The 3-point shot has become a great asset to any basketball team, as it does a great job of stretching the defense.
Being consistent from the 3-point line is important to your coach’s and to your team’s success. To be successful, you’ll need to focus on footwork, mechanics, conditioning, and a lot of practice.
Shooting Drill to Obtain a 3-Point License
To obtain a 3-point license, a player must shoot 35 out of 50. It’s 50 shots shot in five sets of ten. You can change the number of shots made depending on your team’s situation. For example, if you’re a high school coach, you may want to make your number 30 out of 50 instead of 35 out of 50.
We do this for a number of different reasons. One, it’s a mindset. If a player’s earned his license, he understands that he has the green light to shoot the basketball when he’s open and his feet are set. The other thing it does, it identifies roles for the team. It shows which players can shoot the basketball from the 3-point line and which players need to reverse the basketball one more pass if they haven’t earned your license.
The first set of ten is done on spot-ups, on ball reversal passes. This set teaches the proper technique of footwork, catching the ball in a bent-kneed stance, stepping with that inside foot, pulling that leg up to get the legs into the shot.
The second set of ten is shot off of footwork as if your player’s coming off screens. On top, your player wants to finish with his elbow above his eye and a good flip of the wrist. In the middle of the floor, act as if he’s coming off a couple set of screens, stepping with that inside foot, squaring his shoulders, and shooting and releasing the basketball.
The third set of ten is shot out of transition like your player is getting out running a lane in transition. Your player’s going to get out and run wide along the baseline, V-cut along the old hash line while opening that chest up, and trying to get his feet set and squared, to get him a good look at the 3-point line.
The fourth set of ten is shot in transition, but off of one dribble. The player’s going to get out and run wide, and he’s going to catch the ball and put it down for one hard dribble with the outside hand, trying to simulate shooting a basketball off the dribble.
The fifth set of ten is shot in trail 3s out of transition or spot-ups from the top of the key. Your player’s going to start at the half court line, V-cut, square himself up, step with that inside foot, right at the top of the key.
3-Point License Warm-Up Shooting Drill
The flip drill is our warm-up shooting drill. In this drill, the player wants to start as close in to the basket as he possibly can and work his way out. What we’re trying to work on starts with the feet. The feet need to be shoulder-width apart for good balance. The knees should start out bent, and then the player should finish on his toes.
Up on top in the shooting pocket, your player should just use his shooting hand. The guide hand should be left down by the side so that we don’t get any thumb in the basketball. The two teaching points here are: start the ball in the shooting pocket and then finish with your elbow above your eye and a good flip of the wrist. Remember to point out to your players the importance of holding their follow-through and finishing with the elbow above the eye.
Make sure that your shooter starts off slow so that you can ensure that he has the proper technique. After the fundamentals are deemed to be correct, then you can go at game speed.
It’s important to note that your players should never pick the ball up and go right out to the 3-point line to start shooting it. Your players should start in close, getting those fundamentals close, and try to take steps to all five spots with the flip drill to get different angles of shooting the basketball.
Warming up in all five spots is important for two reasons. One, a player gets a feel for different parts of the basketball floor. Two, he has a chance to see the rim from different parts of the floor.
Have one coach or player be a rebounder, and one should be a passer. The passer wants to stay one step ahead of the shooter.
This set is shot in ten spots on the basketball floor, the first one being in the left-side baseline. The second one, an angle. The third one, top of the key. The fourth one, right-side angle. The fifth one, right-side baseline. For the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth, we’ll be coming back clockwise.
By utilizing this shooting drill, you’ll be well on your way to building a team full of players who have their 3-point licenses. Do you think the 3-point license will help motivate your team to work on their 3-point shooting skills?