How to be the best shooter in basketball

8 Keys to Becoming a Great Shooter in Basketball

This article was written by Basketball HQ co-founder Kyle Ohman. Coach Ohman is a skill development trainer, high school basketball coach, and camp director/instructor worldwide. Kyle also has a background in playing as well. He was a 1,000 point scorer at Liberty University and was ranked the 19th best shooter his senior year by Fox Sports. After college, he played professionally in Europe. 

1. Mental Toughness as Shooter

• Confidence
  • Has the confidence to take and make shots when open
  • Judges themselves on taking a good shot, not whether they made or missed the shot
• Short Memory
  • Realizes that the only shot that matters is the next shot
  • May miss a few shots in a row, but doesn’t keep you from shooting the next quality shot that comes their way
• Fight Through Fatigue
  • Can make shots at the end of the game when tired because they stay mentally engaged and practice great shooting fundamentals
• Desire to Take Big Shots
  • Actively looks to take the big shot at the end of a game
  • Wants the ball at the end of the game and trusts their shot

2. Basketball Shooting Fundamentals

• Shot Preparation
  • Down ready to shoot before the ball gets there
  • Comes into their shot the same way every time (muscle memory)
  • Great balance and footwork on every shot
• Shooting the Ball
  • Catches ball in the shooting pocket with the wrist cocked
  • The ball comes straight up the body
  • Shoots the ball in one smooth motion
  • Uses legs correctly to help improve shooting range
• Follow Through
  • Lands in the same area as they jumped from (unless purposely fading away or drifting to get the shot off)
  • Hand in the basket until the shot is made or missed
  • Doesn’t practice poor habits like kicking a leg out

3. Shot Selection

• Quality of Shot
  • Understands the difference between a high and low percentage shot
  • Understands personal shooting strengths and weaknesses
  • Avoids shooting the shots that they are weak in, i. e., step back, hang dribble, etc. (this list is different for each shooter)
• Trust Teammates
  • Is willing to give the ball up early in a possession to get it back later for a better shot
• Heating Up
  • Knows when their shot is falling and how to be aggressive when it is
  • Knows when an easy shot is needed to get going or to get back on track

4. Basketball Game Flow

• Time and Score
  • Understands when the ball needs to be moved around and when it is time for a quick shot
• Momentum Score
  • Can make a big shot to answer the other team’s run
  • Can make a big shot to put the dagger into the other team

5. Game-Speed Basketball Shooting

• Shooting Drills
  • Practices shooting at game speed and is ready for game shots
• Types of Shots
  • Works on multiple types of shots
  • Doesn’t avoid weaknesses when training

* List of Basketball Shooting Drills

6. Move Without the Ball

• Uses Screens
  • Primary Screens: Down screens, back screens, flare screens, ball screens
  • Primary Cuts of Screens: Curl cut, pro-cut, straight cut, fade cut
• Hard Cuts
  • Reads their defender and then makes the appropriate cut to get open
• Spacing
  • Creates a passing lane for the passer by sliding up or down on penetration and post feeds

7. Basketball Conditioning

• Transition
  • Beats the defense up the floor for an open shot
  • Catch and shoot shot or rip through/shot fake one dribble shot
• Use screens
  • Can run a defender ragged off of multiple screens
  • Pauses and reads defender before each screen

8. Exploits the Scouting Report Defense

• Penetration
  • Can make the defense pay on an over-closeout
• Efficient Use of Dribbles
  • Only uses 1-2 dribbles on penetration to get shot off
  • Can drive and kick if help defender steps up on penetration
• Shot Fake
  • Recognizes scouting report defense and uses shot fake to exploit it
  • Use the shot fake to get past the defender and also to draw fouls

One of the words that can be closely associated with a great shooter is efficiency. There are many shooters out there that average a lot of points, but they are also averaging a lot of shots. These players are”volume shooters,” and they are rarely associated with winning basketball teams. Great shooters can take and make shots at a high percentage, which helps their team win games. They recognize that this is their “role” on the team, and they do their best to help the team win.

