About 10 years ago, I coached the best free-throw shooting team in Ohio. We shot 79% for the season. For comparison’s sake, that would have put us in the top 10 in the NBA!

What was my secret? What drills and tactics did I use to make us so good at the line?

None. . . seriously. We hardly ever practiced free throws. We used them to validate our competitions in practice, but that was about it.

So how did we end up shooting such a good percentage? I attribute it to 3 things:

• We had excellent shooters

• Our best shooters attempted the most free throws

• A little bit of luck

I’ve had other seasons where my teams have shot in the low 60’s. In some of those seasons, we spent significant parts of practice on free throws.

Did it help? Hard to say. We certainly didn’t see a tremendous improvement.

Which leads me to today’s question: 

• Is practicing free throws a game-saver or a time-waster?

Let’s look at the arguments.

Free Throws Win Games - Don’t Skip Them

• Close games come down to free throws.

  It doesn’t matter what level of basketball you are talking about; you don’t have to look hard to find games decided by free throws. If you’ve been on the losing end of those games, you know how much it hurts!

  Becoming a better free throw shooter helps players build confidence to step up and knock down shots from the stripe.

• Free-throw shooting leads to better form on all shots.

  NBA scouts say a good free-throw percentage indicates that a college player can become a strong outside shooter, even if their college numbers aren’t great.

  That suggests that improving as a free-throw shooter will spillover into improvement in all other shots as well.

• More confident free-throw shooters mean more aggressive players.

  Some players don’t want to get fouled. Because they lack confidence in their ability to make free throws, they don’t play as aggressively.

  Practicing free throws in ways that build confidence will encourage your players to attack the rim harder. That leads to more fouls for your opponents and more points for you.

Free Throw Practice Misses The Mark

• Check your free-throw stats.

  Years ago, I heard this from a coach. He told me to check my season stats and see how many players shot more than 1 free throw per game. During the previous season, we had played 23 games.

  When I checked the numbers, we had 5 players (out of 15) who took more than 23 free throws. No one took more than 50 (2 per game).

  That begs the question: would practicing free throws move the needle for our offense if those few players were getting to the line?

• The opportunity cost of free-throw practice is high. 

  This piggybacks off the previous point. We had a lot of players who weren’t getting to the line. However, all those players needed to know how to box out, play help-side defense, and protect the ball.

  Would they be better off spending time working on those skills or working on free throws?

• Do block free throws even translate

  Finally, are we sure free-throw practice helps? I do like the idea of validation - when a player has to make 1-2 free throws to validate a win in a drill. I like it because the player is tired and there’s pressure.

  However, do blocks of 25 or 50 free throws make you a better free-throw shooter? Those blocks can help create a repeatable form. However, they don’t simulate what free throws are like in a game - pressure-packed, shot 1-3 at a time, and shot when fatigued.

Free Throw Practice: Invaluable or Irrelevant?

Throughout my career, I’ve gone back and forth on free-throw practice. On the whole, I tend to do fairly little of it. However, I’m not convinced I’m right. . . 

So, what do you think? Should free-throw practice be a staple of your practices?

Reply with your thoughts!

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First Jim Blaskiewicz says: 3/27/2026 at 12:49:30 PM Competitive free throw drill. You should 5 ft&#-454;s. If you swish it and it comes back to you , you get 3 pts. Swish, doesn&#-454;t come back, you get 2 pts. No swish make , you get one point. If you make all 5 shots, you get 5 bonus points. The most points you can get is 20. Encourages proper arc, and back spin, shooting straight. Also a little pressure. Players shoot all 5 shots in a row. Like     login   register Mark Owens says: 3/27/2026 at 10:32:58 AM What worked for us. Shoot one. Make it, run to the near wall and back. Miss it, run to the far wall and back. Now every rep starts with a raised heart rate, a little pressure, and real accountability. That first shot feels much more like a game free throw. This way, you&#-454;re always practicing the first free throw. Which is the one that matters most. The 2nd free throw is always easier. When players shoot 10 in a row, they only practice the first free throw once&#-454;&#-706; but they practice the second free throw nine times. That&#-454;s not very game-like. Like   1 person liked this.   login   register Stephen M Lang says: 3/27/2026 at 10:29:54 AM I think it's worth it to practice it. We record how many are made in practice and track it, try to make it competitive. We will scrimmage hard for 10 minutes or so, then stop and shoot 2 freethrows at a time, rotate, until 10 are shot. 2 guys at each hoop. It takes minimal time, and they are tired. I have seen improvement in our free throw stats as the season goes on. We talk alot about having a routine, and what you want the arc to look like. 5-10 min a practice. Like     login   register Rosie Reaves says: 3/27/2026 at 10:23:41 AM Some of my players are bad at free though. Like     login   register Brian Ainslie says: 3/27/2026 at 10:18:10 AM Very thought provoking. And I love how data is used to support the points. I also really like the idea of using FTs to validate a win in a drill. Historically, I've taken the last 10-15 minutes of practices to combine FTs with conditioning. Having kids shoot FTs, with the pressure of more running if they miss, while already tired tried to simulate game pressure. It maybe helped me identify who I wanted on the floor to shoot FTs at the end of a close game. But reading this, it does seem like mostly wasted time. Like     login   register

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