The ability to shoot well is one of the most important skills a basketball player can have, and is particularly important for point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards because they spend most of the offense on the perimeter. While there is no surefire way reproduce the innate shooting prowess of Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller or Ray Allen, players of all ages and skills can significantly improve their ability by consistently practicing several training exercises.
Warm Up
Before taking any shots, get your heart rate elevated and perform stretching exercises to limber up your muscles. Then, start your training session by taking anywhere from 25 to 50 shots from close range to the basket, not more than five to ten feet out. Alternate baseline jumpers with free throw line pull-ups and bank shots from the wing. The focus should be on getting yourself into a rhythm, and ensuring your shooting mechanics are working properly.
Around the Horn
Have a teammate stand near the rim to rebound and pass the ball back out to you. Stand 12-17 feet from the basket on the left or right baseline, and shoot a set of 10 to 20 jump shots. After completing your set on the baseline, move a few feet over to the wing position and shoot another 10 to 20 shots. Then move to the elbow, the free-throw line, to the other elbow and eventually the other baseline. Try to catch and shoot the ball as quickly as you would in a game, and be sure to hustle from one shooting spot to the next.
Elbow-to-Elbow
Keep your rebounder under the basket. Stand at the left or right elbow, three feet away to the side of the free-throw line. Catch a chest pass, shoot, and break quickly for the other elbow, on the opposite side of the free-throw line. After catching and shooting, run back to the elbow you originally shot from. Take 20 shots, 10 from each elbow.
Baseline Curl
Have one teammate rebound and another stand at the top of the arc to feed you crisp chest passes. Run hard along the baseline, then, as you're nearing the three-point line, veer sharply toward the passer as if going around a screen. Catch the ball, square, and shoot in full rhythm, as if you had a defender charging at you. Immediately after release, scramble back the opposite way along the baseline, and repeat on the other side. Take 10 to 20 shots per set.
Three Pointers
Around the horn, elbow to elbow, and baseline curl exercises can also be run behind the three-point line. Since this involves longer distances, you'll probably get tired more quickly. As a result, lower the number of shots per set to 5 to 10. Another useful and fun drill behind the arc is a three-point shooting contest, like the annual NBA shootout during All Star Weekend. For this, you'll need to place ball racks at five locations around the arc, one on each baseline, one on each wing, and one at the top of the arc, with five balls on each rack. Four of the balls count for one point, while the fifth is the money ball, counting for two. Give yourself no more than 90 seconds to shoot all 25 balls.
Shooting Off the Dribble
Shooting off the dribble is an imperative skill for guards and small forwards. One of the most common game-time scenarios where players shoot off the dribble is when they are pushing the ball toward the top of the key, get a pick from a teammate, and drive three to four feet to their right or left before pulling up for the jumper. Ideally, this will result in an open, or at least minimally contested shot. Practice this by quickly dribbling the basketball from the half court line to the top of the three point arc, then veer sharply to the left or right, take one or two more dribbles, and pull up for the shot. Perform 5 to 10 shots in each set, and make sure to shoot off both left and right hand dribbles so you're equally lethal from either side.
Free Throws
Finish the training session by shooting 50 to 100 free throws. Make sure to keep track of how many shots you make so that you know your daily and cumulative free-throw percentages. The main reason to save this for last is that free-throw shooting is less physically demanding than some of the other drills, making it an ideal cooling down exercise. This also works to simulate the fatigue you'll feel toward the end of the big game, when the clock's down to 0:01 and you've got to step up and hit two big free throws for the victory.
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