As you can see from this list, a great shooter is comprised of many different things. Some good shooters check off some of these points, but only great shooters have really mastered all of these different areas. If you desire to be a great shooter, look through this list and figure out which areas you are strong at and which areas you are weak at.

After this, it is up to you to spend time working on these different areas. Don’t avoid your weaknesses when you go to the gym to do your basketball training. You want to maximize your strengths as a shooter, but you also want to limit your weaknesses. The only way to do that is by spending time working on your weaknesses.

If there is one thing that you take away from this basketball article, take this. GREAT SHOOTERS ARE MADE IN THE GYM. Some shooters are more naturally gifted, but there has never been a great shooter in the history of the game that hasn’t put countless hours into their shot.

Proper Basketball Shooting Technique, Fundamentals, Form, Mechanics

By Jeff Haefner

Home > Player > Basketball Skills > Shooting > Proper Basketball Shooting Technique, Fundamentals, and Form

It's often said that great shooters have a place on any team.

Even if you aren't blessed with tremendous speed, strength or athleticism, great shooting is one of the surest ways you can stand out on the basketball court.

If you spend the time developing and practicing your shot, it will pay off in:

• Making the team
• Getting more playing time
• Scoring consistently
• Feeling confident and having fun every time you step on the floor

Now, let me start with some good news!

Yes, you do need very good shooting form and technique to shoot consistently well.

But it does NOT need to be "perfect".

If you watch enough great shooters, you'll see that their form varies quite a bit based on what's comfortable (and what works) for them.

But almost all great shooters follow the principles I'll explain in this article. So keep reading for (all the good stuff)!

In this section, we give you the raw form and mechanics of stationary shooting.

In other words, this section does NOT address the fundamentals of shooting on the move and more advanced footwork you'll need for game situations.

Here's a quick roadmap of the stationary shooting fundamentals that we'll be covering:

1. Eyes on Target
2. Stance and Balance
3. Shot Pocket
4. Grip
5. Balance Hand
6. Delivery
7. Upforce and Landing
8. Follow Through
9. Correct Shot

NOTE: If youd like specially-designed workouts for shooting and scoring, download our FREE Breakthrough Shooting Workout. It includes over 30 drills you can do by yourself or with a partner all you need is a ball and a hoop!

Click here to get your FREE Shooting Workout.

Related Products & Helpful Resources

Basketball Shooting Camps

Free Basketball Shooting Workouts

Basketball Workout App - Shooting Workouts, Guard Play Workouts, Post Workouts, etc.

As a swimmer and basketball player Yevgeny Ishchenko became the best sniper in Russia and the world > Rubric Sports in Samara

Evgeny Ishchenko is a unique athlete for shooting. With his almost two-meter height, he should play basketball or volleyball.

But no - since childhood I have become attached to bullet shooting. But he doesn't forget basketball. Before we met, he had injured his knee on the sports field while playing orange ball.

Rifle instead of Mercedes

— I could not stand the soul, I played in the company of professionals, — he said. - Now I can’t train with a rifle while standing - I injured my knee.

- You had the Olympics on your nose, and you make such mistakes in preparation. It's good that the Games were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

- All Olympic licenses have already been distributed, I was not on the lists. I will prepare for Tokyo 2021. So I'm not in a hurry. In addition, I am going to stay in the sport for a long time, until I get bored.

— Besides shooting and basketball, do you have any other hobbies? Doesn't it tire you to spend hours at the shooting range?

- I am monogamous. I chose something I love and wouldn't change it for anything. Everything suits me in this sport.

There are no such unique shooters as Ishchenko in the army shooting range on Stara Zagora Street. Growth is understandable. But there are other features as well. He went, for example, abroad and spent all his bonuses on the purchase of new modern weapons. Whatever he has a rifle, the cost is equal to the "Mercedes". True works of shooting art. He blows dust off them. And they also say about Ishchenko that he is a great gunsmith. This is rarely given to anyone.

