Knee shooting isolates the arm and hand motion. It removes legs entirely so the focus is purely on shooting mechanics. This builds good form early.
What you need: 8-foot basket. Youth ball. One per kid. Gym floor or padded area for kneeling.
Setup: Kids kneel 6 feet from the basket. Upright posture, knees down.
How to run it:
- Cue: Set, Bend, Lift, Cookie. Upper body only. The ball comes up from chest, elbow under.
- Release with the cookie jar follow-through.
- Shoot 8 shots from the knee. Rest.
- Do 2 rounds.
What to watch: Is the motion coming from the shoulder and arm or is there upper body rotation involved? Arm motion only. No twisting the torso.
If they’re struggling: Move to 4 feet from the basket. Use a lower hoop. Reduce to 5 shots per round.
If they’ve got it: Move back to 8 feet. Add 2-foot form shooting after kneeling. Compare the two and notice the upper body is doing the same thing.