High School Basketball

He Shoots, He Scores! 

In order to succeed at high school basketball, a player must have excellent shooting skills, seeing as shooting is one of the fundamental skills of basketball.  To put points on the board, the ball must make it through the hoop, and to make it through the hoop, a player must finely tune and hone their shooting skills using a variety of different drills.  Use these high school basketball shooting drills to practice shooting form and technique in a number of different offensive situations to put the maximum numbers of balls through the hoop.

The Perfect Form 

Form is one of the most important things to consider when shooting.  This drill isolates shooting form so that the shooter can focus on shooting properly.  To begin, divide the team into the same number of groups as baskets.  Have players stand behind each other on the left side of the basket approximately three feet back from the hoop.  The first player in the line has a ball, and shoots a bank shot into the basket using only their shooting arm.  

Emphasis in this drill is on perfect form, meaning the ball rests gently on the fingertips before being shot, the elbows are kept in towards the body, and the shot glides up vertically before arcing toward the basket.  Also, the shot shouldn’t end the moment the ball leaves the player’s hand.  Make sure to follow-through sufficiently after the shot to give the ball a bit of backspin, which ensures a smoother glide towards the basket. 

Players catch their own rebounds and make another shot from the right side of the basket.  Players repeat this drill for ten shots, five from each side, and then they pass the ball to the next player down the line.  After each player has had a chance at shooting, have the player move back three feet and repeat the drill.  

Shots from Afar 

While form is crucial when shooting, distance can also be a key factor in winning a high school basketball game, since players may not always have the opportunity to shoot from beside the basket.  Use this distance shooting drill to work on shots from afar, which can clinch a victory in a tight spot or help to confuse an opponent’s defense squad who may be focusing more on defending the area close to the hoop.  

To begin this drill, players should stand at the furthest spot on the court where they are comfortable shooting from, which is known as the extent of their current shooting range.  Each player has a ball, and makes 10 jump shots from that point, keeping track of the number of shots which make it through the hoop.

Once players have successfully sank 8 out of 10 shots, they take one step backwards of approximately 2 to 3 feet, and try again.  When shooting beyond one’s current shooting range, make sure players don’t sacrifice their perfect form.  Have players try 10 more jump shots from this new position.  Once they are able to sink 8 out of the 10 shots, they are permitted to move back another 2 to 3 feet.

If players are no longer able to shoot with perfect form, have them move forward 2 to 3 feet.  It is more important to maintain good form from a closer distance than to make erratic shots from a further distance.  If this drill is practiced on a regular basis, players will notice a dramatic improvement in their shooting ranges.