Pull-Up Jumper: Stop on a Dime and Rise

Progression for shooting a jump shot off the dribble: a hard last dribble, a balanced stop and a vertical rise without drifting forward. It ends with a read: shoot or keep driving depending on how far away the defender is.

How to play

1. Demo: make the last dribble harder and lower to stop, gather the ball at hip height into the shot pocket, feet shoulder-width apart, and jump straight up (3 min).
2. In pairs, dribble 5 m (16 ft) from the top toward a cone 4 m from the rim, jump stop and shoot; the partner rebounds and you switch every four shots (5 min).
3. Same drill changing direction: crossover dribble toward the left wing and toward the right, finishing with a stride stop (6 min).
4. Decision: a defender leaves from under the rim as the attacker starts dribbling; if they are still far away at the cone, pull up; if they close out, keep going to the rim for a layup (6 min).

Rules

• Land where you jumped from, never on the defender.
• In the last phase, the defender keeps arms up and does not jump into the shooter.
• The shot only counts if the stop was legal, with no travel.
• Lines at each basket wait behind the baseline or at the top, never under the rim.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair user: two pushes while dribbling, brake and shoot with full arm extension.
• Recent ankle injury: pull-up without jumping, just a leg extension.
• Visual impairment: cones with bells and a partner claps at the stopping spot.

Learning goals

• Stop with balance off the dribble to shoot a jump shot.
• Keep BEEF mechanics while coming in on the move.
• Decide whether to shoot or drive based on the defender's position.

Equipment for a class of 25

• basketballs: 15
• cones: 12

Teacher tip

The typical mistake is jumping forward: put a small cone in front of the feet and ask students to land behind it. If many baskets are free, use one pair per basket to speed up the rotation.

More main activities for High School