At its core, basketball is a game that is predicated upon successfully making baskets. While athleticism and other factors may certainly aid a player’s ability to score, the best shooters at any level of basketball become the best due to hard work, repetition and dedication.
These drills inspire young athletes to improve their shooting skills, compete hard and have fun along the way.
Eight Makes Great
Divide your players into four even groups, with two groups lining up at either end of the court. Each group should line up outside of the three-point arc, directly across and even with the left and right elbow, respectively.
The first player in each line steps up and shoots a jump shot. The coach will determine where that jump shot occurs (depending on age level, experience and ability). If the player makes their shot, they collect the ball, return it to the next player in line and then advance to the end of the next line of players on their side of the court. If the player misses their shot, they collect their rebound, return it to the next player in line and return to the end of the same line. The objective for each player is to make eight shots, which means they will rotate through all four lines twice. The player that is able to make eight shots the quickest is declared the winner.
13 Cones
Divide into two evenly matched teams and have each team line up outside of the three-point arc, facing the same basket. On the opposite end of the court, the coach will set up 13 cones (or any odd number of cones) underneath the basket. Each team will then define a designated area toward the middle of the court where they will place the cones that they manage to earn throughout the game.
The drill begins with a player from each team dribbling toward the same basket and attempting a lay-up. If the player makes their first shot, they retrieve the ball, pass it to their next teammate in line and sprint to the other end of the court. Upon reaching the other end of the court, the player will receive a pass from their respective coach and attempt a jump shot (the length of which will be determined by the coach).
If the player makes their jump shot, they collect a cone, place it in their designated area and return to the end of their original line and continue playing. If the player misses their original lay-up, they return to the end of their original line without going to the other end of the court. If the player misses the jump shot, they are unable to collect a cone prior to returning to the end of their original line.
Once all the cones have been retrieved, the coach determines the winner based on which team has collected the most cones.
- 1
- of
- 2
About the Author
Zac recently wrapped up grad school at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY and he currently serves as a youth sports instructor for KidsPlay of WNY and as a freelance contributor for a few different publications. He’s a lifelong fan of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres and loves to run and play soccer and tennis in his free time.
You can read some of his other work at The Butter Lamb and Buffalo Rumblings.
You can also follow him on Twitter at @ZacHirschbeck.
Discuss This Article