This article is the first of a series from Jordan Petersen of our partners at Positionless Basketball. We are very fortunate to work with Jordan as he has tremendous experience as a basketball coach, trainer, and player at different levels. You can check out different basketball drills from Jordan in the Dish Lab here!
No coach would ever complain about having too many shooters on a basketball team. I often hear the exact opposite from most coaches: "We have talent, but not enough shooters to spread the floor."
With the game becoming more and more positionless, it has never been more important for all players to have the ability to shoot. However, there's ultimately no shortcuts to becoming a great shooter. It will always require countless, purposeful, and focused shooting repetitions. That's where Dr. Dish basketball shooting machines offer the best solution in the world to not only maximize reps, but provide detailed analytics and versatility that is unmatched.
If all of your players on the court can shoot, it makes everyone a threat to score at all times and opens up the floor for more driving lanes. The best programs put an emphasis on shooting and make it a priority both in-season and in the off-season.
In-Season
In-season shooting has some limitations because of time and keeping players fresh, but ensuring players are getting up plenty of shots to improve their skills will go a long way for the success of your team. The most obvious way to prioritize shooting is to incorporate it into practice. The possibilities for shooting during your practices are endless and can be done in block fashion, guided defense, and small side-games. In all cases, these drills and reps be maximized with Dr. Dish shooting machines.
Here's one great option to work on team shooting in practice with 10+ players getting a maximum number of repetitions. There are a ton of different variations of this drill (ex: Drive and Kick, Drive and Pitch, Baseline Runner, Pick and Pop, etc.), but it's essential to make all reps as game-like as possible.
Free Throw Competition
Another way to incorporate shooting in-season is to have a season-long free throw shooting competition. Players can shoot free throws before school, before practice, after practice or at lunch or any other time that works best for you and your team. This can be done quickly and you can have the amount set at 20, 25, 50 and it can be done daily, twice a week, or once a week.
If you don't have a Dr. Dish machine, one way to track progress is having a white board in the locker room with player names on it and have them write down the score each time and every week recording the score. However, you will have to go on the honor system.
An easy way to keep track is by using the Dr. Dish App and Training Management System to keep track of each shot taken and made. These stats can be uploaded for coaches to keep players accountable with verified results.
The Dr. Dish Leaderboard within the Training Management System
Shooting League
Taking these a little further, a great way to incorporate shooting and competition during the season is by implementing a "shooting league." The league can have a shooting drill that is used every day throughout the year or changed weekly, monthly, etc. The scores can be recorded just like you would for free throws on the Dr. Dish app or on a whiteboard.
But if you have a Dr. Dish machine, you can actually assign specific drills and complete workouts to specific players and send it directly to their phone through the Dr. Dish app! Once they've completed the drill, they just click a button and all of their stats will be uploaded to the Dr. Dish Training Management System for coaches and teammates to view the stats and leaderboard.
This is a fun way for players to track their shooting throughout the year and compete against their teammates. Here are some of my favorite shooting competition drills to use during the season:
Dr. Dish Drills
Other Shooting Drills
Off-Season
The off-season provides players with more time to concentrate on improving their game, so the expectation should be that players are getting more shots up. There are several clubs, leagues, and workouts that you can provide players with throughout the off-season.
The 10,000 shot club is a classic, but one that is beneficial and motivating to players. There can be several levels of the club from 5,000 to 7,500 to 10,000 and even 15,000. There can be different levels of awards for each level. Some award ideas are a t-shirt, name in program, recognition at half time of a game, etc. These type of clubs are largely done on an honor system where parents have to sign off, but again, Dr. Dish shooting machines can provide increased efficiency AND verified results.
The Dr. Dish Training Management System Stats Database
Another challenge or club that was recently created is the "One Count Challenge" by Coach Ryan Smith (@r_b_j_c ). The One Count Challenge is a challenge to be able to make 70 out of 100 catch and shoot threes. The beauty of this challenge is it can be done with one rebounder or with Dr. Dish. You can adjust the number made to whatever the skill level of your players is or make it so the shots have to be taken on the move. Get creative with the challenges and make sure the shots you are having players work on are shots they will see in games.
Depending on your state rules, a large obstacle in the summer is being able to hold players accountable and ensure that they are getting in the gym. If you have a challenge like the One Count challenge and a player eventually accomplishes the goal, it is very likely that player has been in the gym.
The Dr. Dish Skill Builder is a way to be able to keep stats throughout the summer and be able to see who has been in the gym. Skill Builder allows coaches to make and program workouts that players can use while working out. This helps players know and understand how to work out.
Below is an example of a complete Skill Builder workout that incorporates multiple shooting drills and ball handling drills into one complete workout.
With Skill Builder, you can choose a pre-made workout from Dr. Dish or one of their expert trainers like Pro Skills Trainer Drew Hanlen, or you can build your own! From there you can send a workout directly to the Dr. Dish app for players to complete the next time they are in the gym.
The Dr. Dish Expert Trainers
Conclusion
Shooting has always been a premium skill in the game of basketball. As the game continues to evolve, shooting continues to be increasingly valuable at every level and a team full of shooters will always be difficult to defend. But in order to build a program of great shooters, your players must get up countless shots throughout the entire year. Without a specific plan, accountability, or engaging competitions, it will be hard to motivate players to get in the gym and put in purposeful work necessary to translate into game situations.
Use the tips and drills above both during the season and in the off-season to transform your program into a perennial great shooting team year in and year out.
If you're looking for an extra edge and provide your team with maximum reps, accountability, training expertise, and excitement, investing in a Dr. Dish shooting machine can do wonders for your program. Join top programs like the University of North Carolina, Duke, Florida, Texas A&M, Cincinnati and countless others and take your program to the next level with Dr. Dish!
For more basketball drills and videos featuring Dr. Dish shooting machines, make sure to visit this page.
We want to thank Coach Petersen for providing his insight and be on the lookout for more articles coming from him!