If you are a player who possesses the unfortunate combination of great dribbling skills, quick feet combined with a horrific jumpshot you have probably experienced defenders neutralizing your strengths through simply backing off of you, daring you to shoot. Dribbling skills, speed and athleticism can only take you so far. Indeed, with a good jumpshot to use as bait, even players who are slow on their feet and possess average dribbling abilities can get pass their defender with ease.

Picture 1.1 Picture 2.1 Picture 3.1 Picture 3.2 Picture 3.3

Becoming a good shooter will not only have an impact on your ego and scoring average. You will be in a position to help your whole team on every attack. And by helping I don’t just mean braking single game scoring records and knocking down shot after shot, but through being a consistent threat that opposing defences have to adjust to. Instead of just launching every available shot (to go along with the countless unavailable ones) a long range sniper can become a defensive nightmare. Facing a team with solid outside shooters normally results in defensive rotations, thus: oceans of floor space and lanes within which to operate.

Players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwane Wade have all mastered this skill, seemingly playing chess against their opponents. They draw their defenders in, drive past them with ease thanks to the defender’s “Whatever he does, he is not going to shot a jumper in my face” mentality, and as a result make the help defenders work for their money. Most highlights will only show players drive to the hoop after they have beaten their defenders. Highlights with dunks sell. Four out of five times however the opportunity to drive isn’t there. To remain effective they manoeuvre themselves into an open space, being well aware that at all times they can move in all directions that a compass has to offer. Many players for some reason only seem to see two options: shoot or drive straight ahead. If you don’t understand this principle do yourself a favour, and watch highlights of Sam Cassell. There is a reason this guy is still lighting up scoreboards at the advanced NBA age of 38, and it is not his space alien like looks.

Through finding the open space the help defender is forced to step out, instead of just waiting for our offensive hero to take a drive at him. At this stage our attacker has a number of options:

1. Using his well practiced jumpshot before the help defender arrives, giving the whole opposition a reminder that they better commit to him whenever he is open.
2. Taking advantage of the mismatch if available. Making use of factors such as lower centre of gravity and speed when facing a slower big man.
3. Passing to an open teammate who previously was guarded by the help defender. Good court vision at this stage is vital, as a well-prepared defence will rotate to cut off the easy pass.

Bellow are a number of training methods that can help you develop a jumpshot that is not only accurate, but can be used under pressure, and in situations where there is limited time and space to get set and maintain perfect balance. Coaches might preach that they only want their players to shoot when they are balanced and open, but this is usually because their players have not developed a reliant enough jumpshot to knock down shots with high degrees of difficulty consistently. And for the love of god, if you are a player who is only knocking down three out of ten shots, stop annoying your teammates, stop sending your poor coaches blood pressure through the roof, stop shooting those shots during games, and start practicing.

(Note I: ideally you will want someone with a good jumpshot, or at least an understanding of what a good jumpshot looks like, to watch you performing these drills. Unfortunately the saying practice makes perfect could not be any further away from the truth. Practice makes permanent, so any hicks in your jumpshot need to be identified and corrected ASAP! Many of them you will not notice by yourself. )

(Note II: Just because you are making shot after shot dose not mean you have mastered the art of shooting. There are many players out there that can knock down one shot after the other, but because of unorthodox styles they can only use their shot when left unmarked by the opposing defence. They rely on teammates to create space for them. Ideally you will want to develop a release so quick and efficient that you only need a few inches of space to calmly drain your shot.)

Shooting perfects to develop form
If you grew up in the 80s or 90s you might have flashbacks to the movie Karate Kid during this drill. It will at first appear just as pointless as Mr. Miyagi car washing lectures that Daniel LaRusso was subjected to. Just as in Karate Kid however, this drill serves a specific purpose. Shooting perfects can help you gain a good rhythm and refresh your memory on the basic concepts of shooting. You will position yourself no more than 3 feet away from the basket, taking 50 shots from 5 different positions as indicated in diagram 1.1.

I should not have to state that using the backboard for this drill is a waste of time. This is not supposed to be a layup line. Instead focus on gaining perfect balance in your legs. Bend your knees and go through your shooting motion as if you were shooting from 15 feet away. The name of the drill is perfects. Every shot should be a swish. The rim above you is big enough for two basketballs and the Empire State Building to pass through at the same time, so there should be no excuse for your ball hitting anything but the bottom of the net.

Developing balance when shooting out of a sideways movement.
Many coaches burst out in a cold sweat when they see their players launch one prayer of a shot after another while falling sideways and doing really bad Michael Jordan impersonations. There should be an official Michael Jordan Fade Away Jumpshot Licensing Authority (M.J.F.A.J.S.L.A.), where a written and practical test needs to be passed before you can ever launch that kind of shot during a game. It’s the main reason your coach looks old. Twenty years of watching premadonas launch ill-advised shots can make you look sixty when you are only just approaching forty. But since the M.J.F.A.J.S.L.A. does not exist as of yet, and banning players from basketball just because of a bad shot selection might result in Nike going bankrupt, we might just have to settle with learning how to control our balance with the help of the following drill.

