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The #1 Skill That Will Extend Your Basketball Career

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Mar 1, 2022

This is not a trick question. The answer is…

SHOOTING.

Almost every team regardless of level is looking for more shooters. Shooting is the #1 skill that will help you move up a level. Middle school to high school. High school to college. College to pro.

During the 2022 Sr Boys Provincials we checked the stats for 3 point shooting at all 4 tiers.

The average 3 point percentage was 27%!

That’s not terrible but also not very good for a Sr Boys or Sr Girls player. To be a standout 3 point shooter you must be in the 35% range at the high school level and 40% range at the college level.

So why aren’t there more shooters when it’s the most important skill in the game?

#1 - It takes an incredible amount of hard work. To be a great shooter you must take 200-300 game like shots every day during your high school career. That may seem like a lot, but it's 30-45 minutes a day if you're training with hustle and urgency. To be a great shooter you need the discipline to stay off social media, to turn off video games, and to get in the gym every day.

#2 - An increase in games during the spring & summer is not developing better shooters. There needs to be more balance in the training vs games equation when it comes to off-season development.

#3 - Coaches, trainers, & players don’t always work on the right skills. Multiple dribble combo moves are fun and they look cool. But for the vast majority of players they are not useful in games. In a training environment, a game like shooting work-out must be one of the top priorities.

We hope this makes you think about prioritizing your shooting work. It might be one of the most important decisions you make for the future of your basketball career!

Written by Impact Hoops Owner/Head Director Jon Schmidt.