Youth Basketball Drills - Fundamentals of Offense-Mid-Range Shooting

In this modern age of basketball, slam dunks have the dramatic emphasis and twisting layups are the celebrated features in highlight reels. Not everyone can dunk or lay the ball like the flexible grease man, but everyone can pull-up a jumper from mid-range.

An effective midrange shooter is as dangerous as the most effective low-post player. In an actual game, breaking up defenses sometimes leave gaps that are spacious enough for a midrange shooter to operate. Coaches should understand that if they cannot slash through or shoot from beyond the arc, the midrange should be their launching pad.

That said, it is important to develop a child's mid-range shooting skills to add to his offensive arsenal. There are many enjoyable youth basketball drills that teach the basics of a mid-range game. The key to teaching midrange basketball drills for kids is to keep it fun and simple. Here is a basic midrange shooting exercise to teach the kids and the youth to help polish their midrange game:

7-up

There are 5 shooting spots in this basic basketball drill for kids - 2 at the baseline (6 feet from the basket), 2 at both wings (15 feet diagonally from the basket), and 1 at the free throw line. To maintain a continuous flow of this shooting exercise, it is best that this drill is done with at least three players (one to shoot, the others to rebound and to pass) and with 2 basketballs.

The objective of this basic basketball drill is to develop a shooter's consistency when shooting from the midrange. A shooter must successfully make 7 baskets in a row before moving to the next spot. Depending on the coach, he can have the drill timed or not. But it is better to clock how long did a shooter completed the drill for further evaluation and instruction.

Each shooting spot is numbered so as to guide the shooter where to shoot from next:

#1 - the one located at the right baseline of the basket;

#2 - the one located at the left baseline of the basket;

#3 - the one located at the left wing;

#4 - the one located at the right wing;

#5 - the one at the free throw line.

For starters, the basic scheme is 1-2-3-4-5. For more advanced learners, the scheme can be like 1-3-2-4-5, 1-5-2-5-3-5-4-5 or so. Coaches can spice things up by mixing up the drill and adding some variations like sliding and dribbling before shooting.