Players Shooting in Practice
Every coach wishes their team could shoot the ball better. This was even the case during my stint with the WNBA. Discussion was always brought up about how to get the team to shoot better. I think even though coaches intend to have their team shoot alot in practice; the reality is that is comes second to everything else in the planning.
It has been said that a player’s shooting percentage will commonly go down during the stretch of a season. Some of this can be from the exhausting grind of the season but more than that it comes down to a lack of repititions.
Kevin Eastman of the Boston Celtics, who is known for his skill development expertise, has been said to chart the amount of shots players take throughout a practice. On average players were getting about 30 shots per practice.
We all know this is no where near enough to become or maintain being a proficient shooter…at any level.
So the question becomes how do I get my players more shots in practice when we have to cover so many other things in a short period of time. Here are a few suggestions that have helped teams that I have been involved with from middle school to the WNBA.
1.) While you are waiting for the whole team to get on the court start shooting in organized drills with those that are already on the court. I still don’t understand why coaches let their players free shoot before practice. One, most will start at their maximum range which is a terrible place to start. All shooting routines should start from the basics. Two, players usually only get 10-15 shots up while free shooting. Why not have them getting 30-40 shots in a organized fashion.
2.) All shooting drills should be done in game siuations. Better known as game shots in game spots at game speed. With the teams I have coached I love to break down our offensive sets and find ways to get multiple player interactions into game shots. This way we are also working on passing, movement with and without the ball, and timing…all critical aspects of getting a good shot in a game.
**Any coaches looking for help in making these interactions for their team’s offense can email me at coach.springer@hotmail.com and I will be glad to help
3.) Utilize your resources. If you have 6 baskets in your gym then use all of them. I know that we want to supervise correct form in all of our players shots but sometimes roaming the court while 2 to 3 players get mass shots can be more effective. Utilize staff as well to help in the supervision of all of the baskets. It will always be in quality over quantity when it comes to skill development training. However, quantity is still an aspect of development. I think this is especially true with teams that are young and are still developing consistent form.
Coach Springer
Spartan Basketball
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