Summer is upon us. That means festivals, fireworks, ice cream, (basketball camps), vacations, and baseball!

Baseball is the great American pastime. And while we are partial to basketball, it seems timely to incorporate a specific "baseball" practice into your shooting drills.

When you make "Baseball" shooting part of your workouts, you're getting a fun shooting drill that you can do by yourself or with a partner.

And because you are competing against yourself, it's a great shooting drill for all players - beginner or experienced.

Track your "runs" and watch yourself improve over time!

How the "Baseball" Shooting Drill Works

Setup

Players will shoot from 9 spots. This represents the 9 innings in a baseball game.

Instructions

Begin shooting at spot 1. Players continue to shoot at spot 1 until they miss 3 times (3 outs).

Makes (defined as shots that go in but hit some part of the rim) are singles.

Swishes are home runs.

At each spot, players count their "runs." For instance, if a player went make (single), make (another single, runners now on first and second base) and then swished the next shot, that would give them 3 runs (a 3 run home run).

Once the player misses the third time, that "inning" is over and they move to the next spot.

The goal is to get as high a score as possible after completing all 9 spots/innings.

7 Key Points For Maximizing The "Baseball" Shooting Drill

1. Track your score - the goal is to see yourself improve over time. Every time you do Baseball shooting, write down your score. Over time, strive to improve.
2. Do it alone or against a teammate - you can compete against yourself or a teammate. If you do it with a teammate, after you shoot at spot 1, have your teammate shoot at spot 1. Then move to spot 2 and repeat.
3. Be shot ready - have your hands and feet ready to shoot before the ball arrives.
4. Mix up the shots you take - younger players can move the spots in. More advanced players can use shots other than catch and shoot. You might try a pump fake, one dribble pullup. You could try a step back or side step 3. Be creative.
5. Laser focus - swishes are rewarded more than makes. Lock in on your target and go for a swish!
6. Tune out the pressure - because every miss penalizes you, you are training yourself to shoot under pressure. This mimics the game. Focus on each shot and do not allow yourself to be distracted.
7. You can choose your home run shots - we talked about swishes being home runs. That's one way to do the drill. Other coaches or trainers might want you to go for BRAD (back rim and down) shots. That's fine too. You can determine what type of shots count as home runs based on your shooting style and goals.

The Combined Benefits of Fun, Improvement, and Competition

Basketball Shooting drills should be fun as well as developmental.

Baseball shooting checks both boxes. It's also effective because you can track your progress over time. You can compete against yourself and others and see yourself improve.

So get in the batter's box and let it rip!

Related Resources

Breakthrough Shooting & Scoring System With Jim Huber

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