Basketball Shooting Drills

Every drill in this guide assumes the same five-point shooting form. Walk through this checklist with each player before running the form work below.

• Balance. Feet shoulder-width apart, toes at the rim, shooting-side foot slightly ahead.
• Eyes. Locked on a single target (front or back of the rim) until the ball lands.
• Elbow. Stacked under the ball, not flared, forearm at a 90 degree angle when loaded.
• Release. Ball rolls off index and middle fingers with backspin; the off-hand guides only and leaves the ball before release.
• Follow-through. Wrist snaps toward the rim, fingers pointed at the target, hand held in the "cookie jar" until the ball lands.

BEEF (Balance, Eyes, Elbow, Follow-through) is the shorthand most coaches use. Run through it before every shooting block until players self-correct without a cue. The USA Basketball Player Development Curriculum(opens in new tab) treats proper shooting form as a foundational fundamental, with skill categories built around footwork, body control, and shooting before scoring volume.

Form shooting builds the muscle memory that everything else relies on. Start each player at three feet from the rim and move back two feet only when they hit ten in a row with clean form on the previous spot. Players who own the form close in grow their range every year; players who skip ahead plateau by mid-season. If you're brand new to the game and need a broader skill progression first, work through our basketball drills for beginners library for dribbling, passing, and defensive fundamentals before layering in the shooting reps below. Add the ones you want to your shooting session as you read.

Most shots in a real game come off a catch, not a dribble. Catch-and-shoot drills build the footwork on the arrival, the squared-up base, and the quick release before a closeout defender gets there. Run these once form shooting holds steady at the elbow and free throw line.

Off-the-dribble shots are harder than catch-and-shoots because the player is moving when the shot leaves the hand. Run these only after catch-and-shoot reps look clean. The handle behind these pull-ups is built in our basketball dribbling drills library, which covers stationary, two-ball, on-the-move, and live-pressure work.

Three-point shooting blends form, range, and stamina. Build range from the shorter line first and only run distance reps after form holds at the corner; leg drive matters more than arm strength.

Free throws decide close games at every level above youth basketball. A team shooting 70 percent wins games that a 60 percent team loses. Treat free throws like a drill, not a recovery break.

When the gap between fresh and tired free throws stays above 10 points round after round, the limiter is conditioning rather than shooting form. Pair these tired-shooting protocols with the sideline sprints, lane slides, and full-court flow drills in our basketball conditioning drills sub-topic so legs hold up in the fourth quarter.

Skill drills build the form; game-speed drills build the decision. Spend the last ten to fifteen minutes of every shooting workout in this category once earlier drills run without breakdowns.

The 40 in 3 card above is a two-sided variation that forces the shooter to balance both hands under fatigue. For the original single-side protocol, see our basketball drills library or the Basketball Coach Weekly 40 in 3 protocol(opens in new tab).

A shooting workout means little until a make target sits next to it. The drills you picked while reading line up into one workout below, so you can attach the number of makes you want from each spot and stop shooting on guesswork.

A single workout improves nothing on its own. Shooting numbers move when the same drills run on the same days for at least four weeks. The structure below outlines a four-day shooting week for a high school player; scale the volume down by half for middle school and younger.

• Day 1: Form and Catch-and-Shoot. Five minutes of one-hand form shooting, twenty minutes of BEEF progression, twenty minutes of five-spot catch-and-shoot. Total around 45 minutes.
• Day 2: Off-the-Dribble. Ten minutes of form warm-up, fifteen minutes of pull-up jumpers off one dribble, ten minutes of hesitation, ten minutes of step-backs (high school and older only).
• Day 3: 3-Point and Free Throws. Five-spot 3-point shooting (twenty per spot), one-minute 3-point drill (three rounds), ten free throws fresh, ten free throws tired.
• Day 4: Game Speed. Around the Arc 5-4-3-2-1 (one round), 40 in 3 (two rounds with rest), Beat the Pro (one game), pressure free throws (two each, two rounds).

