Shooting Game #1-Spot Shooting

As a coach, I will have some practice time set aside each day to work on shooting.  Something I have found that works to keep players invested in practice is doing some games during practice.  One of the games I use is a spot shooting game that gets every player in the gym get involved.  It is a quick game that gets a lot of shots up during practice in a short amount of time.  The great thing about this game is the ability to use any spot on the floor to get shots up.  The game can be modified to fit into any offense a team runs. 

If a team takes a lot of shots from the corner, then the players can play the game shooting from the corner.  If the team shoots a lot of shots from the elbows, then the team can shoot from the elbow.  So, the game can be used for any team running any kind of offense.

The way the game works is the players are divided into teams usually of about 3 or 4 players.  Each 3 or 4 player team goes to a basket.  Each basket should have only 1 team if possible. Two teams could be at the same basket, but this can result in shots deflecting off each other.  I like to keep the game to one team per basket of about 3 or 4 players per team.

Each team keeps track of their points.  Every made basket is worth 1 point.  A time limit is set.  I put the time up on the clock if possible.  I like quicker games to keep the players moving as fast as possible, so I normally set the time to 2 or 3 minutes.  Even though this is a shooting drill, the players can get some conditioning out of the drill while working on shooting.

Each team lines up at the spot chosen by the coach.  This spot can be anywhere on the floor.  I normally use 15-foot shots and 3-point shots as a distance.  At the 15-foot shots, I use the two corners, two wings, two elbows, and straight away from the basket at the middle of the free throw line.  For the 3-point shots, I use the top of the key, two wings, and two corners.  Depending on the day and what shots I want the players working on, I will pick 3 to 6 spots for each day we play this game. 

One player is the initial shooter with the ball, and the other players on their team line up behind the shooter.  At the start, the first player shoots the ball and follows their shot.  The shooter rebounds their shot whether it is made or missed and passes the ball to the next player on their team.  The next player catches and shoots.  They follow their shot, rebound, and passes the ball to their next teammate.  After passing the ball to the next teammate, the player returns to the back of the line waiting for their next turn to shoot.  The more shots a team can get up, the more points they can earn. 

One adjustment that can be made is in the scoring.  If I have a team that is struggling with making shots around the basket, then I will force every player to shoot a putback on every missed shot.  This adjustment emphasizes following their shot and offensive rebound putbacks.  If I make this adjustment, then I modify the scoring.  Each made outside shot is worth 2 points.  Each putback is worth 1 point. 

Each basket keeps their own score.  After the time limit, there is a winning basket.  For me, the winning basket gets rewarded with not having to do the punishment for losing.  The punishment for not winning, for me, is usually some push-ups or sit-ups or a small sprint like a down and back.  After the punishment, a new spot is announced, the teams re-locate, the time is put back on the clock, and the next game starts.  A team can get 5 or 6 games of 3 minutes in less than 20 minutes of practice time as long as there is not a lo of standing around in between the games.