U12 Basketball Curriculum

Chair Curls Shooting

Properties1
tagsdrill, shooting, with-partner, by-yourself, half-court, intermediate

2 min read

Chair Curls Shooting

🎒 Gear Needed: 1 x basketball, 1 ring, 1 sturdy chair (or tall cone), partner (or self-spin pass)
⏱ Suggested Time: 5 - 10 minutes
👥 Participants: Partner or Solo (1-2 players)
📍 Space: Half-Court
📊 Difficulty: Intermediate

📝 Instructions

  1. Setup & Positioning: Place a chair at the right elbow of the key to simulate a teammate setting an off-ball screen. The shooter starts at the right low block near the baseline. The passer stands at the top of the key with the basketball.
  2. The Cut: The shooter walks their imaginary defender down toward the baseline, then suddenly plants their baseline foot and sprints hard up along the key line toward the chair.
  3. The Tight Curl: The shooter cuts tightly around the chair, brushing “shoulder-to-chair” so a trailing defender cannot squeeze through the gap.
  4. Catch & Square Footwork: As the shooter rounds the top of the chair into the middle of the key:
    • Plant the inside (left) foot firmly as the brake to halt momentum.
    • Snap the outside (right) foot around, squaring hips and shoulders directly to the ring while receiving the chest pass.
  5. Rise & Finish: Elevate vertically off two balanced feet and knock down the mid-range jumper. Complete 10 repetitions curling from the right elbow, then move the chair to the left elbow and complete 10 repetitions curling from the left.

💡 Coaching Cues

  • Brush the Screen: Do not loop wide around the chair. Cut razor-close to simulate scraping your defender off on a teammate’s legal screen.
  • Snap Hips to the Ring: You are turning as you catch; quickly whip your hips and shooting shoulder around so your torso faces the target before you leave the ground.
  • Strong Inside Brake: Drop your weight onto your inside plant foot to absorb the centrifugal force of the curl and prevent drifting during your shot.

🔄 Variations & Progressions

  • Make It Easier: Perform without a passer by rolling a self-spin pass ahead of the chair, jogging through the footwork from 2.5 metres out.
  • Make It Harder: “Read the Screen” — the partner stands behind the chair as an active defender. If the defender stays under the screen, the cutter curls tight; if the defender jumps over the chair, the shooter flares/fades to the corner for a catch-and-shoot.

📺 Video Demonstration