Youth Basketball Free Throw Shooting Drills

Though it may seem like one of the least exciting offensive aspects of the game of basketball, free throw shooting is every bit as important as making lay ups, knocking down open jump shots, or hitting the three. It is not a basketball cliché that games are won and lost at the free throw line. It is a fact.

The game's greatest free throw shooters have three things in common. They spend countless extra hours practicing free throws, they establish and follow a free throw routine, and they shoot with confidence.

Remember, a free throw is the only shot during the game when it is guaranteed that you will not be guarded. You are limited, therefore, only by your own ability to make the shot. Visualize success at the free throw line, and be confident.

All of the keys to good shooting obviously apply to shooting free throws. You should be balanced in a good athletic stance with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Shoot with the ball in the pads of your hands and fingers, not your palm. Follow through by envisioning your hand slapping the front of the rim. Unlike regular game shooting, free throw shooting success will be improved by establishing and following a routine. When you are handed the basketball, do the same thing on every attempt. Dribble the same number of times. Spin the ball backward in your hands. Whatever you choose to do, do it on every shot.

If you play enough games, it is a given that one will come down to late game free throw shooting. When you are trailing, free throws give you the chance to make up ground with the clock stopped. If you are ahead, your opponent may foul your team's least capable free throw shooter, hoping they will miss. It is critical that players at every position become capable free throw shooters. Nothing feels quite as good as knocking down late game pressure free throws to put your team ahead or seal a victory.

Below are some tips for improved free throw shooting as well as some fun drills for your youth basketball team's practice. You can also find more free basketball skills & drills videos and tutorials online at websites like Weplay.com.

Basketball Free Throw Shooting Tips

• Be balanced in a good, athletic stance with your knees slightly bent, and your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart.
• Develop a routine and use it every time you shoot a free throw.
• Keep your eyes on the back of the rim during your shot. Do not watch the flight of the ball.
• Shoot only with your dominant hand and use your off hand for support only.
• The power of your shot should come from your legs, not your arms.
• Shoot with the ball in the pads of your hands and fingers, not in the palm.
• Extend your shooting arm and follow through as if you hand is slapping the front of the rim. This will provide the proper backspin.

Free Throw Shooting Basketball Drills

• Seven Up
  Line 6 to 12 players up at the free throw line. The goal of this game is to NOT get to seven points. The first player shoots a free throw. If the shot is made, one point becomes available. The next player shoots. If that shot is made, two points are available. When a player misses, they collect all the points available, and the points go back to zero. When a player reaches seven points, they are out, and the others continue. The last one in is the winner.
  
  
• Free Throws On the Jog
  This is a free throw shooting drill that includes some conditioning to mimic game play by having players shoot when they are fatigued. Players partner up with a ball. One player shoots free throws while his/her partner jogs around the court. When the shooter had made five free throws, they call for their partner and trade. You can go through as many times as you like. Have jogging players help rebound as they jog past each basket. Also, you can have your joggers dribble a ball for some extra ball handling practice.