Green Light Red Light Shooting
Shot Selection
Legend
- player
- ball
- movement path
How it works
Teach young players when a shot is a good shot versus a bad shot using a green light and red light system.
What you need
- basketball
- hoop
- colored cards
Your focus
Shot selection is one of the most critical skills in basketball but one of the last taught. Even young players can understand the simple concept that a wide-open layup is a green light and a contested off-balance shot is a red light. Building this awareness early prevents the selfish shot-selection habits that are hard to break later.
Player catches the ball and sees green card (open shot) or red card (defender close) from coach.
Green card: player shoots immediately. Red card: player passes or dribbles, no shooting.
If player shoots on a red card, it counts as a turnover. If they pass on green, it counts as a missed opportunity.
Run 15 reps. Track correct decisions.
Goal
You've got it when you only shoot on green lights and stop yourself on red, every time, not most of the time. The discipline is the drill.
Helpful cues
- Green means go, red means no, same as a traffic light
- The right shot is better than any shot
- Great players pick their shots, they don't just shoot whenever they have the ball
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Only use green light (open shots) for the first session.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Add a yellow card (borderline shot), player must decide based on confidence.No account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.