Every player wants to shoot. Give a kid the ball and let him loose in the gym by himself, and that kid will shoot - he could practice dribbling, or passing, or defense, or all the other little things that make a ball player a good player. But kids always want to shoot that basketball, and that's why basketball shooting drills are so essential when you are coaching basketball.

Shooting is a basketball skill every player needs to be taught and have reinforced through good shooting drills, because they'll be out there shooting the ball every chance they get, and if they aren't shooting with good fundamentals, they'll just make their shot worse. And ingrained.

You need to teach good shooting fundamentals and reinforce them with good drills in every practice.

To be effective, good shooting drills will teach several things:

• to shoot with decent basketball shooting form - ball on the fingertips, shooting arm cocked at about ninety degree angle, free hand as a guide, eyes on the rim, good follow through and snap of the wrist for backspin
  
  
• to shoot quickly – i.e., to shoot the ball with a quick release – before the defense can attack
  
  
• to shoot under pressure - i.e., always work to simulate a game situation, because that's what we are preparing these kids for
  
  

Good shooting drills will enforce proper basketball shooting form, but they will also simulate the pressure of a game situation as well – having perfect form doesn’t mean you can handle game pressure. So while these shooting drills require shooters to practice good form, they also try to recreate the pressure of a game situation, so your players are prepared.

Basketball Shooting Drills

• Pressure Shooting
  
  
• 1-minute Shooting
  
  
• Speed Shooting
  
  
• Toss-Back Shooting Drill
  
  
• Free Throw Drills
  
  

Remember to keep your players focused on the basic skill – i.e., they must always use proper form and movement every time they run the drills. The better their form is in practice, the better it will transfer to the game.

But also remember to apply the pressure – make the defense play honest, tough defense according to the basketball shooting drill’s set up. If everyone involved in the drill concentrate and works hard, then everyone improves.