For an hour I tried to find out Zhenya's addiction to something else. But he was adamant.

- Yes, I'm not interesting for you, journalists. Neither a hunter nor a fisherman. And I rarely go to my parents' dacha in Krasny Yar. I don't like it.

— What do you like?

— I like to mess with guns. Read specialized literature. I'm still a fan of Wings of the Soviets. For our football city, this is a common hobby.

[vrezka color="#FFFFFF" bgcolor="#8aa6bb" image="" image_mode="" bgfixed="" padding_top="" padding_bottom=""] Galina Batraeva, Honored Coach of Russia in Bullet Shooting:

— I noticed Zhenya when he was eight years old. I invited him to the shooting range, they started shooting from a small-caliber rifle.

— How high is your student's potential?

- Usually, in shooting, the highest indicators are reached by the age of 25. Zhenya is constantly adding. The skill level is rising. Much will depend on his diligence and desire. Personally, I see Zhenya in the national team for the next 10 years. He has reserves. My task is to bring it to the Olympic level. In order to become the champion of the Games, he has every opportunity.[/vrezka]

It all started with swimming

— How did you get into the shooting range?

— At first he went swimming in the pool of the CSK VVS. Dad worked in the leadership of the army club, and it was convenient for him to take me to training.

— Do you regret that you were lured from swimming to shooting?

- For this I must say thanks to my coach - Galina Petrovna Batraeva . She fascinated me with shooting. Gave me a weapon in a shooting gallery. I liked to shoot, and off we go. The priority was the rifle. From the age of 12, the results began to progress - I grew older and became psychologically more stable.

- Shooting is said to be a boring sport for children. They are active and emotional, they want to run and jump. In shooting, the opposite is true. Are you tired of monotonous activities?

- By my nature, I am a calm and balanced person. Emotionless. Therefore, it was ideal for shooting. In addition, success came early. At the age of 15, I got into the youth team for the European Championship, and we won the team competition. It gave me confidence that I was on the right path. The following year, in another exercise - pneumatics - he became the silver medalist of the continent. Since then, I have been alternating weapons. Either pneumatics, or a small-caliber rifle.

[vrezka color="#FFFFFF" bgcolor="#8aa6bb" image="" image_mode="" bgfixed="" padding_top="" padding_bottom=""] Irik Batraev, Honored Coach of Russia in Bullet Shooting:

— What qualities of a student make you especially happy?

- Scrupulousness and perseverance. We are sometimes surprised by his fantastically careful and accurate attitude to weapons. Zhenya is well versed in him - this is his strong trump card. The weak link is physical fitness. It is difficult for him to cope with his height and weight. He grew up very quickly. Therefore, the main task for him is to get stronger physically. More running and stretching.

Stretched out by swimming? “Perhaps we should come to terms with that. A wife with his basketball height needs to work and make three times more effort than an ordinary guy. Knowing his stubborn nature, I am sure that he can do everything.

— What is the main thing in your family coaching tandem? - Mutual understanding. Galina and I have common goals and thoughts. We are both sure that Zhenya Ishchenko has a great future, and we want to see him among the participants in the Olympic Games.[/vrezka]

Universal shooter

- Where is it better?

- Everywhere a little. There was a story when I won major Russian competitions six times in a row, but for some reason I did not get into the national team for the World Youth Olympiad. This is what happens to us sometimes. Since 2018, he was again selected for the national team, but already as an adult, in pneumatics. He became the world champion among students. And so he settled in the main team.

— Do you have a favorite discipline?

- Air rifle shooting from 10 meters. I really like to shoot standing up, not kneeling or prone.

