Basketball Fundamentals
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Shooting a basketball, like any other skill can be learned and improved with A LOT of CORRECT practice. No one is born as a great shooter, all of the great shooters have put in hours and hours of correct practice. It does not do very much good to practice the wrong way. Additionally, mental toughness is essential to being a great shooter. Developing mental toughness is discussed in another section of our site. There are five stages in the shooting progression to becoming a great shooter.

1. The first stage is learning the correct fundamentals of holding the ball, and then delivering the shot. Your shooting hand should be set across the seams of the basketball. The index finger of your shooting hand should be placed in the middle of the ball--you should use the air valve as a guide. Your guide hand should be placed on the side of the ball. Point all ten of your toes to the rim-with your shooting foot pointed at the center of the basket and your other foot slightly off center. When you jump, push your feet toward the basket. You should land six inches closer to the basket with your toes still pointing to the rim and your feet in the same position and the same distance apart as when you started. When you release the ball, the ball should spin or rotate backwards off your fingers and that backspin rotation should continue as the ball is in the air toward the goals. The guide hand does not move on its own and only opens up slightly as the ball is pushed to the basket by the shooting hand. After you release the ball, hold a high goose neck follow through as if you were putting your hand in basket with ball.   Your eyes should be focused on the nearest eyelet on the basket and should stay on that eyelet target. You should not watch the flight of the ball! The best basketball shooting drills to practice these fundamentals are shooting on the line and rim flips.

2. Stage Number 2 is repetition shots with no pressure and no movement. Concentrate on the fundamentals from stage one. Clap and ready hands to catch the ball. These shots should be 12-15 feet or whatever distance is a comfortable distance for you. In this stage you will combine proper mechanics from stage #1 above with getting the ball straight. Your aim if you do miss is to never miss to the right, to the left, or short. Get the ball straight and up over the front of the rim and if you have to miss, miss on the back of the rim. The shooting on a line dril helps you to work on getting the ball straight. During the Competitive Individual Development Workout, this phase of the shooting progression is made up of the technique shooting games.

3. Moving at a game pace in ways that occur in a 5/5 game to get a shot. The most effective way to master stage #3 is by having an organized individual development workout plan that is designed for the areas you want to improve--and then you must have the dedication to stick to your plan. The most important time to be dedicated is when you don't want to be.
   

4. Shooting with pressure produced by time, performance goals, or one defender. We have descriptions of several Game Pace Shooting Drills, such as the The Two Minute Drill to assist in this phase of the shooting progression.

5. Being able to make shots in a 5/5 scrimmage. You must shoot the shots that you have been practicing in your individual development workouts and plan your workouts so that you are practicing the shots that you get in games

CUTTING

Jab and pop to get open. Not open—back cut. Basket cuts to score by cutting between the ball and your man. Change speed and directions.  Fake a cut to make a cut. Read your man. Occupy your man keep him from helping.   Cut to the lane and space to the spots.  Hands and eyes ready to catch. Shoulder to shoulder cuts off a screen curl, fill, out, back.  3 foot cuts—cut from spot to spot.  WAIT, WAIT, WAIT on the screen.

SCREENING

Screen a defender—not air. Low and wide jump stop. If defense goes ball side change angle. No illegal screens. Slip, second cut or re—screen.  Screens we set:  Down (Back to the ball) , Cross, Flare (at elbow—back to corner), staggered doubles with a post feed. Against switching defenses--specials (small screens big), slips, screen your own man.

Whether you are dribbling the ball or holding the HANDLE THE BALL WITH SURENESS. 2 foot stops for balance. Contact is not an excuse to lose the ball.

HOLDING

Always 2 hands. Reverse pivot-triple threat-catch and face-see the net Rocker step and establish territory Pivot, move the ball, and use body to protect ball.  Fake a pass to make a pass. One dribble to get a new 5 count—hold 4 sec, dribble 4 sec, hold 4 sec.

DRIBBLING

Always dribble with a purpose.  Use dribble moves in open court and to beat a helping defender:  Crossover, Fake Crossover, Between legs, Behind back, Hesitation, Stutter step, combinations of any two.  Wolf = defender chasing dribbler from behind.  In traffic dribble is below the knees (control dribble). Keep your dribble alive until you have a pass or shot.  Use your dribble to improve a passing angle. Dribble at a flare screen to get a better angle.  Pull Back and crossover to avoid traps.

While you are going through your Ballhandling Drills, we always emphasize two things to keep in mind when doing any type of drill to improve driblling or ballhandling.

PASSING

Make the easy passes. Hit the first open man. Every pass does not have to be an assist pass. Sharp passes. Zip on every pass. Pass away from the defense. Bounce passes are safe passes.  Bounce pass comes up high to receiver. Do not jump to pass.  Handoffs--never pass to a man you can hand to—receiver takes the ball from ball handler.

Fake a pass to make a pass. You don't have to fake to a teammate. The player guarding you can't see behind him or herself. Fake to where you want to mov the defender's hands. Pass fakes will shift a zone defense

CATCHING:

Ready to catch by showing outside hand. Shorten every pass. Catch with 2 eyes, 2 feet, 2 hands.