Basketball Daily World

This useful, fundamental, shooting drill is coming from the head Girls Basketball coach and assistant athletic directer at Belton high school in Belton, Texas.

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/user/gametimepro

This is critical skill to master, especially for guards and (small) forwards. Make your defender think you will drive, have them go on their heels, then pull a jumper.

Sounds simple? Work on this drill, it might take a while until you are confident to pull a quick and accurate jumper.

Watch the spacing! It is tempting to get half a step too close to defender. Don’t stay too far either, or you might step outside of your range. Never be afraid of a blocked shot. If it happens, you didn’d get the right spacing. Work on it, and work on the quickness of your shot.

Credit: http://www.five-starbasketball.com/

Purpose:

• hand-eye coordination;
• “muscle memory” (using physical and mental practice to create an automatic shooting motion);

This drill is adapted from Paul Westhead. He has been a college and professional basketball coach for about 30 years. He coached Magic Johnson and the Lakers to the championship back in 1979-80, Magic’s rookie season.

This combines real practice and visualization for helping you to become a better shooter. The combination of real shots and visualized shots and shots with your eyes closed will build muscle memory, so that when you are shooting in a game, it will be like a natural reflex.

The drill:

1. Shoot five shots (physical practice);
2. Picture five successful shots in your mind (mental practice);
3. Shoot five more shots (physical);
4. Close your eyes and picture five successful shots (mental);
5. Open your eyes and shoot five (physical);
6. Take five real shots with your eyes closed (physical and mental);
7. Open your eyes and shoot five (physical);

When you start doing this drill, stay close to the basket and go at a nice slow pace so you can focus on using the proper shooting techniques with your footwork, release, and follow-through, etc.

As you become successful doing this drill, you can gradually go faster toward game speed and move out further on the court. Over time, you’ll build your muscle memory so that your shooting routine will be a natural reflex.

In this segment, Sam Cassell of the Los Angeles Clippers teaches you the lost art of the NBA, the mid-range game. Above all, Cassell shows you how to create space against your defender 10 feet from the basket by giving him a little nudge and stepping back. He also explains that the way to create space in the open floor is to pull up around the free throw line and shoot over the defender. When you are down low, you also push the player down close to the basket, give him a slight nudge, and then jump back to release the shot. In his opinion, the mid-range game is the most effective style of play in basketball.

In this video, Ray Allen of the Seattle SuperSonics teaches you the basics of shooting. He explains how you must always stays in balance, whether it be coming off of a screen, shooting off the dribble, or just spotting up. Allen also shows you one of his favorite drills, Plus 1 Minus 2. This drill helps you develop a very balanced shot and develops your ability to shoot when tired. Lastly, he explains how shooting free-throws help your shoot by perfecting your form and keeping you relaxed when shooting.

In this video, former Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan shows you how to successfully execute a fade-away jumpshot. He demonstrates what you need to do to find the perfect spacing to pull of the shot. He also shows you how to hold the ball so the defense does not smack it away from you (hold it high at your shoulders). Most importantly, Jordan explains that the shot must be pulled off quickly, but also in a smooth manner, so that the defense does not gain that precious time to react and block the shot.