Shooting is the single most important fundamental skill is basketball. Typically, player development focuses on a variety of skills, such as ball handling, footwork, and finishing for example. While these are important, shooting remains one of, if not the quickest way for a player to get on the court. The purpose of the game will always be about putting the ball through the hoop.

Shooting is a skill that players are likely to spend most of their time working on, but shooting technique is one of the least taught fundamentals in the game. There are many different methods to teach shooting, and each athlete’s individual’s ability must be taken into consideration when seeking to accelerate improvement. But first, let’s discuss a few reasons why shooting may not be taught enough.

• Not enough time in practice dedicated to skill work. In season practices are dedicated to offensive and defensive strategy, game prep and other strategies for winning the game.
• Too many players in the gym at one time. Coaching shooting requires more individualized attention and can be difficult to maximize effectiveness and time with a full team.
• Players don’t want to admit they have a mechanical error in their shot.
• Coaches are intimidated by the process of breaking down a shot and re-teaching the technique.
• Overall lack of knowledge on the coaches’ part of how to effectively help players become better shooters.

Here are 6 areas for coaches to focus on to help begin developing better shooters.

Base and Balance

This is a term used by NBA Player Development Coach, Phil Beckner. Throughout my mentorship with Phil, it’s become clear why base and balance is the number one indicator for making a shot. So how does a player build base and balance?

Foot Width

Your shot begins from the ground up. Your feet should be shoulder width apart with your strong foot slightly ahead of the other. Check to make sure the players weight is distributed evenly through both feet, which helps maintain their balance. Teach your player to point all 10 toes to the hoop. This helps aligns hips towards the target. A strong shooter pushes through the balls of his feet.

Drop Your Hips

Having the ability to drop your hips and sit down in a shooter’s stance creates a base strong enough to shoot the ball high enough and deep enough. We often hear “use your legs” as a shooting cue, but if you can drop your hips, your knees will naturally bend. As your hips go down, you can now move the ball down simultaneously with your body. This is what creates the dip, which allows for more range on your shot. It’s important to work with your shooters on the ball moving with the body, maintaining the same distance of the ball from your body throughout the shot motion. This creates synergy of motion and rhythm.

Hand Placement and Alignment

The placement of the hand on the basketball is a delicate aspect of the shooter’s technique. Help the player find a comfortable spot on the ball. The wrist should be loaded to a 90-degree angle with a slight wrinkle in the skin. This creates the last bit of force and rotation on the shot. The fingers should be spread to help release some of the tension on the ball. The shooter must be able to feel the ball and maintain control. The perfect hand placement will vary player by player, depending on hand size and overall feel. Ensure the fingers aren’t too wide, and the ball isn’t sitting on the palm. This will hurt the arc of the shot.

Chin and Eyes Remain On The Rim

Now that you’re sitting down in a shooter’s stance, to keep your back and chest up, your chin and eyes must remain on the rim. This helps maintain a strong posture out of a powerful stance as the ball rises through the shot pocket and into the release. “Your head position is key for your balance.” – Jerry West.

Follow Through

As the shot is released, the shooting arm is extended through the rim. The snap of the wrist finishes the motion and provides the last bit of force to send the ball through the net. The wrist and fingers are pointing through the middle of the rim. This gives backspin and the proper arc. Hold the follow through the finish the shot.

Putting It All Together

Now that you have a strategy for developing better shooters, you can move into the training faze. The above points have given you a groundwork on teaching and practicing the correct mechanics. Players can now move into using repetition drills. The last portion of development is creating a competitive environment where shooters can get into game-like situations with time, score, and even a live defender.