Game version
Shooting gallery: two teams of two take turns at the hoop from marked spots, and each team adds up only its own makes.
Curl and Fade Shots
Read how a defender follows you around a screen and choose a curl or a fade shot.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Place a chair at the elbow as a screen.
Core: Free-throw line. Beat your own best of makes out of 10.
- Ages
- 14 and up
- Time
- 14 min
- Players
- You and a partner
- Space
- Gym or court
- Bring
- Basketball, hoop, chair or cone, partner
- Level · skill
- Advanced · Shooting
The steps
How it works
- Place a chair at the elbow as a screen.
- Run off it while your partner calls "curl" or "fade".
- Curl toward the rim or fade toward the corner, then catch and shoot.
- Take 20 shots and note which read you made best.
Coaching point
Read, then pick your shot.
Safety: Warm up first, wear court shoes on a dry floor, and leave room to slow down before the wall. Stop if anything hurts.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Pick a spot: Less (close), Core (free-throw line), More (a step back). Beat your own best of makes out of 10.
Story
You are an astronaut and the hoop is the docking port, so every make is a perfect landing.
My best
Beat your own count
Beat your own best of makes out of 10. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
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