Focus on the Hoop When Shooting—Or Not? Coach Miller & Mason Answer

Times are changing in player development during the summer months. Coaches are beginning to move away from the traditional 10,000-make goals and focus more on game-like repetitions and decision-making.

But how do you balance the need for high-volume skill work with the limited time thanks to summer leagues, team camps and vacations?

Working with Dr. Dish Basketball Shooting Machines has allowed me to rethink how we structure our summer workouts to maximize both efficiency and basketball IQ.

Here are three summer workout ideas I like to use to help with these areas.

1. Simple Decision-Making Shooting Series

One of the biggest critiques of shooting machines is that they can turn players into stand-still, catch-and-shoot robots. To help with this, I like to incorporate a “read” into our shooting sessions with the Dr. Dish.

• Select any spot on the perimeter.
• The coach stands next to the Dish.
• As the ball is in the air, if my arms stay down, the player shoots on the catch. If I put my arms up, the player must catch on the split and attack with a one-dribble pull-up.
• You get high-volume reps, but the player’s brain must engage before the shot.

2. Small-Sided Games (SSGs) with a Constant Passer

I’ve talked a lot about the power of Small-Sided Games for developing basketball IQ. You can actually use the Dr. Dish as the "extra player" in your SSGs.

• Set up the Dish on the baseline (in the short corner or corner) or on the sideline.
• Select a common spot on the floor (e.g., the corner or the post) for the Dish to pass to.
• Play 1v1 (e.g., Block Finishing, Chase Finishing) or 2v2 with the Dish as a passer that initiates the rep.

3. Team Shooting Drills for Your Half-Court Offense

A great way to get a head start on teaching players actions within your halfcourt offense is by incorporating those actions into breakdown shooting drills.

• Pick an action to rep (e.g., escape action within Dribble Drive Motion offense).
• Set players (as few as 2 players) in action spots.
• Use the Dish as a passer to initiate the action (e.g., Escape Shooting for Dribble Drive Offenses with Coach Tony Miller).

Don't wait until fall to get to serious training of BOTH players’ skills and IQs!

Coach Tony Miller has numerous conversations with basketball coaches from around the country to help #GrowTheGame through his podcast A Quick Timeout. Be sure to also follow his Twitter (@tonywmiller) and Instagram (@coach.miller) profiles.