Effective basketball shooting

Students will learn and demonstrate effective free throw shooting skills: proper hand placement, balance, stance, and focusing eyesight on the target (basketball goal and rim).

A lesson plan for grades 4–5

By Tim Anderson

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• The Basketball Highway Database of basketball skills

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Learning outcomes

Students will demonstrate effective shooting skills necessary for participation in a basketball game.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

120 minutes

Materials/resources

If available, ten basketballs, two basketball goals lowered to eight feet, and tape to mark floor for shooting drills.

Technology resources

Video camera, videotape player, and TV to display students’ shooting skills.

Activities

1. Warm up activities: jump rope, stretch, walk three laps around gym. (6 minutes)
2. Gather students in a mass group for shooting form (squad lines). (1 minute)
3. Teacher will demonstrate stance, balance, hand placement, focusing on a target, and follow-through. (5 minutes)
   • Have right-handed students place right foot a little in front of left foot, place feet shoulder-width apart and bend knees. Left-handed students place left foot a little in front of right foot, place feet shoulder-width apart, and bend knees.
   • Students should hold basketball with the hand they write with (which should match previous step). They place fingertips on ball with palms pointed toward the ceiling. Palms should not be on the ball.
   • To keep elbow straight, turn ball and hand back with wrist and arm in an ldquo;L” position with ball just below eye level. The elbow should be above the knee and foot and over shoulder at eye level. The other hand is used as a guide hand, barely touching the side of the ball.
   • Eyes focused on the target, students bring the ball upward, straighten their knees, and shift their weight forward. They then flip the ball toward the basket by flexing their wrists.
   • Students control the direction of the ball with their fingertips and follow through to the basket while leaving the guide hand back.
   • In follow-through position, students should keep hands up, pointed toward goal, and act as if they are putting their fingertips in the basket.
4. Partners stand ten feet away from each other. Students shoot ball in air, which should land on a line three feet in front of partner. Partners will shoot ball back and forth to each other.(About 10 minutes)
5. Students form two shooting lines ten feet apart and ten feet away from basket.
6. Students shoot, follow rebound, and then pass to next person in line. (20 minutes)
7. Teacher pulls one student at a time to shoot from two other locations on the court and videotapes student shotting. Videotape side view and front view.
8. Student self-assesses using checklist and video of his or her shooting, recording where the ball went: in goal, long or short, to right or left.

Assessment

Teacher will assess through the videotape and observation. Advise student of corrective measures to improve shot.

Partners can use a check-off sheet and the technique used while shooting the basketball. This will include stance, balance, facing square to the basket, eye focused on goal, hand placement, and follow through.

Supplemental information

Student Checklist