Track make percentages on each drill across the four-week block: players see the numbers move, and coaches catch form drift before it becomes a habit. Programs running structured training sessions across multiple teams can attach shooting benchmarks to each session so the same progression carries from tryouts through the in-season block. For team practices, slot one shooting drill from each category into the weekly rotation. To pair shooting work with the rest of practice, see our basketball drills library covering all skill areas for the full collection. Pair these shooting drills with our Basketball Defense Drills library to round out both ends of the floor.

Tracking practice numbers alongside game numbers shows whether a drill carries over: a player at 80 percent from the corner in practice but 25 percent in games has a confidence problem, not a mechanics problem. Our basketball stat sheet has columns for tracking the same shooting metrics across practice and games. Coaches running multiple teams benefit from keeping shooting drills tagged so assistants pull up the right session in seconds. See how Striveon's drill library tags drills by skill area, age, and equipment.

What are the best basketball shooting drills for beginners?

The best beginner drills work form first at close range: One-Hand Form Shooting from three feet, Two-Hand BEEF Progression at three to five feet, and Wall Form Shooting as a solo warm-up. Beginners progress only when they hit ten consecutive makes with clean form on the previous spot. Skipping ahead to longer range before form holds creates habits that take years to unwind.

How long should a shooting practice session be?

For high school and older, a full shooting workout runs 45 to 60 minutes covering form work, catch-and-shoot, off-the-dribble, three-point, free throws, and a short game-speed block. Middle school and younger players stop at catch-and-shoot for around 30 minutes total, adding off-dribble blocks once footwork holds. Quality ends when form drifts, regardless of clock time.

What is the difference between form shooting and game-speed shooting?

Form shooting isolates a single piece of the shot (footwork, elbow, follow-through) at close range, often one-handed or stationary, with the goal of building muscle memory. Game-speed shooting reintroduces movement, fatigue, defenders, and decision-making (catch-and-shoot under closeout, pull-up off the dribble, free throws while tired). Players need both: form drills build the skill, game-speed drills test whether the skill carries over.

How many shots should a player make per drill?

Set make targets, not attempt targets. Form drills require 20 makes (not 20 attempts) before progressing to the next spot. Five-spot catch-and-shoot uses 20 reps per spot. Game-speed drills like 40 in 3 set explicit make goals (32 of 40 in three minutes for high school). Counting makes forces attention to quality, while counting attempts rewards rushing through the rep.

Can these drills be done alone?

Several drills work solo: One-Hand Form Shooting, Two-Hand BEEF Progression, and Wall Form Shooting need no partner. Free throws (Routine and Reps, Tired Free Throws) also run solo if a player can rebound their own shots. Drills that need a passer or defender, including Five Spot Catch and Shoot, Closeout Catch and Shoot, and 40 in 3, work best with at least one partner to keep the rhythm and confirm counts.

How often should a player run shooting drills each week?

Four sessions per week across a four-week block is the structure that moves shooting numbers measurably. Each session covers a single category (form and catch-and-shoot one day, off-dribble the next, three-point and free throws the third, game-speed the fourth) so the same drills run on the same days. One session per week maintains current level; four sessions build new range.

What is the BEEF method in basketball shooting?

BEEF stands for Balance, Eyes, Elbow, Follow-through. Coaches use it as the shorthand checklist before every shooting block: feet shoulder-width with shooting-side foot slightly ahead, eyes locked on a single target on the rim, shooting elbow stacked under the ball at a 90 degree angle when loaded, wrist snapping toward the rim with fingers pointed at the target on the follow-through. Players run through BEEF aloud during form drills until they self-correct without a verbal cue.

How do you measure improvement in shooting drills?

Log make percentages on each drill and track them across a four-week block. Useful indicators: free throw percentage (target 70 percent at high school), gap between fresh and tired free throw percentages (under 10 points means conditioning is in line), corner three percentage (target 40 percent at high school), and one-minute three-point drill makes (target 8 in 60 seconds at high school). Numbers that move week over week confirm the drill is producing change.