5 Shooting Drills You Can Do Alone
Published
No gym. No team. No one to pass you the ball. Here’s how to get quality shooting reps anyway.
The best shooters in basketball share one thing in common: they put in far more shooting reps than their teammates, mostly alone, mostly when nobody is watching. The gym closes. Practice ends. The best shooters find a way to keep going.
These five drills are built for solo sessions. All you need is a ball, a hoop, and 30 to 40 minutes. No passer, no rebounder, no training partner required.
1. Form Shooting Ladder
Why it’s first: Form breaks down at range. This drill builds it close and earns the right to shoot from further out, one make at a time.
How to do it:
- Start directly in front of the basket, about 3 feet away
- Make 3 in a row
- Take one step back
- Repeat until you miss twice in a row, then move back to where you were last consistent
- Total time: 8 to 10 minutes
What to focus on: Every shot should feel identical: same pocket, same release, same follow-through. This isn’t about distance. It’s about building a repeatable motion.
Progression: Once you can consistently reach the three-point line with clean form, add a one-dribble pull-up before shooting at each distance.
2. Spot Shooting
Why it’s here: Game shots rarely come from straight on. This drill builds consistency from the spots you’ll actually shoot from in a game.
How to do it:
- Pick 5 spots around the key: left corner, left wing, top of the key, right wing, right corner
- Shoot 10 shots from each spot
- Track your makes at each location
- Total time: 10 to 12 minutes
What to focus on: Footwork into the shot. Don’t just stand still and shoot. Get into a rhythm of catching, setting your feet, and releasing in one smooth motion. Even without a passer, simulate the catch by letting a shot come off the rim and catching the rebound before resetting at your next spot.
Progression: Add a shot fake before shooting from each spot. Shot fakes only work if they’re convincing, so sell it, then go up clean.
3. The Mikan Drill
Why it’s here: The Mikan drill is the oldest and still one of the most effective shooting drills in basketball. It builds touch, footwork, and finishing at the rim from both sides in one continuous motion.
How to do it:
- Start under the basket, slightly to the right of the rim
- Shoot a right-hand layup off the backboard
- Catch the ball before it hits the floor
- Without dribbling, step to the left side and shoot a left-hand layup
- Repeat continuously for 60 seconds, both sides, no dribbles between shots
- 3 rounds with 30 seconds rest between
What to focus on: Off-hand layups. They’re almost always the weak point. Resist the temptation to cheat back to your strong hand when you’re tired. The whole point of this drill is building both sides equally.
Progression: Add the reverse Mikan: same drill, but shooting reverse layups off the backboard (from the back of the rim instead of the front).
4. Free Throw, Sprint, Free Throw
Why it’s here: Free throws in games come when you’re tired, your heart rate is up, and the pressure is real. Practicing them standing still in a quiet gym doesn’t replicate any of that. This drill forces you to shoot free throws under fatigue, which is the only version that actually matters.
How to do it:
- Shoot a free throw
- Sprint to half-court and back
- Shoot another free throw immediately upon returning. Don’t rest.
- 10 rounds (20 free throws total)
- Track how many you make
What to focus on: Your routine. Elite free throw shooters do the same thing every single time before they shoot: bouncing the ball a set number of times, taking a breath, focusing on a spot on the rim. Build your routine now, in practice, so it’s automatic under pressure.
Progression: Increase the sprint to a full court and back. Or add a consequence: if you miss two in a row, you run an extra sprint before continuing.
5. 60-Second Scoring Challenge
Why it’s here: This drill adds pressure and game-like decision-making to solo shooting by creating a time constraint. You’re not just shooting. You’re making choices about when and from where, under a countdown.
How to do it:
- Set a timer for 60 seconds
- Score as many points as possible. You choose when to shoot a two, when to try a three, when to go for a layup
- Track your score across 5 rounds
- Try to beat your previous best each session
What to focus on: Smart shot selection. Going for a 3-pointer every time might feel efficient, but the time it takes to retrieve a miss eats into your score. The best players at this drill learn quickly to take high-percentage shots near the basket and use time remaining efficiently.
Progression: Set a personal target, say 20 points in 60 seconds, and don’t move to your next drill until you hit it.
How to Run a Complete Solo Shooting Session
This circuit runs in about 35 to 40 minutes:
- Form shooting ladder: 8 to 10 min
- Spot shooting: 10 to 12 min
- Mikan drill: 6 min (3 rounds)
- Free throw sprint: 8 min
- 60-second scoring challenge: 5 min (5 rounds)
Track your numbers every session: spot shooting makes, free throw percentage, and 60-second score. The numbers tell you where your shot is improving and where it’s stalling.
One Thing Most Solo Shooters Skip
Chasing their own rebounds intentionally.
When you’re shooting alone and tired, the temptation is to casually jog after every miss. Don’t. Sprint after every rebound and treat it like a live ball. It keeps your heart rate up, it simulates game conditioning, and it builds the habit of pursuing the ball aggressively that carries directly into game situations.
It sounds small. Over the course of a session, it makes a meaningful difference.
Want more drills? Browse the full Player zHero drill library, organized by skill level and position.