Featured courses
- Core Basketball Principles That Dallas Mavericks Coach Sean Sweeney Teaches by Grant Young
- Three Competitive Shooting Drills For Your Basketball Team by Grant Young
- How To Teach The ‘I’ Generation of Basketball Players by Grant Young
- Three Elite Drills to Begin a Basketball Practice With by Grant Young
- How to Build a Championship-Winning Basketball Team Culture by Grant Young
- How to Stand Out at Basketball Tryouts by Grant Young
- How to Improve Your Basketball Team’s Transition Defense by Grant Young
- Indiana Fever GM Lin Dunn’s Two Keys For Women’s Basketball Coaches by Grant Young
- Teaching Elite Point of Attack Finishing in Basketball by Grant Young
- Clever Basketball Coaching Tactics to Steal Your Team Wins by Grant Young
- University of South California Basketball Coach Eric Musselman’s Offensive Philosophy by Grant Young
- Pat Summitt’s Top Tips on Coaching Women’s Basketball by Grant Young
- Three Great Passing Drills From a Basketball Coaching Legend by Grant Young
- How to Replicate A Modern NBA Offense by Grant Young
- How to Improve Your Basketball Team’s Defense With the Shell Drill by Grant Young
- 10 Creative Ways Athletic Programs Can Use a Video Board to Raise Money by Coach Williams
- How to Use 3 on 3 to Improve Your Basketball Team by Grant Young
- How to Defend the Pick and Roll by Grant Young
- Mastering Basketball Defense: Techniques, Drills, and Strategies for Success by Justin Tran
- Three Tips From The Coach Who Developed Giannis Antetokoumnpo by Grant Young
- 2023 NBA Draft: Skills and Technique from Top Prospects by Justin Tran
- From College to the Pros: Transitioning the Dribble Drive Offense by Justin Tran
- Positionless Basketball: Redefining Roles on the Court by Justin Tran
- Revolutionize Your Offense: Proven Concepts to Elevate Your Basketball Game by Justin Tran
- 5 Essential Fastbreak Drills Every Basketball Coach Should Know by James Locke
- How to Run a Circle Offense in Basketball by Grant Young
- Game-Changing Strategies: ATO Plays in the EuroLeague and Olympics by Justin Tran
- How Baylor Basketball’s Scott Drew Develops Elite Guard Play by Grant Young
- Off-Ball Movement Tips and Strategies: Lessons From the NBA Finals by James Locke
- Player Development: Scott Drew’s Tips for Producing NBA Guards by James Locke
- How to Execute a Spread Offense in Basketball by Grant Young
- Four Quality Quotes From Four Final Four Coaches by Grant Young
- A Guide to the Pack Line Defense by Alex Martinez
- 3 Defensive Build Up Drills to Improve Team Basketball Defense by Grant Young
- Battle of Two Great Coaches: Best Plays from the NBA Finals Contenders by Justin Tran
- Zone Defense In the NBA Eastern Conference Finals by James Locke
- Mastering Court Mobility: Tips for Effective Movement in Basketball by Justin Tran
- 5 Basketball Shooting Drills: How to Develop a Sharpshooter by James Locke
- 6 Points of Emphasis for a Successful 5 Out Offense by Jaycob Ammerman
- Effective and Efficient Methods to Practice During the Basketball Season by Justin Tran
- 5 Components to Creating a Winning Basketball Program by Justin Tran
- Guide to Becoming a Lethal Scorer in Basketball by Justin Tran
- 4 Defensive Technique Drills from Boston Celtics Assistant Coach Brandon Bailey by Marek Hulva
- 5 Drills to Improve Ball Handling by Tyler Linderman
- 13 FUNNY BASKETBALL GIFS by Alex
- BASKETBALL SPEED AND AGILITY: 8 QUESTIONS FOR COACHTUBE EXPERT RICH STONER by Jaycob Ammerman
- Defensive Strategies for Basketball by Ryan Brennan
- 4 Keys To Turning Your Program Into Championship Contender By Dallas Mavericks Coach Sean Sweeney by Marek Hulva
- What You Need to Know About the 2 Side Break by Lason Perkins
