Sunday, November 10, 2024

Basketball - Shooting Drills for Young Players

My eight year-old granddaughter is starting to learn basketball. This post is for my son helping her. 

Challenge yourself to shoot consistently with good form and establish "personal bests" in percentage with time constraints.


I've shared this many times. Villanova 'Get 50' is a great warm up.

Young players should become proficient shooting close to the basket and then begin to extend range. Eldon Campbell warmup. 


If you need to shoot from 6-8 feet, that's not a problem. 


Curry warmup. For young players, start close and take one step back. Make 3 from each spot and move back. 

Constraints in terms of time add pressure which is inevitable in game play. "Winners are trackers." Personal bests are goals. 


Shooting under fatiguing conditions also develops shooters. Shoot free throws in-between rounds to practice and get a breather. 

"Bill Bradley/Beat the Pro." Game is to 11, with one point for a make and minus three for a miss. To win consistently, you have to make 11 before missing four. 

Do not let young U10s and under be 'seduced' with long-range shooting. It only creates bad habits and deviation from good shooting form.

Lagniappe. "Cutthroat" variation.  

Lagniappe 2. Study video regularly. Every top player is a student of the game. 






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