Basketball Tips - Individual Shooting Work-Out

By Dr. James Gels, from the Coach’s Clipboard Basketball Playbook, @ http://www.coachesclipboard.net

This is an individual shooting work-out that you do on your own. Make sure you are using good shooting form, getting your feet set, good balance, no drifting sideways, etc. Shoot game-style jump-shots, not flat-footed shots that you will never actually get in a game.

Spin the ball back to yourself and rebound all shots. With every miss, rebound and keep shooting until you put it in the basket. We start with 15 shooting spots.

Start on either side down low about five feet from the basket, just outside the block (spot #1). Make 5 shots and then move to the opposite side and make 5 more there (spot #2).
Move directly in front of the basket, five feet from the hoop (spot #3), and make 5 more shots.
Still just five feet from the basket, move diagonally on a 45 degree angle (spot #4). Make 5 shots using the glass. Then repeat this on the other side (spot #5).
Make 5 free-throws
Now repeat the 5-spots drill above but at a distance of 8-10 feet, for each of the 5 shooting spots. Make 5 shots at each spot (spots 6 - 10 in the diagram).
Make 5 free-throws
Repeat the 5-spots drill at a distance of 12 feet for all 5 spots, making 5 shots at each spot (spots 11 - 15 in the diagram). As you get further from the hoop, you do not have to use the glass on the 45 degree shots.

Make 5 free-throws
Next, starting in the free throw circle, spin the ball back to yourself, catch it, and take one dribble right followed by a jump shot (diagram B). Make 10 shots. Repeat this with one dribble to the left with a jump shot, making 10 shots.
Make 5 free-throws
Now start at the top of the keep (3-point arc). Spin the ball back to yourself, one dribble right - jump shot. Make 10. Then make 10 going to your left.
Make 5 free-throws

Keep a record of your shooting each day. You should gradually see improvement in your shooting percentage (percentage = number of shots made divided by number of shots your actually took). If you are not seeing improvement over a few weeks, have your shooting coach check your shooting form.

The Swish Video/DVD and the new "Swish-2" DVD, by shooting coach Tom Nordland. This is an excellent shooting DVD for players and is a great teaching tool for coaches wanting to learn how to correctly teach shooting form.
More info...

See this video (courtesy of Tom Nordland) and the wonderful shooting form of this young shooter who was taught using Tom Nordland's Swish method. It shows a progression from close to the basket and eventually to the free-throw line, always with great form.

Helpful DVDs:

	Steve Alford - The Shot: Shooting Drills & Techniques with Steve Alford, University of New Mexico Head Coach; former University of Iowa Head Basketball Coach, and former NCAA All-American, NBA guard, and Olympian. Coach Alford covers every aspect of shooting in this video. Building your Shot begins at the free throw line with the catch and pivot, proper alignment and a shooter's attitude. Coach Alford then demonstrates simple techniques to expand your free throw into jump shots and shooting off the dribble. Learn how to correct "a flying elbow" and a poor pivot. Focus on correct alignment with Coach Alford's four-point checklist and develop the proper attitude to become a successful shooter. Finally, these principles are put to work in various shooting drills... (more info) Price: $39.99
	Steve Alford's Competitive Shooting Drills with Steve Alford, University of New Mexico Head Coach; former University of Iowa Head Coach. Steve Alford was known as one of the best collegiate shooters to ever play the game. In this video, Alford shares the competitive shooting drills that helped him become such a renowned game-time shooter. Alford demonstrates eight shooting drills that will challenge any shooter to get better with every shot. All drills are demonstrated against a teammate or the clock to make situations as game-like as possible. Every drill includes precise coaching points and the purpose of the drill. This video will help your players make the shots you need when it counts Everything presented can be incorporated into individual or team workouts... (more info) Price: $39.99
	Ganon Baker: 20 Shooting Drills for the Lost Art of the Jump Shot with Ganon Baker, Nike Basketball Training Specialist, Ambidextrous Shooting Coach, World Renowned Instructor and Clinician. Ganon Baker, owner of Shake N' Bake Basketball Services, works out more than 3,000 kids a year. He also teams with Nike as a Skill Development Trainer to work with the nation's best high school boys and girls basketball players. In this amazing DVD, Baker reveals his phenomenal individual shooting workout, including detailed instruction on shooting technique. Learn to master three critical areas of shooting technique: Footwork, catching the ball and the release. Once you have the stroke down, try out Baker's rigorous shooting drills. More than 20 advanced shooting drills in all. All of these drills focus on maintaining effective form and shooting technique... (more info) Price: $39.99
	Ganon Baker's "Superman" Workout for all Players with Ganon Baker, Nike Basketball Training Specialist. In this extraordinary video, basketball skills guru Ganon Baker shares his own "Superman" Workout - a series of intense, skill-building drills designed to develop and refine basketball players of all skill levels. Baker starts out with 22 stationary ball-handling drills, moves on to 20 more shooting and scoring drills and finishes off with 14 basketball-specific conditioning drills. The drills in this workout are personally used by Ganon and have been proven effective. In this video, you will see Baker going through all 56 of the different drills in his "Superman" Workout... (more info) Price: $39.99