Duke Basketball: Competitive Shooting Drills

Northwestern University head coach Chris Collins has helped create plenty of effective shooters by training them at game-like intensity and having them take game-like shots. Collins is a former associate head coach at Duke and former U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball assistant. He has trained the likes of Jason Williams, a two-time national player of the year, J.J. Redick, also a two-time national player of the year, Gerald Henderson, and many more.

In this video, Coach Collins shares his knowledge of shooting and shows you a series of 10 competitive shooting drills. These are the same drills that helped make Duke one of the top shooting teams in the nation year after year. What Collins is able to do is help coaches maximize time and space to keep players constantly moving and not waiting around to take their next shot.

Shots are broken down by position. There are shots for posts, guards, and wings. Using on-court demonstrators, Collins shows you a post series to develop finishing moves around the rim. The goal is to simulate a defender as players practice the different shots. To get players loose and ready, Collins shows a shooting series drill.

Once players are warmed up and ready to go, Coach Collins starts with the Penetrate and Kick Series. With each drive, players learn to play off of one another as they move around the perimeter for open shots. Continuous Penetrate and Kick is a drill where players compete against the clock or each other to hit game-like shots and game-like intensity.

Next, Coach Collins teaches how to pass effectively out of the post and relocate for a better shot. You’ll see different types of actions that players can use here. Once mastered, Collins adds screening action with posts and guards to simulate game-like situations. Players learn to play off of down screens and flare screens and how to post up as a guard.

The 5-Minute 3-Point Shooting Drill is one that players love. Shooters move around the perimeter and race against the clock to record a set number of makes. The competition forces players to improve their shooting consistency and effectiveness.

The drills also serve as a great conditioner and help players learn to shoot when they are tired. The drills force players to get plenty of game shots from game spots with game-like intensity in a relatively short amount of time. In the end, it will pay off on game night.