Youth Basketball Shooting Drills

In the game of basketball, one of the most important parts of the game is being able to shoot the ball. If you can not shoot the ball, then you have a slim to nonexistent chance of scoring any points for your team. There are numerous different stances and techniques that you need to use in order to make a successful shot so it's important to teach these fundamentals to young basketball players early on. If kids can learn the proper techniques at an early age and then practice them consistently through fun shooting drills they will see improvement and enjoy playing basketball more.

Here are some shooting tips that you can use:

* The first thing that should be practiced when you are practicing youth basketball shooting, is showing the players on the youth basketball team the proper way to hold a basketball. This is one of the most common mistakes that are made with basketball players, especially children. There is a proper way to hold the basketball when you are shooting the ball. One hand guides the ball and the other give the power that is required to get it in the hoop.

* The second thing that needs to be taught when practicing shooting the basketball is the proper stance. It is hard to shoot the ball if you stand stiff and with your feet too close together. Show each one of your youth players the proper stance for shooting the basketball. Depending on how far away from the net the child is, they may have to bend their knees or actually jump when they shoot the ball. This is all part of the proper stance of shooting a basketball. So, make sure you are in the proper stance before you begin shooting the ball.

* The third thing is to aim directly at the box over the hoop. The idea is to cause a slight rebound that guides the ball into the hoop. It is important for players to learn to focus and aim at that point.

* The last thing to know when shooting the basketball is your limitations. You may love to play basketball and be a decent player, but making shots from the half court line may be a little much for youth basketball. In fact, making shoots from the half court line in adult basketball is tough. So, it is important to teach children on youth basketball teams to know where to shoot the basketball from. Teach them to shoot the basketball from the free throw line and the three point line as a starting point on where to shoot the ball from. These are more realistic shooting points for youth basketball players.

And with these tips, a basketball player can be a better shooter. Besides the above examples of shooting drills, there are plenty of books and free websites like Weplay.com, where you can find basketball drills to improve your game as well as teach others.

By Trevor Sumner who works for Weplay.com, a youth basketball community dedicated to providing parents coaches and athletes the tools and information to celebrate the love of the game. Weplay.com has one of the most comprehensive, free basketball drill libraries in its active basketball community.