10 Basketball Shooting Drills to Sharpen Your Shot

The best basketball shooting drills build a shot from the ground up: start close with form shooting, add touch with the Mikan drill, then work outward to spot-up, catch-and-shoot, and off-screen reps at game speed. Chase makes and percentages instead of raw attempt counts, and finish every session with pressure free throws. Below are ten proven drills, ordered from foundation to game situation, with rep targets and coaching cues for each.

Great shooters are not born with a perfect stroke; they groove it through thousands of intentional reps. If you are still building your base, pair these drills with our guide to how to shoot a basketball so the mechanics you are drilling are correct before you drill them at speed.

1. Form Shooting

Form shooting is the foundation every stroke is built on. Stand one to three feet from the rim, ball on your shooting hand with the off hand as a light guide, and shoot straight up with a full follow-through and soft backspin.

• Target: 10 makes in a row before stepping back a foot.
• Cue: Hold your follow-through until the ball hits the net. Fingers point at the rim, wrist relaxed.
• Why it works: No distance, no defense, so your brain only has to solve mechanics. Review our detailed breakdown of basketball shooting form to know exactly what “good” looks like.

2. Mikan Drill

Named after Hall of Famer George Mikan, this continuous layup drill lives directly under the rim. Alternate right-hand and left-hand finishes, using the correct foot each time, catching every make and going right back up.

• Target: 25 makes without a miss, both hands.
• Cue: Jump off your inside foot, keep the ball high, and use the backboard.
• Why it works: It builds soft touch, ambidexterity, and footwork timing, and it warms up your hands fast. It also pairs perfectly with how to do a layup.

3. Spot-Up Shooting

Pick five spots around the arc: both corners, both wings, and the top of the key. Shoot until you make a set number from each spot before rotating.

Spot	Makes to hit	NBA distance note
Corner (x2)	5 each	22 ft (shortest three)
Wing (x2)	5 each	~23 ft 9 in
Top of key	5	23 ft 9 in

• Cue: Feet set and squared before the catch; every shot the same tempo.
• Why it works: It maps your range and exposes weak spots. Remember the NBA line is 23 ft 9 in at the top but only 22 ft in the corners, so log corners and wings separately.

4. Catch-and-Shoot

Most game jumpers come off a pass, so rehearse the catch. Use a partner, a wall, or a return machine to feed you, then shoot immediately with feet already loaded.

• Target: 50 game-speed makes across five spots.
• Cue: Show your hands early, hop into the catch so you land ready, and release in one motion.
• Why it works: It trains the footwork and timing a stationary drill never will. To turn these reps into scoring, study jump shot technique and three-point shooting.

5. Off-the-Screen Shooting

Elite shooters get free by sprinting off screens. Set a chair or cone as the “screen,” sprint into it, curl or fade, catch, and rise.

• Target: 8 of 10 makes per action (curl, fade, straight cut).
• Cue: Sprint the last three steps, chin the ball on the catch, and get your feet down fast.
• Why it works: It teaches you to shoot with momentum and off-balance, exactly how you will get open in a real offense.

6. Beat-the-Pro (Make-Miss Scoring)

Turn a solo workout into a competition. Award yourself 1 point for a make and give the imaginary “pro” 2 or 3 points for a miss. Race to 21 from spots around the arc.

• Target: Beat the pro from all five spots.
• Cue: No lazy reps; a miss is expensive.
• Why it works: The scoring adds pressure and consequence, so your focus stays high late in a workout when it usually fades.

7. Free-Throw Routine Under Fatigue

Free throws win close games, and they are practiced worst. Shoot them tired: run a sprint or finish a hard drill, then step to the line and shoot pairs.

• Target: 8 of 10 to end the workout, or add sprints.
• Cue: Identical routine every time, same dribbles and same breath.
• Why it works: Fatigue and repetition make the line automatic. Lock in your mechanics with our free-throw technique guide.

8. Dribble Pull-Up Series

Not every shot is a catch-and-shoot; you also need to score off the bounce. Attack from the wing, take one or two hard dribbles, then rise into a balanced pull-up.

• Target: 10 makes each from left, right, and middle drives.
• Cue: Gather low, hop or one-two into your shot, and shoot going straight up, not drifting.
• Why it works: It links your handle to your jumper. Sharpen the setup with our crossover dribble work so you can create the sliver of space a pull-up needs.

9. Around-the-World

A classic for a reason. Shoot from a series of marked spots, moving to the next only after a make. Miss, and you either stay or go back one.

• Target: Complete the loop, corner to corner, without restarting.
• Cue: Reset your feet fully at each new spot before shooting.
• Why it works: It forces consistency from every angle and turns a workout into a beatable goal you can repeat and time.

10. 3-2-1 Game-Winner Drill

Finish with drama. Put three seconds on a mental clock, catch a pass or take one dribble, and shoot a contested “buzzer-beater.” Track your make percentage over 20 attempts.

• Target: Log the number; try to beat it next session.
• Cue: Full speed, full follow-through, real emotion.
• Why it works: It rehearses the exact shot every player dreams about and trains you to stay calm when it matters.

How to Structure a Shooting Workout

Order matters. Warm up close and finish under pressure so your body and focus peak at the right time. A simple weekly template:

Phase	Drills	Volume
Warm-up	Form shooting, Mikan	10 + 25 makes
Base	Spot-up, Around-the-World	50 makes
Game speed	Catch-and-shoot, off-screen, pull-up	75 makes
Pressure	Beat-the-Pro, free throws, 3-2-1	to a target

Count makes, not attempts, and keep a log of your spot-up and free-throw percentages so you can see progress over weeks. If your shot feels off, do not just shoot more; diagnose it first with our tips on how to shoot a basketball better. When your handle is holding your scoring back, rotate in a session of basketball dribbling drills so you can get to your spots cleanly.

The players who improve fastest are not the ones who shoot the most; they are the ones who shoot the most on purpose. Pick four or five of these drills, hit a real make target on each, and end every workout at the free-throw line while your legs are tired. Do that four days a week, track the numbers, and your percentages will climb.