Objective
Build repeatable game-speed range from five perimeter spots — hitting a make target at each spot under time pressure and charting where shots fall to expose weak zones.
Setup
Area
Five perimeter spots: both corners, both wings, top of the key
Players
1 shooter with a rebounder/passer; groups rotate and compete
Equipment
1–2 balls, a stopwatch or shot clock, a basket
Duration
10–15 minutes
How it works
- 1
Map the five spots
Mark both corners, both wings and the top of the key just behind the three-point line (or at mid-range for younger players). These are the five spots the shooter cycles through, and a rebounder feeds crisp passes to the shooting pocket at each one.
- 2
Set the make target
Assign a goal at each spot — for example five makes before advancing, or a total like twenty-five makes across all five. The target keeps standards high and stops a shooter from drifting on to the next spot after a lucky make.
- 3
Shoot at game speed
Catch on rhythm with feet already set, rise into the shot, and follow the release — no walking the ball into position. The rebounder passes back the instant the shot is up so the tempo stays live rather than casual.
- 4
Race the clock
Put a timer on the round — say two minutes to hit the full make target across all five spots, or a set number of makes against a partner's time. The clock forces a quick catch-and-set and reproduces the urgency of shooting inside an offense.
- 5
Chart and rotate
Record makes and attempts per spot so weak zones show up on paper, then rotate shooter and rebounder. Over a week the chart tells the coach exactly which spot to rebuild in the next form-shooting block.
Coaching points
Catch with feet already set and rise in rhythm — the clock is no excuse to rush the mechanics into a flat, hurried shove.
Hold the follow-through even at speed; a clean gooseneck under time pressure is the sign the stroke has truly transferred.
Count makes, not attempts, at each spot so the standard stays a swish rather than a heave that happened to drop.
Feed the shooting pocket on every pass — a rebounder who throws low or behind wastes the shooter's set and skews the chart.
Compete every round, against a clock or a partner, so game-speed pressure is trained on purpose rather than avoided.
Variations
Beat-your-score
Log total makes in a fixed two-minute round each session and require the shooter to beat their previous best, turning the drill into a personal progress race.
Make-it-take-it around the world
The shooter must make a shot to advance to the next spot and misses send them back one — a stricter around-the-world version that punishes a cold spot.
Off-the-dribble spots
Add one hard dribble into a pull-up at each spot instead of a catch-and-shoot, so the five-spot map trains self-created shots as well as spot-ups.
Build it in Coach Board
Place five shooter tokens on the corners, wings and top of the key in Coach Board and number them 1–5, then animate the ball cycling spot to spot with a made shot at each so players memorise the route and the make target before stepping on the floor. Use a tag at each spot to note that player's make goal, turning the board into a personal shooting chart.
Open Coach Board