In today’s video blog post, we are talking about an awesome shooting drill for working on quick shot accuracy and footwork – the UCLA shooting drill.

Key Pointers

It’s important that we work on footwork with our athletes, and particularly footwork with both the right and the left foot. Some people are jump stop coaches, while some people are inside pivot foot coaches. We like pivoting to the inside on both the right and left side of the floor.

And the first action you are going to perform is a “Catch & Go”.

  • Start the drill with one line behind your first player.
  • The first player is going to make a pass to player 2 who is coming in from the opposite side of the floor.
  • Player 1 is going to V- Cut, 2 steps in underneath the rim and get behind the ball.
  • Player 2’s job as a smart player and a good passer is if he knows the player is going to be open off a screen, he doesn’t want to throw it away from the player – he only throws it away from the player when he is throwing it away from the defense. In this case, he is throwing to the players inside shoulder because he knows that player is open coming off the screen. This allows that player to get behind the ball easier.
  • When you catch the ball, you want to keep it in your right hand. The reason is because if we put the ball in our left hand, we are putting the ball closer to the defense.
  • You also want to try to have each of your players be able to catch outside the foul line at the top of the key, and get to the basket in one dribble. The best defensive teams are only going to give you that little opening to get to the rim.
  • Never catch anything with just one hand!

The next action you are going to perform is the “Catch & Shot”.

  • The player is open at the foul line, gets behind the ball and shoots from that foul line with a good release.
  • When you are playing against good players, you may only be open for a split second, so we don’t want to waste time catching and pivoting.
  • You want to do your work early so as you come off that screen, the ball is laying on your hand, and then you can simply catch it and shoot it.

 

If you enjoyed this shooting drill, be sure to check out my Basketball Drills & Practice Plans series, complete with video demonstrations, for more awesome shooting drill ideas!“  And don’t forget to Become a Fan on Facebook, where you discuss this and more great shooting drill tips and techniques with other coaches and players!