How to Get Better at Basketball: A 300-Shot Workout That Exposes Weaknesses

You don't need cones. You don't need fancy equipment. Coach Meech's pitch is simple: good form, a ton of reps, and one workout that puts 300 shots on the board.

It's not a random 300. The drills add up to 150. You run the whole thing twice. Track makes on round one. Track them again on round two. Stack them and you see what you made out of 300. The second pass is where the comparison lives. Free throw makes from the open vs the close. Pull-up sections that held or didn't. The number on the board matters less than what changed between rounds.

Newer to structured workouts? Our basketball drills for beginners post is a lighter on-ramp. This one is a full 300-shot day.

Not sure shooting is even what you should be grinding right now? Find your training strategy with our free training quiz.

How the 300-shot challenge works

All drills together = 150 shots. Two times through = 300. Free throws bookend the sections so you're always coming back to a game-like, focused shot instead of mindless form shooting under the rim.

Coach Meech wants your free throw routine on those. Close shot. Normal shot. Easy, but you still have to lock in.

Mid-range catch work

Short corner to short corner (10).

Start under the rim. Roll it out. Chase it. Step into the shot one-two: inside leg first, outside second. Turn, pivot, raise. Rebound, go the other short corner, same thing.

Full speed. Stay low as you run into it so you can raise straight up. Catch tall, then drop, then shoot? Too many moves. Stay low the whole way.

Wing to wing (10).

Same start under the rim, ball rolled to the mid-range wing. This time the footwork flips to a hop. Both feet land together, then raise. After the make or miss, rebound and roll to the other wing. Plant the opposite foot first on that side. Two feet, one sound. That's the whole cue.

Hash above the block to the nail (10, five each side).

Low on the lane line, roll toward the middle of the free throw line. Catch, turn, shoot. Footwork is your call. Struggle with the one-two? Use it. Struggle with the hop? Use that. This is where the workout starts acting like a test. Pick the footwork that needs work.

More on those two plants in our basketball footwork drills post if one of them keeps leaking.

Dribble pull-ups

Reverse pivot into a one-dribble pull-up (10).

Nail at the free throw line. Roll the ball up toward the three so the rim is behind you. Land on the hop. Reverse pivot. One dribble toward the elbow. Raise. Then the other way.

Watch the rip. After the hop, on that reverse pivot, think inside shoulder swinging inside. Don't casually drag the ball across your body. Rip it hard, low or high, get to the spot quick, and shoot.

Jab into one dribble, then stop (10, five each side).

Lane-line hash above the block. Face the wing. Roll it out, hop land, reverse pivot with the inside leg, jab, one dribble toward the elbow, then decelerate into the shot. Under drag, pull-back, or a punch stop if you need something specific. Stay low on the jab. Explode out. Get to the stop fast.

Two-dribble baseline from the corner (10, five each side).

Aligned with the basket, still on the floor. Roll toward the wing. Hop. Rip baseline. Two dribbles. Raise.

Tight space. Big long steps walk you into the rim. Smaller steps, smaller dribbles, so you finish in a mid-range spot you can actually shoot from. Coach Meech calls this one out because a lot of players blow the two-dribble pull-up when there's no room.

Then 10 free throws. Drink if you need it. Get back.

Rhythm section

Elbow to elbow, stacking crossovers (10).

Start on the elbow, low. Turn and lift to the opposite elbow. Drop into a crossover. As soon as the ball hits the other hand, quick pickup into the shot.

Five one way, five the other. Add a crossover every rep. First shot: one cross. Second: two. Keep stacking to five, then flip sides.

Same path, hesi pull (10).

Lift elbow to elbow again. Drop into the crossover, then hesi into the jumper. Same add-on pattern. One cross into the hesi, then two, out to five.

The pickup is the whole fight on the hesi. A lot of players scoop the ball outside their frame, drag it into the pocket, then lift. Coach Meech wants the ball meeting the guide hand in the middle of the shot pocket so you can lift like a normal shot.

Ten more free throws. Then you go behind the arc.

Three-point section

Use your real range. High school line if that's you. College or pro line if that's you.

Corner, slide to the low wing (10).

Roll it out. Slide laterally to the low wing. Drop, both feet together, raise. Both sides.

Low wing, drift to the corner (10, five each side).

Opposite read. Roll, drift to the corner, two-foot drop, shoot. Picture a driver going baseline and you shifting down for a better passing angle, then catching and lifting.

Half court corner, sprint into the catch (10, five each side).

Start in the corner of half court. Roll it out. Sprint. Catch on a one-two (inside foot first, outside second) and raise. Left side of the floor: right then left. Other side: flip it. Sprint the lane like a transition kick-ahead. Don't jog into these.

Last 10 free throws close the round.

Deep shots keep coming up short? See jump shot falling short and how to get arc on your jump shot. More three-point volume is in our 3 point shooting drills workout.

What the second round tells you

Do it again. Same 150. Same tracking.

Coach Meech's point before the rhythm section: it takes two things to be a great shooter. Correct form and the correct amount of reps. Right volume with the wrong form still sends you down the wrong path. Dial the form, then stack the work. Our basketball shooting form drills help clean that up before you live in 300-shot days.

Write both totals down. Compare round one to round two. Free throws at the open vs the close. Which pull-up section dropped. How the threes held. Next session, you know what to attack.

FAQ

How many shots is this workout?

150 in one full pass. Run it twice for 300 total shots. Track makes each time so you know what you hit out of 300.

Do I need cones or a partner?

No. Ball and a hoop. You roll the ball out yourself and chase your own rebounds.

Why start at the free throw line instead of form shooting?

Coach Meech wants a game-like, focused shot to warm up. Under-the-rim form work is easy to zone out on. Free throws still demand attention.

What footwork should I use on the nail drill?

Whichever one you struggle with. One-two or hop. The drill is there to pressure the weak one.

How do the crossover stacks work?

Elbow to elbow. First rep one crossover into the shot. Second rep two. Build to five, then switch sides. Same add-on pattern on the hesi pull version.

Which three-point line do I use?

Your real one. High school stay on high school. College or pro, use that line.

Is this a beginner workout?

It's a long, full-speed shooting day. If you're still building basics, start lighter and come back when you can handle the volume. The drills themselves are taught step by step in the video.

Find your training strategy

A 300-shot day will show you gaps. It won't tell you what to train next week by itself. Take the free training quiz and get a plan that fits your game. Find your training strategy.