Stop Chasing Makes: Train the Shooting Decision

Most shooting workouts are built around one question:

Did the shot go in?

But in a game, there’s another question that often matters first:

Was it the right shot?

That’s where I believe shooting development has to evolve.

We still need repetition. We still need footwork, balance, mechanics, and confidence. But if all we do is put players on spots and count makes, we’re leaving out one of the most important parts of shooting:

The decision.

Inside the System Basketball Framework, shooting is one of our core pillars because it impacts everything else we want to do offensively.

Spacing only works if defenders respect the shot.

Driving gaps become bigger when players are willing and able to shoot.

Closeouts become more aggressive.

And now we have opportunities to attack those closeouts and create advantages.

That’s why I want our shooting drills to eventually connect the technique of shooting with the decisions players actually have to make in games.

Those three decisions have become a major part of how I teach offense.

This week I put together a new collection of shooting drills for coaches inside the System Basketball Community.

The drills can give you ideas for getting players repetitions, but the bigger goal is to think about how we progress those repetitions.

Technique → Movement → Game Actions → Defense → Decisions

Instead of telling the player before every repetition, “You’re shooting this one,” we can create situations where the player has to recognize:

Am I open?

Is the defender closing out?

Do I have a driving advantage?

Should I move it and create a better opportunity for someone else?

Now we’re not just developing shooters.

We’re developing basketball players.

Our next System Basketball Hybrid Clinic is tomorrow — Sunday, August 23.

We’re going to look at how I take shooting from traditional repetition into decision-based training.

The beginning of the clinic will be available publicly on YouTube.

Then we’ll continue inside the System Basketball Community with the full clinic, deeper teaching, and Q&A.

SBC Members: You don’t need to register. Join us directly in the Zoom room.

Can’t make it live? The full clinic will be available on demand inside the community.

This is really what the System Basketball Framework is about.

I don’t want to collect another 500 drills.

I want to understand why we’re using a drill, what we’re trying to teach, and how it connects to the system we want our players to execute.

A shooting drill shouldn’t just produce makes.

It should eventually help a player recognize the right shot, attack the right closeout, make the extra pass, and make better decisions when the game becomes chaotic.

Coach Marc Hart
System Basketball
Helping Coaches Build Better Systems.