Basketball – Offense | The Best Shooting Basketball Drills for Kids

Youth programs are the feeder systems for high schools, and what they teach can hurt or help the present and future of high school basketball programs.

As a youth coach, you can only watch young kids take shots out of their range with bad form for so long. Coaches have a tendency to emphasize shooting drills, expecting form to naturally fall into place. The problem is that lacking shooting fundamentals at a young age only reinforces poor technique.

Shooting basketball drills for kids must be designed to encourage proper technique and footwork and to ensure that each shot is performed within range and at game speed. This method might not look flashy, but it will develop sound technique that can benefit young players as they develop their game.

Below are three sample basketball drills for kids, courtesy of the Wichita-Eclipse AAU Program and the Kansas Basketball Academy Foundation.

Shooting Basketball Drills for Kids
Basketball Drills For Kids – Whistle – Stopwatch – Basketball – Cones
Air Ball
Equipment: whistle, stopwatch, basketballs

Players are shown the proper triple threat position.
Players are shown how to step into their shot with dropping their elbow.
Players are shown how to work on jumping then shooting at the top of their jump.
Coach encourages players to follow through with fingertips and don’t let the ball sit in their palms.
This is practiced without shooting at a basketball goal.
Practice these techniques for 3 minutes
Shoot at basketball goal for 3 minutes
Box-to-Box
Equipment: stopwatch, whistle, basketballs, cone

Form two lines at the elbows
Players on right elbow dribble to box (low post) and take a jump shot off the backboard
Players on left elbow sprint to retrieve the rebound, make a shot and rotate to the right elbow line
Switch ball to opposite line after specified time
Add cones and dribble moves (inside/out & crossover)
Perform each segment for at least 3 minutes
Three Lines
Equipment: stopwatch, whistle, two basketballs

Form three shooting lines 5 feet away from basket in paint, left low block and right low block
Players have 3 minutes to shoot, rotating lines after each shot
Players retrieve their rebound and pass it to next person in line
Coaching Points
Basketball Shooting Drills for Kids

Emphasize holding the follow-through before retrieving the rebound // Encourage players to count how many baskets they make in the allotted time