06/20/2026
Watch a young player shoot in warmups — looks great. Watch them shoot off a closeout in a game — different shot.
What changed? Not the form. The footwork.
The first thing that breaks down under pressure isn’t release or follow-through. It’s the BASE. Heel-anchor instead of full-base. Front-foot lead instead of square. The body’s still in transition when the shot goes up.
You can drill shooting form for hours and not fix this. The drill that fixes it is the one that gets the player into balance UNDER live closeout pressure — over and over, until the base is automatic before the ball even arrives.
Coach Rachel runs this drill series for our 7th–9th grade girls. The work happens before the shot, not in it.