When I was a young coach, I read an article that asked, "Do you know how many shots your players take in a 2 hour practice?"

Curious to learn the answer, I decided to find out. I had one of my managers chart individual shots. We did a different player each day over the course of 5 practices (to try to make sure there wasn't a huge variance by player).

What I found was shocking. On average, players were taking 80-100 shots per practice.

I was alarmed. I prided myself on player development. However, it was clear that wasn't happening (at least not sufficiently).

(As an aside, if that's what high school players are getting in a 2 hour practice, what are youth players getting in a 60-75 minute practice??)

In the 20 years since I did that experiment, I've significantly increased the amount of time I spend on player development.

That said, I redid that experiment 2 years ago.

This time, the results were better. Players were shooting approximately 150 shots a practice. I was pleased to see this progress. I would be willing to bet that is above average for a high school practice.

And yet, even 150 shots is not enough. Not enough for you to significantly improve as a shooter. Not enough for many players to maintain comfort and confidence throughout the season.

Players, if you're in this situation, I feel for you. You can't plan practices for your coach.

However, there is one thing you can do . . . seek out additional opportunities to improve.

Your Practices Probably Don't Have Enough Skill Development (Here's Why)

In a perfect world, your school practice would fulfill all your basketball needs. You'd get excellent coaching in every aspect of the game - individual skills, team concepts, and athletic development.

Unfortunately, it's not a perfect world. There is only so much practice time. Something has to give.

It's not going to be team concepts. Coaches must prioritize team development during the season. In many states, your coach has almost no time to install team concepts during the offseason. So they have to devote the majority of time to that during the season.

Hopefully, that doesn't come at the expense of individual development. Individual skill can be developed through team play. Usually, that's in the form of decision-making skills.

This is huge. Decision-making is an often overlooked part of the game. You must learn not only the how of skill but also the when and why.

That said, even if your decision-making is excellent, if you can't make shots (layups, jumpers, free throws), if you can't handle the ball against pressure, and if you can't pass with either hand, you are going to struggle.

That's where most practices are lacking. When coaches cut from the practice plan, skill work is often the first thing to go.

You have two choices:

• Do nothing and see your skills stagnate
• Seek skill development opportunities outside of practice

Reps, Confidence, and Expanded Role: 3 Reasons to Focus More on Skill Development

You want to be good. If you didn't, you wouldn't be reading this. So you are the type of player who will seek out extra skill work. Here's 3 reasons why this is crucial.

1 - Reps matter

players A & B start as the same caliber of shooter. Player A shoots 100 shots a day at practice and goes home. Player B shoots the same 100. But player B spends 2 extra hours a week shooting and gets a few hundred extra shots up.

That means over the course of a season (18 weeks), player B will shoot thousands of extra shots. Is there any doubt who will be a better shooter by the end of the season?

That doesn't apply just to shooting. It's equally true for ball handling, passing, and finishing. Quality reps will lead to quality results.

2 - Higher confidence

Shooters need to shoot. There is a mental benefit to consistently getting shots up.

When you don't get enough skill work, it's easy to start doubting yourself. You feel rusty. Knowing that you are putting in extra work builds up your confidence.

Extra skill work provides 2 mental benefits. First, you feel good because you are building your skill with extra work. Second, you feel like you are getting a leg up on the competition because you are going above and beyond what your competition is doing.

3 - Expanded skill set

Your coach has given you a role. You might like it. You might not. Either way, what your coach has you do in practice will likely be tailored to that role.

Seeking out extra skill development opportunities outside of your team allows you to work on the skills that will allow you to expand your role.

Maybe you'd like to be trusted to run ball screens or come off zoom actions within your offense. You might not get those chances in practice. If you don't, it's hard to get better in those situations . . . unless, you seek out additional training opportunities.

In doing so, you'll be able to improve in other areas of the game, enabling you to grow your role throughout the season.

Embrace The Motto Of The New Zealand All Blacks

The All Blacks are the most successful rugby team in the history of the sport. One of their mottos is "Champions Do Extra."

Additional skill work is a great example. By doing so, you'll be a better player and your team will improve. Carpe Diem ~ Seize The Day!

One great way to get high quality training is through our Breakthrough Basketball Training Academies. These are small group settings that follow a strict curriculum, teaching the individual skills that lead to elite play!

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