Bank Shot: Basketball technique, drills and fixes

A bank shot uses the backboard: you aim at a spot on the glass so the ball rebounds into the rim. In a 2011 NC State computer simulation, banking gave up to a 20% better chance than shooting straight at the rim from the wings and many angles within about 12 ft, but not from straight on beyond 12 ft. Your form is the same as any jumper; only the target changes. We read that form, not where the ball hits the glass.

Set up

Bank when you are at about a 45-degree angle to the backboard. On the floor that is the area between the low block and the middle hash mark on the lane line. This "45-degree funnel" gets wider as you move out.

In the funnel.

Save the bank for the wings and angles within about 12 ft. From straight on, around the free-throw line, shoot at the rim instead.

Angle, not straight on.

Set your normal shooting base: feet about shoulder-width, knees slightly bent, shooting foot a little ahead, head over your feet.

Balanced base.

Pick your spot on the glass early. The classic coaching target is the top near corner of the box painted on the backboard. Keep your eyes on that spot until the ball reaches the rim, not on the ball's flight.

Eyes on the glass.

Adjust the spot for your angle. In the NC State simulation the best spots sat near the top of the box: higher on the glass from wider angles (farther from the lane) and lower, nearer the rim, from spots close to the lane. The right spot depended on your angle to the board, not your distance, so keep one spot per angle.

One spot per angle.

Shoot

Bring the ball up in front of and above your shooting-side shoulder, shooting hand behind it, elbow in.

Ball over the shoulder.

Go down and up with your legs. They give the shot its first force and rhythm, so your arm doesn't have to muscle it.

Legs start it.

Extend your shooting arm fully at the elbow, aiming arm, wrist and fingers up toward your spot. Let the ball roll off your fingertips for backspin.

Soft off the fingertips.

Hold your follow-through until the ball reaches the rim, and land balanced.

Hold it, land it.

Feel it

It should feel like your normal jumper with a new target. Your eyes lock on the spot on the glass, your legs start the shot, and the ball comes off your fingertips softly. A good bank kisses the glass softly and drops; if it slams off the board, you shot it too hard.

Fix-its

Banking from the wrong place Bank only from the 45-degree funnel and the wings. Straight on from the free-throw line area, shoot at the rim.
It comes off the glass hard Use your legs, not your arm, for power, release off the fingertips and hold the follow-through. The ball should touch the glass softly.
Wrong spot on the glass Start from the top near corner of the box. If you keep missing from one angle, move the spot: higher on the glass from wider angles, lower from spots close to the lane. Then keep that spot fixed.
Eyes follow the ball Sight the spot early and keep your eyes there until the ball reaches the rim.
Form changes because it's a bank Same shot as any jumper: ball above the shooting shoulder, elbow in, full extension. Only the target changes.

Drill

Baby banks: from 1 ft off the rim on each wing, make 5 in a row with backspin and arc. When that's easy, step back 1 ft, but start every session at 1 ft.
Bank jump shot warm-up: toss the ball to a spot between the right block and the middle hash mark, catch with your back to the basket, jump stop, pivot to face the basket at 45 degrees, jab and shot-fake, then bank it off the top near corner of the box. Count makes out of 10, then do 10 from the left side, mirroring the footwork.
Move back: after 5 banks in a row from both sides, move to 9 ft. After 5 in a row there, go to 12 ft, then 15 ft.
Film a set from the side on your shooting-hand side and check that your form matches your normal jumper.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-26.