A Step by Step Guide for Beginners: How to Shoot a Basketball

Basketball for kids is the most challenging from the coaching standpoint because you have to be very thorough about the drills and very careful about the approach in terms of not making the training boring. The goal of every youth basketball program should be to teach the fundamentals but to be creative in a way that learning is done through fun and interesting basketball games. The job is not easy, and it is not for everyone. If you try to make your training to be just fun all the time, you are likely to miss some important stuff, and if you are all about the drills and hard work, then kids will be likely to dislike the sport. This article will not just answer the question of how to shoot a basketball, it will also tell you the best possible way of working with kids and beginners.

We at Hoopsking like the detail and commitment, and we really like the youth, so we asked the best among us, Coach Chris Hungerford, to tell us what are the secrets behind training young boys and girls. As this article is about the shooting, we asked what are the main things we need to know to be able to develop a good shooting form for our youngest basketball players.

The player who is going to help us is Cale. He is 9 years old, he has played about 40 games in his life and has been to about 40 practices, he really loves basketball and he is willing to learn. A perfect protagonist for our story!

The first that you really need to have in mind is the goal. You are not teaching kids to make shots immediately , rather you are teaching them to have good habits, you are showing them the right mechanics. If the kid's shots are going in or not really does not matter. You are working on their fundamentals and those are going to prepare them for that next step that will ultimately lead to a good shooting form.

If the kid has adapted to a bad shooting form it is most likely that it is going to follow them throughout their careers. Shooting form is something that needs to be worked on all the time. Even the best shooters of today have professional shooting coaches and they work on their shots every day.

The best time to practice the shooting with your kid is when the two of you are alone. Kids feel pressure from their surroundings because they still haven`t developed that self-esteem that comes with age. So no pressure on them, be patient, and be persistent. Kids need your support no matter what!

If your kid is playing a lot of basketball, playing AAU, and going to practices, it's going to be a bit harder, because if he has some bad habits it is harder for him to adopt those new things that you are teaching him. In this case, you have two options:

• Wait until the season is over so you`ll have a couple of months to practice
• Do a lot more training just to overcome the difference

At the start of the learning process , you will need to do a 5-minute training 3 times a week.

• Drill No 1: Holding the ball the correct way

The first thing that you need to practice with your kid is holding the ball the correct way. We have two ways how the hands should grip the ball: T type and W type. There really is no difference between the two, just for the fact that the people with smaller hands often use W grip just because it is cowering more surface of the ball.

• T - Grip
• W - Grip

First, the drill that you are going to do has the goal to practice holding the ball the right way. You are going to tell your kid to hold the ball like he is going to start a shot motion, but instead, he is just going to drop it on the ground.

Take a look at the first picture. This is the starting shooting position. Shoulders need to be leveled (purple), the angle needs to be at 90°, and hands on the ball in T or W position. The elbow should be over the knee and not wide. At Hoopsking you can buy the BALL that has drawings of hands on it which can help a lot so you don`t need to worry if the hands are positioned the right way or not.

Do 25-50 repetitions, and every time correct the things that are wrong? Demand commitment that will lead your kid to perfection. We don`t want to take a blind eye to some of the mistakes. That will lead them to have bad habits. Let`s see the video:

As far as the feet are concerned, they should be parallel and facing the rim, the main foot should be slightly in front (right-hand shooters have their right foot in front of the left), and the feet should be a bit wider than the shoulders. Take a look at the picture.

What are you going to do next is that you are going to throw a ball to your kid and he will need to take a good stance with his feet while holding the ball the right way. In the act of catching the ball, let him hop toward the ball and then take a basketball stance. Again, do 25-50 repetitions.

For our next drill, you won't need the ball because you will practice the shot motion without using one. Kids are not strong enough to hold the ball and mimic the shot motion, so we will do it empty-handed.

The motion starts in a stance with the arm in a position as it is holding the ball, the elbow is neither too much in nor wide, and the motion ends with the hand above the head. That is the shooting spot. By excluding the ball from the drill, your kid will focus just on the arm motion. This is something that professional players are doing too.

• This drill is done 25 - 50 times

For our fourth drill, we are going to add the balance hand, so we are mirroring the whole shot form but without the jump or the ball.

By excluding all other elements like the ball, the jump, the rim, and other players, your kid will really be focused just on his hand motion, and the progress will be better and faster.

In this next drill, you are including the ball. Every time you start a new training, go through the drills that you have done the day before. Repetitions are the key ingredient in getting to know something in basketball. For one motion to be perfected you need to do it 10.000 times, and all that the right way.

For the fifth drill make you follow the rules established in the previous four.

Here is where it is finally showing how much of the progress has been done. The shot form is starting to take shape the same we can see that pro players have.

The ball must not fall on to palm. If it hits this area the ball will not have rotation in its flight towards the basket.

Here we have primary and secondary shooting zones on the fingers. Primary zones create main traction for the shot and secondary are just helping.

In the sixth drill, you are making the whole motion with the simulation of the release. Practice with your kid how to snap the wrist. In the act of shooting, the elbow needs to be at the level of the eyebrow, and the wrist does not need to go as much as it can.

Before we start with the actual shooting drills, we recommend that you use the smaller ball. It will give your kid a better chance to use all of the previous skills that he learned. Bigger balls demand bigger hands and more power in the arms.

For the seventh drill you are going to practice the motion of the shot, but not to aim for the basket. The ball needs to drop in front of your kid. With this drill, you are adding the release, and by not shooting at the rim your kid will not be hindered by the fact if the ball is going in or not. Instead, you are going to try to hit a line in front of him. Let him align his shooting foot with the free throw line and let him try and hit it.

For the seventh drill you are going to practice the motion of the shot, but not to aim for the basket. The ball needs to drop in front of your kid. With this drill, you are adding the release, and by not shooting at the rim your kid will not be hindered by the fact if the ball is going in or not. Instead, you are going to try to hit a line in front of him. Let him align his shooting foot with the free throw line and let him try and hit it.

For this drill, we are going to use an 8-foot basket. We want to add the real shot but without the loss of the form. The first shot that you need to practice is the off-the-board shot.

After you have done 50 reps, change the shooting position to the other side and finally shoot a head-on shot.

It is important to correct every mistake every time, but all with encouragement.

The real challenge in training the kids is all about how to approach them, and how not to overdo the things. Everything that you are doing with the youth needs to be with the sense of like it is a game and all without the pressure. Kids need kind words, support, and love.

Notice how Coach Chris is training Kayl. In every his word you can feel love, respect, care, and encouragement. This is the path that we as coaches need to take.