Shooting Ladder Drill

A structured shooting drill that builds consistency across the whole circle, not just from a single favourite spot.

Purpose

Develops shooting accuracy and technique consistency from multiple angles and distances within the goal circle, and builds the habit of following a miss with a rebound.

Setup

One shooter (or several taking turns) at a goalpost, with five marked positions around the edge of the circle — for example, directly in front, both 45-degree angles, and both baselines.

Instructions

1. Shoot from position one until 3 shots are made (or a set number of attempts is reached).
2. Move to position two and repeat.
3. Continue around all five positions, forming the "ladder."
4. On any miss, immediately follow the shot to attempt a rebound and put-back, rather than resetting.

Common mistakes

Rushing through positions to finish the drill faster undermines the whole point — prioritise made shots and clean technique over simply completing the ladder quickly.

Progressions

• Easier: Reduce to three positions, or lower the required makes per spot.
• Harder: Add a passive or live defender contesting each shot, or feed the shooter from a pass rather than starting each rep with the ball already in hand — see feeding the shooting circle.

Related drills

Combine with the circle feeding under pressure drill once shooting from a self-started position feels consistent, to bring passing and shooting together under match-like conditions.