If you’re looking for ways to improve your shooting mechanics, one of the most fun (and best) ways is to play schoolyard games. So, here are the best basketball shooting games for shot improvement.
TL;DR: The 3 best shooting games to improve your shot are Around the World, Basketball Zones and King of the Court.
One of the best ways to practice your shooting is by playing basketball shooting games.
And what’s awesome about this is that you can play with a group of your friends or teammates, or by yourself.
You don’t need to always sync up your schedule with your pals so that you can work out.
So here are my favourite 3 best basketball shooting games for shot improvement:
But before I get to the games, I want to say that you will need to know how to shoot a basketball properly to play these.
You need to have the fundamentals of shooting down.
So, read this article on how to shoot a basketball like a pro prior to trying these games out.
3 Best Basketball Shooting Games
1) Around the World
I’m going to start with one of my favourite games, Around the World.
You can play this game with a group of friends (or teammates) or by yourself, alone and lonely and sad at the park… sorry, I don’t know where that came from.
Anyway, here’s how to play the game:
How to play
To start, mark 5 or more spots around the hoop (you can use sidewalk chalk or tape or cones).
You are going to start your journey at one spot (see what I did there) and make your way around the court. If you miss a shot, you can either stop your turn or take a second chance.
But keep in mind that if you take a second chance and miss that shot, you have to go back to the beginning of the course.
The player who finishes the course wins.
If you are playing by yourself, try to finish the course with as few misses as possible.
You can also make it more difficult by not allowing yourself to miss any shots.
The thing about this game that will help you with your shooting is that you will have to make shots all over the court.
You’ll be shooting up close, at mid-range, and outside the perimeter.
And there’s pressure on you to make the shots as well because if you don’t, you have to go back to the beginning of the course.
2) Basketball Zones
The second shooting game you can do is zones.
I’m not sure if this is an actual game or if my friend made it up, but it’s a lot of fun and has helped improve my shot.
Again, you can play this game by yourself or with a group.
What you need for this game is some sidewalk chalk or basketball training markers.
If you are planning on practicing indoors, I suggest you use training markers because you won’t be allowed to use the chalk on gym floors.
How to play
First, place (or draw numbers) the markers down around the court.
Place the lowest numbers closer to the basket and the higher numbers further away (or at areas where you have the most difficulty).
Set up a timer of 30 seconds to 1 minute and try to rack up as many points as possible within the time limit.
Start at one zone and after you take the shot, go rebound the ball and then dribble to your next zone. Repeat.
The player who tallies the most points win.
And if you are playing solo, play in rounds and try to beat your personal best score.
The game is really good for working on scoring in different areas while under pressure.
As the clock winds down, you get more anxious so this game will train you to be calm when you need to be clutch and make big shots in games.
And unlike the previous game, Zones requires you to dribble the ball from one area to another.
This will not only work your ball handling but also your ability to shoot off the dribble.
3) Play King of the Court
The last basketball shooting game is King of the Court (or ones).
How to play
To start this game, figure out who gets the ball first.
You can do this by flipping a coin, make or die, or rock-paper-scissors.
Once that is figured out, you’ll start the game above the three-point line as if this were playing a one-on-one game.
The player with the ball (or the king) has 3-5 dribbles. If the king makes the shot, then he/she gets 1 point and gets to keep playing.
The defender is switched with another player.
If the king misses the shot, then he/she loses possession.
The defender then gets to be king and a new defender comes on the court.
The first player to make it to 7 points (or whatever number of points you feel like playing up to) wins.
This game helps you work on your one-on-one skills and on your old man game moves, such as the bank shot, as you only have a number of dribbles in each possession.
It also helps you work on your shooting while being defended.
However, this game requires at least 3 players.
This is why I don’t play it as much because I tend to practice by myself, and when I do play basketball with my friends, we usually just play actual games.
Final Thoughts
Basketball shooting games are great for working on your form and skill.
These are my 3 favourite shooting games that I use to practise my shooting.
So, if you want to improve your shooting, add these games to your regimen.