For the drill it self you will need at least two people, one shooter and one or more rebounders. As in figure 2.1 the shooter will run back and forth between two spots that are located next to each other, unless you want this to become a cardio work out as well as shooting practice. If that is the case be my guest. But ideally the shooter should take 10 shots from each spot. That way even when launching the 20th shot the shooter will be approaching the final spot with some pace much like during a game.

Elements to consider (one would think they are common sense, but judging by how many coaches need to yell these basic concepts at their players time and time again I guess they are not):

1. When you catch the ball your feet need to be positioned so that they are looking towards the basket. In a game you will often have no time to reposition them, and by the time you have taken a dribble you will have a defender on you like a rash. The key therefore is to position your body so that you can comfortably rise up and knock down your shot as soon as the ball is in your hands. Already have your knees bent, ready to jump.

2. Don’t move back to using the spots at the three-point line until you can consistently make eight out of ten shots within the arc from each spot. Reaching these levels might take a while.

3. This drill should also help the rebounder develop some solid passing skills. A good passer will make sure that the shooter receives the ball at a height that enables the shooter to start his shooting motion without hesitation. Also practice your bounce passes, adjusting them so they are received at perfect heights. A lot of point guards think they’ve just played a spectacular pass and can’t understand why their teammates thumbled it, when often they themselves are to blame for throwing it at the wrong height.

Learning to knock down a shot under pressure
Making a shot on an empty court is one thing. Rising up for a contested jumpshot during a game is another. If your playing against a good defence everyone within your proximity will be raising their hands, often with no hope of blocking you, but still maybe being effective enough to distract you.

There are a number of effective drills to adapt to this kind of pressure.

Drill 1, displayed in picture 3.1: At the start two lines are formed facing each other above the free throw line and one defender is positioned in the key. Ideally each line will have two basketballs. In this example the player at the front of line B is holding one, but the player at the front of line A isn’t. Player 1 runs towards the top of the key, and as soon as he receives the pass from player 2, he has to get a shot off over the defender. This should not result in a one on one drill, but teach players the importance of a crisp pass, and good positioning in order to rise up for a quick release over the approaching defender. The defender then grabs the rebound, and dribbles around towards line B, which at this stage only has one ball. The ball is therefore passed to the player standing behind the one who possesses a ball. The defender then cues at the back of line B, and Player 1 becomes the defender.

Drill 2: This drill should help players adapt to shooting over a taller defenders out stretched arm. To simulate the ultimate 8 foot nightmare defender from hell you will have a team mate stand in front of you with a baseball or cricket bat. No, the bat is not meant to intimidate you physically, it is supposed to be held up high, acting as an outstretched arm. While shooting over this obstacle you might notice that the high arc results in a cleaner shot. This is because the higher your arc is, the more chances it has of finding its way through the rim. Even when you are open from now on, try to maintain that high arc.

Drill 3: Unfortunately, as I mentioned, you won’t have all the time in the world to shoot during a game. That is unless you are playing some lazy playground opponents. This drill therefore aims to place players under some serious time pressure. Using the elbow spot as an example again, you will split your team up into 4 different groups, positioning each at one of the elbow spots on the court standing in a line. Each group will have one ball, and needles to say the player at the front of each line will be holding it.

Once given the signal each group can start launching shots, with players getting their own rebound and passing it to the next player in line. Once a group has made ten shots the groups will rotate clockwise. The three losing groups however will have be required to do ten press-ups before they are cleared to launch shots from their new spot. Once each group has shot from each spot the group with the most wins can step aside and watch their teammates enjoy the torture that are line drills.

45° bank shot
This shot is Miami Heat Shooting Guard Dwane Wade and San Antonio Centre Tim Duncan’s bread and butter. Both of them can go to the bank any time they are positioned a few feet within the three point line between the key’s elbow and the corner of the court. It is a rare shot in today’s game although with a bit of practice it is actually a very easy one to make. While performing the balance drill mentioned above practice using the bank for spot B and E on Picture 2.1. After a while you will develop a shot that you can use, even if your normal standard jumpshot isn’t falling.

Conclusion
All these methods worked for me. The only reason why I’m not in the NBA right now is because it would give one team an unfair advantage. If they don’t work for you, don’t be to mad at yourself. You are only only human after all ;-).

Disclaimer: Sportgorilla and its authors will not be held liable for any injuries or reduced performance resulting from training instructions obtained from our content. Before attempting any of the drills and exercises obtained from sportgorilla you should consult your doctor about the effects they can potentially have on your health and body. Sportgorilla will not be held liable for your actions.