How to Improve Your Basketball Shooting: A 4-Week Plan.
To improve your basketball shooting, train four to five times a week with one focus at a time: start every session with close-range form shooting, then move to game-speed reps from your main spots, and finish with free throws while tired. Count makes, not attempts, and change one part of your shot at a time.
To improve your basketball shooting, train four to five times a week with one focus at a time: start every session with close-range form shooting, then move to game-speed reps from your main spots, and finish with free throws while tired. Count makes, not attempts, and change one part of your shot at a time.
What actually makes a shooter better.
Most players who stop improving are already shooting plenty. What is missing is usually one of four things:
- Repeatable form. If the shot changes from rep to rep, more volume only grooves more versions of it.
- One focus at a time. Trying to fix the elbow, the arc and the footwork at once fixes none of them.
- Game-speed reps. Slow shots in an empty gym do not transfer to a contested catch-and-shoot.
- Feedback. You need to know why a shot missed, not just that it missed.
The plan below builds those in order.
The 4-week plan at a glance.
| Week | Focus | Goal by the end of the week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Form and release | Same set point and follow-through on close-range shots |
| 2 | Range | Form holds from the free-throw line and the elbows |
| 3 | Game speed | Catch-and-shoot and one-dribble shots at full speed |
| 4 | Pressure and testing | Free throws under fatigue, retest your percentages |
Train four or five days a week, 45 to 60 minutes per session. Take at least one full rest day.
Week 1: Form and release.
Every session:
- Form shooting, 10 minutes. One hand, one metre from the rim, ten makes from five spots.
- Guide hand off, 10 minutes. From short mid-range, shooting hand only, 25 makes.
- Two-hand form, 15 minutes. Same spots, normal shot, hold the follow-through on every rep.
- Free throws, 5 minutes. 20 attempts, write down the makes.
Goal: a set point and finish you can repeat without thinking. Read how to shoot a basketball first if you are unsure what to aim for.
Week 2: Extend your range.
Keep the first 10 minutes of form shooting. Then:
- Step-back ladder, 20 minutes. Five makes from 2 m, 3 m, 4 m and the free-throw line, from three spots. Only step back when the form holds.
- Elbow and baseline spots, 10 minutes. Ten makes from each.
- Free throws, 5 minutes. 20 attempts, tracked.
Goal: the shot at the free-throw line looks like the shot at one metre. If your arc flattens as you move out, see how to fix a flat shot arc.
Week 3: Game speed.
Keep the form block. Then:
- Spot-to-spot with self-pass, 15 minutes. Five spots, five makes each.
- One-dribble pull-ups, 10 minutes. Left and right, ten makes each way.
- Beat the chair, 10 minutes. Sprint, plant, shoot, chase the rebound. 15 makes.
- Free throws, 5 minutes. 20 attempts, tracked.
Goal: game-speed shots that still look like your form shots. Full drill details are in basketball shooting drills.
Week 4: Pressure and retest.
Keep the form block, alternate the week 3 drills, and add:
- Free throws under fatigue. After every drill block, sprint or do push-ups, then shoot two free throws.
- Retest session at the end of the week. Shoot 50 shots from the same five spots as day one and compare.
Goal: a written before-and-after number. See free throws under pressure for more ways to build pressure into practice.
How many shots per session?.
Around 150 to 250 focused shots is a good session for most players. Quality drops when you get tired or bored, and tired reps reinforce bad habits. More on this in how many shots a day.
How to track progress.
- Write down makes from the same spots each week. Same spots, same number of attempts, so the numbers are comparable.
- Track free throws every session. It is the most controlled shot you have.
- Note one thing about your form after each session. "Elbow drifted when tired" is more useful than a percentage alone.
Kima records every session for you: makes, misses and the mechanics behind them, plus what to focus on next time. It also speaks a correction during the session, so you can fix the problem on the next rep. See Kima's AI basketball coach page.
Mistakes that slow improvement.
- Changing your whole shot at once.
- Shooting only from your favourite spots.
- Stopping when you get hot rather than when the work is done.
- Skipping form work because it feels too easy.
- Judging progress on one good or bad day.
FAQ.
How can I improve my shooting fast?
Pick one part of your shot to fix, do close-range form work every session, and track your makes from the same spots each week. Focused practice for four weeks beats months of random shooting.
How long does it take to become a good shooter?
Visible improvement often comes within four to six weeks of regular focused practice. Becoming a reliable game shooter usually takes months of consistent work.
Should I practise shooting every day?
Short form work every day helps. Full workouts four to five times a week, with at least one rest day, is enough for most players and reduces fatigue-driven bad habits.
Can I improve my shooting without a coach?
Yes. A clear plan, honest tracking and some way to get feedback on your form, such as video or an app, cover most of what a coach provides between sessions.
What should I do if my shooting gets worse?
That is normal when you change your form. Give a change two to three weeks before judging it, and go back to close-range work if your shot falls apart.