball.

4. On "Go," both players take off at full speed. The player with the ball goes on the dribble, the player without the ball goes on the sprint.

5. Both players go around the right side of the chair and head back toward the basket.

6. Once headed back toward the basket, the player with the ball becomes offense and the player without the ball becomes the defense. 7. Add a dribble limitation, such as 2 dribbles after turning on the chairs, to add effectiveness. Full Court 1v1 Attack

1. Place 2 chairs on the right side of the court, a little higher than the foul line extended. 2. Place 2 more chairs on the other side of mid-court, just above the 28' marker (or above the coach's box. 3. Players start on the baseline and the player on the outside has the ball. 4. On "Go," both players take off. The player with the ball goes on the dribble, the player without the ball goes on the sprint. 5. The players cross with the dribbler going around the inside chair and the player without the ball sprinting around the outside chair.

6. Once the players clear the chairs, they cross again with the dribbler going around the outside chair and the player without the ball sprinting around the inside chair.

7. Once clearing the chairs, the dribbler becomes the offensive player and the other player is the defensive player and the game is on. 8. Add a dribble limitation, such as 2 dribbles after turning on the last chairs, to add effectiveness. These basketball drills work on ball handling, explosiveness, decision making, defense in transition, finishing at the rim and are great conditioners. They are also high intensity and a lot of fun so players will enjoy them.

Pivot Shooting Drill Purpose

The purpose of this drill is to improve your stationary basketball moves when you have the ball - including shots, jabs, footwork, and beating the defense.

Drill Instructions and Diagrams 1. Set up a chair just outside your shooting range at the foul line extended. The seat of the chair should be facing the basket.

2. Put a ball on the chair

3. Player under basket.

starts the

4. Player cuts to the chair, jump stops, picks up the ball and puts it in shooting position.

5. Player pivots, squares to the basket and takes a shot.

>

6. Player rebounds his own shot. If he misses he must score the rebound.

7. After rebounding, player dribbles hard, working on this handle by using a variety of dribble moves, back to the chair.

8. Player touches the ball to the seat of the chair, pivots and shoots again. Repeat the series for 5 shots.

9. Continue the drill but now when player picks ball off the chair and pivots, add a jab, then shot. Continue for 5 shots

10.Continue the drill but now when player picks ball off the chair and pivots, add a jab and go, 1 dribble to the basket of pull up jumper.

11.Continue the drill but now when player picks ball off the chair and pivots, add a jab and crossover, 1 dribble to a layup or pull up.

Teaching Points.

Be sure to practice all your pivots (front pivot, inside pivot, etc) with both feet and on both sides. Really emphasize picking the ball up and putting it in shooting position Jab should be a short step, not taking you out of shooting position No Negative steps. Players have a tendency to step backwards when recovering from a jab. There is no need to do that.

Dribbles should be looooong, thinking Lay-up. Wing 1 on 1 Drill Purpose

The purpose of this fun drill is to improve one on one offense and reading the defender to make the appropriate move.

Drill Instructions and Diagrams 1. Players line up in 2 lines, one on each elbow, facing baseline.

2. Coach is on top on the right side with the ball.

3. Coach Go.

calls

4. First player in each line sprints to touch a spot on the baseline in the middle of the lane.

5. After touching spot, players race to the right wing. 6. Coach passes to the 1st player out to the wing. Other player becomes defense.

7. Offensive player must make offensive move against live defense.

Teaching Points.

Either player can be on offense. The first player out gets the ball, not the player who started ball side. Limit the dribble the offense can use. If you have good players, limit to 1 dribble. In no situation should you allow more than 3. Play on half the court. If playing the right side, score must come on the right side. Theoretically in a game, there are defenders on the other side of the court Reinforce shot and the catch, lay-up on the dribble. Top 1 on 1 Drill Purpose This drill adds a unique and fun competition aspect. The purpose of this drill is to improve one on one offense and reading the defender to make the appropriate move. Drill Instructions and Diagrams

1. Players are in 2 lines, above the foul line, even with the lane lines.

2. Place a chair in the middle of the lane lines, above the foul line, with the seat facing the basket.

3. Place a ball on the chair

4. When the coach calls "Go," the first player in each line sprints and touches a spot on the baseline in the center of the lane. 5. Players then sprint back to the chair

6. First player to the ball picks it up and is the offense. Other player is defense. Game is on!

Teaching Points.

Offensive player immediately faces the basket and thinks "Shot." If the ball is dribbled reinforce "Lay-up" Limit the number of dribbles. You should be able to score with 1 dribble.

Full Court Chair Series Categories: Ballhandling / Dribbling Offensive Moves Transition Ages: All Ages Youth Middle School High School+ Purpose of the Drill: Good warm up that works on ball handling full court, change of directions, and either layups or jumpshots off the dribble. This drill was provided by Tim Springer at Spartan Performance Training. Instructions

Start lines at baseline opposite each other Each player dribbles to each chair and uses a change of direction to get past the chair Each player finishes with either a layup or jump shot or whatever the coach instructs After scoring, each player gets into the next line. Points of Emphasis:

Staying low with their dribble Approach each chair and do the move properly (fatigue will set in and lack of detail will happen. Make sure not to crowd each other. Keep your eyes up!! If using shooting to score. Work on either proper 2 step finish into jumpshot UNDER CONTROL. Have each player count their own makes. When time runs out, have them meet at 1/2 court and one person (a leader or someone who wants to start leading more) tallies up the makes and reports to the coach Motivation/Teaching Tips:

Make it a team accomplishment drill Put 2 to 3 minutes on the clock and make a team goal I usually have them do one push up for every layup or jump shot they are short of the goal