In this article the drills will get increasingly more difficult, if you are of a young age and you find that a drill is too difficult for you just continue to do the drills on the list that you can do until you can move on. If all of these drills are too easy for you, that is good! Continue to do them, continue to master, and continue to grow in your journey as a basketball shooter. 

The top 5 basketball shooting drills YOU can do to become a better shooter: 

If you want to learn how to shoot better in basketball, this is your article. Here you will find 5 basketball drills that you should do every day before your workout.

1. Form Shooting: 

Now this is cliche, but it´s cliche because it’s needed by everyone. Every great shooter always makes sure their shooting form is crisp. Working on shooting skills is a must for every basketball player.

When you walk into your high school gym, you want to start shooting close to the bucket, make sure you are using good shooting technique, and make sure you are mechanically shooting the ball the same way every time before you get too far away from the hoop.

So with form shooting, you can either do this within a couple feet of the bucket or you can do a drill that we call line shooting.

The importance is to make sure you are building muscle memory from the waist up with these shots.

Making sure your arms are moving in the same path every time, make sure you are looking at the same spot on the rim (center back), make sure you’re following through properly, and holding that follow through to help build muscle memory. 

With these, stay close to the bucket and get used to seeing the ball go in. It will help memory and it will build confidence when you begin to move back. This is the most important drill for all players but especially youth players learning how to shoot. 

2. Drop Shooting:

Drop Shooting is the BEST drill you can do to help build your lower extrememity’s muscle memory.

Because, when most people think of muscle memory with shooting they only think about above the waist. And though that is important, your lower half is just as important and that´s why you have a drill to help you work on it. 

These jump shots will help you understand the proper distance between your feet when you are beginning your shot (this could vary a lot depending on the shooter).

This will also reinforce what it is supposed to feel like before you get into your jump shot. When you land from the drop, you should have a certain amount of tension in your legs every time, and that tension should be the same every time (building that muscle memory). 

What to look for when doing this drill?

When doing this drill, youth players should stay inside of the lane line and the farthest back they should go is the free throw line. Making sure that all of their shots are jump shots, and not jump throws. 

When advanced players are doing this, they should start around the free throw line, then move back to between the free throw line and 3 point line, and then eventually do this from the 3 point line. 

3. Turn Shooting

Turn shooting is a great drill to also incorporate a drop type feeling, but add in a twist (no pun intended). 

Turn shooting will help you maximize your ability to lock onto the rim. This is important because in a game you can’t just stare at your target the whole time. You have to quickly be able to find your target, lock on, and make your shot. All in one motion.

By getting into a jump and turn, you only have a split second to lock onto your target.

The more advance you get the quicker you want to be able to take these shots. But when you’re first starting, take your time, and get used to the movement and trying to find the rim. 

Your distances for these shots will be the same as the distances for drop shooting. 

4. Side Step Shooting

Side step shooting is the best drill in this article for balance.

So in the last to drills you either dropped into a spot, or you jumped/turn into a spot. But with side step shooting you will be trying to cover as much area as you comfortable can in a lateral movement. 

With this movement when you land, you want to land on your inside foot and quickly plant that outside foot as fast as possible. This will help you regain your balance, which will help you get proper tension (drop shooting), which will give you the same life on every shot (lower extremity muscle memory), which will allow your jump shot to be the exact same every time. 

This is to ensure that you have the same shooting form on every type of shot, and that no matter the circumstance you are always going to be a great shooter!

5. Wrap Shooting

Wrap Shooting is much unlike all the other drills.

The other drills were working on mucle memory and rim location.

However, wrap shooting will help you work on ball control into your shot. This will make it easier to shoot shots off the dribble, rather than just practicing shots off the dribble. 

This drill works because you’re going to wrap the ball as fast as you can around your waist (both directions equally) and control the ball in your shooting pocket and get into your shot as fast as you can. 

It’s important with this drill that you don’t worry about the speed more than you worry about good shooting technique. Technique > Speed. However, as you practice try to go faster and faster every time so that your body gets used to the speed and eventually you will have a quick release like steph curry. 

These drills are better than just shooting regular shots off the dribble because it allows you to test your capabilities more. 

You’re able to wrap it fast and put yourself at a less comfortable position than just dribbling. Which will grow your control over the ball faster than dribbling will. 

 

5 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR BASKETBALL SHOOTING MECHANICS

 

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