[vrezka color="#FFFFFF" bgcolor="#8aa6bb" image="" image_mode="" bgfixed="" padding_top="" padding_bottom=""] Valentin Osipenko, master of sports of international class, winner of the USSR Cup in shooting from a small-caliber rifle:

- Ishchenko - shooter of a new formation. I like his calmness and attitude when he enters the firing line. To subdue emotions, to be able to manage them is not given to everyone. In my opinion, according to its characteristics, this sport is ideal for Zhenya. While he has not revealed all the facets of his talent and has not yet taken his main height, but he is working hard on it. Over time, I hope he will grow into an excellent gunsmith and specialist. Ishchenko is not just a unique shooter-sportsman, but also a technologist of his victories.[/vrezka]

- What is the hardest thing about bullet shooting?

— Competitions are going on for a long time — more than three hours. The main thing here is not to relax, to be able to adapt to weather disasters. Don't lose concentration. Shooting is rapidly evolving - from equipment to weapons, shooting equipment and so on. You need excellent physical and psychological preparation. A strong muscular corset is very important. Endurance.

— Future plans?

- Raise the results higher and higher. I clearly understand that my Olympics will be in 2024 in Paris.

— What are you doing during self-isolation?

- I train on my own, I read a mountain of special literature. Now I'm waiting for the shooting range to open. I really missed my usual job. I will make up for lost time.

[vrezka color="#FFFFFF" bgcolor="#8aa6bb" image="" image_mode="" bgfixed="" padding_top="" padding_bottom=""]Business card

Evgeny Ishchenko.

Master of sports of international class in shooting (2014).

Height 190 cm, weight 90 kg.

Born on February 27, 1997 in St. Petersburg in a military family.

In 1998 the family moved to Samara. He started playing sports at the age of seven (swimming).

In 2005 he became interested in shooting.

Trained by Galina and Irik Batraev. Main disciplines - air rifle, 10 m; small-caliber rifle, three positions, 50 m; small-caliber rifle prone, 50 m (non-Olympic exercise).

Junior World Cup Winner 2015 (small caliber rifle, prone).

Junior World Cup Silver Medalist 2015 (Air Rifle).

Two-time bronze medalist of the World Championship (2014, 2017).

Two-time winner of the European Championship (2012, 2017) and silver medalist (2014).

Winner of the 2018 World Student Championship in team competition (air rifle, 10 m).

Repeated winner and prize-winner of the All-Russian competitions in small-caliber rifle shooting.

Two-time bronze medalist of the Russian championships (2018, 2019).

Two-time silver medalist of the Russian Cups (2018, 2019).

In 2019, he graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education of the Samara Social and Pedagogical University.

Hobby - basketball. This became especially important after the addition of the three-point line. Getting the result from the attacking defender is the key to a good offense. A strong attacking defender can force the defense to play on the perimeter, opening up lanes for the ball to get inside.

Skills Required

Shooting: The number one skill required for a good shooting guard is a clean jump shot and the ability to make three pointers. You must be able to throw open shots consistently and be ready to take them when the game is on the line. If you want to be a shooting guard, you have to shoot a lot of jump shots, work on releasing your shots quickly, and shoot immediately after receiving a pass without dribbling.

Move without the ball: Since point guard will have more ball, attacking defenders need to learn how to move without the ball. This means moving around the site and working without screens to open up.

Defense: A strong defense helps all players, but the shooting guard will probably also play the best shooter on the other team. A strong defense can disable their best player and give your team an edge.

Ball handling: Although he is not the main ball handler (i.e. point guard), the attacking defender must still be an excellent manipulator. Good ball possession can help when trying to get the ball into the court against the press. It can also help with creating your own dribbling shot.

Important stats

Field goal percentage and points per game are the best stats to measure the effectiveness of a shooting guard. Also important is the percentage of three-point field goals. A well-balanced shooting guard will also have decent assist and rebound stats.

The best rifle guardians of all times of

• Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls)
• Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers)
• Kobi Bryant (Los Angeles Lakels)
• Jerwa Gerwin (San Anthono) Reggie Miller (Indiana Pacers)
• Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)

Michael Jordan was not only the greatest shooting guard of all time, but also the best basketball player of all time.

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