Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.
The driving goal of our website is to KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID when it comes to coaching youth basketball. Coaching youth basketball players how to shoot the ball accurately and consistently is anything but simple, but we will do your best to breakdown the teaching progression.
This post is designed to:
- Define the three types of shooters at any level.
- Explain the process of identifying each type of shooter.
- Make players and coaches aware of the role of each type of shooter on a team.
Our goal is to simplify coaching youth basketball. Since shooting the basketball is the most important offensive skill, we want to be able to let players and coaches know what type of shooter player is. The three categories of shooters, we will use are above average, average. and blow average.
It is also important to differentiate the two basic environments players will shoot the basketball. Players will shoot in practice and in games. Each setting is different. And no matter how game-like a practice shooting session may be, it is not a game.
Our definition of a practice environment as one with no defense present and players maximizing repetitions against air. Game shots are in an officiated contest with defense.
ALL great shooters practice good form and have a solid shooting workout / routine. The majority of great shooters also keep track of how many shots they make and what percentage of shots they make.
3 Types of Shooters
Players need to complete the 50 shot drill to be able to identify the type of shooter they are.
Above Average Shooter: We do not have above average intelligence, so we’re gonna keep this as simple as we can. We are going to divide 100 by 3 and place the shooters in three categories. We also are not randomly selecting these numbers, we feel they are a great measuring tool for players and coaches to be able to identify who should be taking shots in games.
Practice Shooting: In practice sessions, shooting in a player’s range, an above average shooter will make 66% of the shots or more. Some might be thinking, “Wow! That is a very high percentage.” It certainly is a percentage most players cannot and will not attain, however, it is certainly a number all players can achieve it they practice good form and shoot within their range.
An above average shooter works on his game consistently and therefore can be a consistent shooter. Players will be able to make 66.67% of the shots completing the 50 shot drill.
Average Shooter: Players that are in this category pick up a basketball more than most and are committed to the game. These players however have not learned proper form and are not committed so a simple shooting workout. They do not record their scores, and as a result are inconsistent shooters.
The practice shooting percentage of players in this category is 33.34% to 66.66%, The majority of basketball players will fall into this category. Players who cannot make one out of three shots in practice, should not be shooting in a game. These players will need to accept being a role player or will not be able to play the sport on a high school team.
Below Average Shooter: These players are BAD shooters. There really is not much that is needed to be said about players in this category. They do not listen. They do not pick up a basketball. They should not be on a high school team.
One of the toughest things about basketball teams is players not understanding roles. We feel this simple, shooting system for labeling players is very helpful. There is no debating it. The numbers do not lie. As coaches and as players the goal is always to have improvement. So players can move from one category of shooter to another.
We are simple, so we’re gonna keep these three categories, but if you wanted to get a little more advanced, you could say slightly above average or slightly below average to distinguish players within a category.
Game Shooting: This is where it matters. If a player is a good practice shooter, it SHOULD translate into game situations with excellent shot selection. There is not question taking shots during a game has much more pressure which may result in a breakdown of proper shooting fundamentals.
Just like the practice percentages, we are going to keep it fairly simple for game shots . We are going to set the bar high and say that in above average shooter will make 56% of game shots. We have basic math skills so please excuse us.
Above Average Shooters = 37.33% – 56%
Average Shooters = 18.67% – 37.32%
Below Average shooters = 0% – 18.66%
To make this move valid, coaches should not include lay-ups, dunks, or put backs in the percentage.
We hope you find this helpful. Good Luck!