- 5 Out of Bound Plays vs. the 2-3 Zone by Marc Hart
- Repeat after me: Shooting is about practice, practice, practice by Brandon Lawrence
- 3 Keys To Shooting Better Off The Pass by Tyler Linderman
- 10 Shooting Tips That Will Increase Your Shooting Percentage by Brandon Ogle
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- How Coaches Can Help Build Team Chemistry by Criag Haley
- 2021 Men's NCAA Tournament Teams Courses & Playbooks to Study by Jaycob Ammerman
- 3 Actions from Southern Utah's Highly Ranked System by Jaycob Ammerman
- Coaching Analysis of Thursday NCAA Men’s Tournament Games by Jaycob Ammerman
- How the point guard is basketball's quarterback by Craig Haley
- Full Court Press Drills by Emily Reich
- 3 Transition Offensive Drills to Play Fast by Jaycob Ammerman
- Running Inbounds Plays in Youth Basketball by Craig Haley
- New Favorite Actions from Around the World by Lason Perkins
- How to Create a Pick-and-Roll Offense by Brandon Ogle
- Improving Your Three-Point Shot by Ryan Brennen
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches….And People, Too by Lason Perkins
- 5 Spain PNR Plays for Your Playbook by Lason Perkins
- Three Skills Every Guard Needs by Derek Brown
- Top 4 Pre-Season Basketball Drills by Derek Brown
- 3 Plays From Zipper Actions To Create Open Looks by Coach Lason Perkins
- Favorite Plays From Around The World: The Argentina Cross Screen Action by Coach Perkins
- Throwing A “Grenade” Into Your Offense!! by Coach Perkins
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- 3 Phases Coaches Are Studying by Coach Perkins
- MARCUS GINYARD TALKS AAU BALL, ROY WILLIAMS, AND PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY by Brandon
- My Failure as a Coach by Tom Kelsey
- How can I improve as a coach? by Tom Kelsey
- 3 Reasons Steph Curry Has Separated Himself in the NBA by Derek Brown
- 3 REASONS STEPH CURRY HAS SEPARATED HIMSELF IN THE NBA by Chris
- 4 Basketball Offenses You Need to Start Running by Derek Brown
- How to Get the Most Out of Your Team Practice by Derek Brown
- 5 THINGS I WISH I KNEW AS A YOUNG COACH by Jamy Bechler
- Communication Between Coaches and Players by Kyle Ohman
- 56 GREAT BASKETBALL COACHES AND TRAINERS TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER by Alex Kirby
- Drills To Improve Speed And Endurance With And Without The Basketball by Fran Kilinski
- 5 Strength Training & Plyometric Methods to Improve Rebounding by Alli Williams
- Text from Parent to Coach by Derek Brown
- Game Day Guide: How to Prepare for a Basketball Game by Brandon Ogle
- Coaching Generation Z by Derek Brown
- 5 Strength Training & Plyometric Drills to Improve Rebounding by Alli Williams
- Tips for Running and Handling the Ball in Transition by Brandon Ogle
- The Art of the Outlet Pass by Frank Kilinski
- How To Play Off-The-Ball At A Young Age by Brandon Ogle
- 4 Tricky Basketball Moves That'll Keep You On Your Toes by Fran Kilinski
Three Competitive Shooting Drills For Your Basketball Team
- By Grant Young
It's important for coaches to be able to switch things up when running a practice. Things can get redundant when basketball practice planning, and ultimately it can become a bit boring for coaches and players alike. This is why adding a competitive twist to practice can really elevate team morale and foster excitement that translates into success in games.
Coaches can incorporate competitive shooting drills into their practices to not only strengthen shooting, but also boost rebounding, and increase conditioning. While any wise coach will want to kill multiple birds with one stone (so to speak) when constructing their team’s practices, figuring out the most efficient and effective way to do so can seem daunting.
