Now that you are helping to coach some young basketballers, it is time to start implanting some true fundamentals into their games. Teaching your players a few of the foundations for good shooting is a lot easier then you would imagine. The very first thing you have to do is make sure they are using the basic shooting form. I have a mnemonic device that I personally use to help me remember and explain good shooting form. Once you get the basics across it is all about practice after that. Personally, I never say to my young players that it is time for a shooting ‘drill’ or ‘practice’. It is a shooting game, who wants to play? Simply arranging the elements you want to practice into a game really brings the focus into your favor.
No matter how you choose to put it across, you must explain the basic ground rules of shooting. I have a mnemonic device for remembering how to shoot properly. The four most important factors in a well-executed shot are Balance, Elbow, Eyesight, and Follow-through or B.E.E.F. as I have always thought of it. The better your balance is when you take a shot the more likely it is going to go in. The ideal form is both feet on the ground, shoulder’s width apart. The shooters knees will be slightly bent and their back straight. The elbow functions as a scope sight in basketball. Assume a balanced stance and then bring your shooting arm straight out in front of you. Now bend your elbow in a 90-degree angle, so that your forearm is straight up. At this point, the line from the bottom of the triceps to the elbow forms a scope to aim at the basket with. Demonstrating this to your youth league will be nothing but priceless fun.
So let us consider the third element of good shooting form, Eyesight. This is the most obvious one, if the player is looking at the basket straight on the better they are going to shoot the ball. ‘Keep your eye on the basket’, is the best way to get it across to younger kids. Follow-through, the last critical element of shooting form, ensures that the release of the ball is smooth and the arm continues to be moving in a line with the basket. Each player should practice following through their shot without the ball first and then add the ball in later. Keep an eye on your players, and help them keep the ‘follow-through’ in mind. Even if the player shooting the ball is jumping during release, the more of these fundamentals working in their favor the more likely the shot will go in. Now you have gone over all the true shooting fundamentals and B.E.E.F. is easy to remember.
Free-throw shooting is the next place to begin practicing, because the form is the most focused. I hope that you have multiple basketball goals to work with so that you can have several groups going at the same time. Periodically, remind each group about the B.E.E.F. basics and have each player take ten shots in a row. The other players in each group compete for the rebound. Once everyone has gotten to practice their free-throws, divide them up into four stations. Each station will have a different shooting game already setup, each emphasizing one element of the offensive game.
Station #1 is which player makes the most out of ten in a free throw competition. Station #2 has five balls spread out, one ball every couple of feet around the entire three-point line. Each person in the group gets a turn with a full setup. Station #3 is all lay-ups, from both sides of the basket and with both hands. Station #4 is a catch and shoot rotation. Each player in this group shoots the ball and then races in for the rebound. When they gather the ball, it is immediately passed to the next teammate. The next player in line must catch and shoot the ball in one smooth movement. Allow each group some time at every station. This is good way to practice a good variety of skills, by everyone at the same time.
Believe it or not, the game that requires each player to use the largest variety of offensive skills is ‘Twenty-One’. Use the same groups and give each station one ball. Twenty-One is played ‘every person for themselves’. Each time a player scores a basket, they get to shoot a free-throw and can earn one more free-throw for each one made up to a total of free-throws. The initial baskets are worth 2 points and each of the three free-throws are worth one point each. The first player to score 21 points wins, but if someone gets to 20 points and misses their one point free throw, their score resets to 13 points. This game is a lot of fun and gives all the players an opportunity to be shooting the ball in a variety of contexts.
The next most beneficial way to break down your instruction is to divide players up into groups based on the position they play. Certainly, a shooting guard and the center are going to be taking different types of shots. The centers should spend some time focusing on shots close to the basket such as hooks, lay-ins, and rebounded second shots. Power forwards function similarly but shoot with a little more range then centers typically do. The small forward and shooting guards will contribute from all ranges depending on the need of the team. The passing guard primarily shoots from a distance and mainly works to set up shots for other teammates. Consider each positions desired shooting area and set up some practices focusing on positional offense.
Any drill or practice exercise can be made into a fun little game and anyone can play the classic, H O R S E. Team scrimmages are another fun way to practice shooting drills. My team closed practice with the team split into two equal groups and then every player for each side shoots a free-throw. Both groups total their free-throws and each group has to run as many laps as the other groups' number of made free-throws. The most important thing to remember is that the fundamentals are not that difficult to use and they have a major impact on the quality of a player’s offensive game. Moreover, practicing can be just as much fun as the real thing.