Luckily that’s exactly what coach Aluara Sharp has done.
Coach Sharp is the head Women's Basketball Coach at Appalachian State, a job she started in April 2024. Prior to that, Coach Sharp spent six seasons as the head coach at Presbyterian College (PC). Under Coach Sharp’s leadership, PC finished fifth in the regular season standings and earned a first-round bye in the Big South Conference Championship for the first time since 2017-18. The 2019-20 team increased its win total by five games and advanced to the Big South Championship quarterfinal round for the second time under Sharp's leadership.
Putting together competitive shooting drills for her team has been a cornerstone of Coach Sharp’s success. And her ‘Competitive Team Shooting Drills’ course will teach you how to Implement competitive shooting drills into your practice plan and bring out the best in your team, both individually and as a unit.
Regardless of the basketball level you’re coaching at, your players’ improvement from these drills will translate onto the court and boost their confidence in their ability to shoot the ball, which could spell the difference between success and despair during your next season.
Rapid Fire Shooting
The first competitive team shooting drill that Coach Sharp recommends for coaches is what she calls the ‘Rapid Fire Shooting’ drill.
This drill will start with three lines: a passing line at the wing or at the top of the key, a shooting line in the corner (either behind the three-point line or at mid-range) and a rebounding line on the block.
The passer’s line will start with the ball, deliver the pass to the shooter in the corner, then follow their pass and get in the shooting line. Upon receiving the pass, the shooter will take a shot. Regardless of whether the shot is made or missed, the shooter will then get in the rebounding line. And when the rebounder secures the ball they will then outlet it to the passing line, and the drill restarts.
The key here is that this drill will take place on both sides of the court, and you have an equal amount of players on each side. After each player gets a shot up at each spot, both sides will tally their total makes and the winning side will get a point.
After doing this in five different locations, the team with the most points wins and gets to skip conditioning or some other similar reward.
There can also be bonuses or an additional point given to the team who completes their entire round of shots the fastest, which incentivizes fast passing, shooting, and rebounding.
Coaches could also do it so that whichever team gets to five made shots in every location first wins, which is another way to prioritize speed and timing in this drill.
Blue Hose Shooting
Another competitive shooting drill Coach Sharp loves is called ‘Blue Hose Shooting’, which she took from a former coaching job at Lousiana Tech.
The goal of this drill is that the team must have 90 three-point shots in five minutes. While this may sound impossible, the drill’s structure will reveal why it’s not so difficult as it initially sounds.
There will be three different lines (Coach Sharp has it with one on either wing and another at the top of the key, but this could also work with a line or two at the corners.) Once a person at the front of their line takes a shot, they go and grab their own rebounds before passing it to the line that’s to their left. They’ll then go and join that line.
This drill is excellent because it blends needing speed and patience. If every shooter on the team is rushing their shots in order to get as many shots up as possible, there’s no way they’ll make enough because their form will suffer. But if a player mimics the (efficient, but not rushed) pace at which they shoot in a game and then hustles to get their rebound, this will allow them to make the 90 shots in five minutes.
Of course, making 90 three points shots will be impossible for any youth basketball team. So adjust these distances, shots, and timing to whatever level your team is at.
Skip Shooting
A third competitive team shooting drill Coach Sharp swears by is the Skip Shooting drill.
This drill is going to require either three or four balls, and it emphasizes skip passes, which is a pass that goes directly from one player to another, usually traveling relatively long distances and skipping over any teammates in between.
It will initially start with two lines, one at a wing and another at the opposite corner. The balls will start with the wing lines, who will throw an overhead skip pass to the corner shooter. The shooter will catch the pass, take the shot, and then follow the shot. Once they secure the rebound then they will outlet it to the wing line.
Try doing this for a set number of shots or minutes before moving to a different location and trying the same there.