How to Shoot a Basketball Anyone can be a good shooter and make shots; but it takes a GREAT shooter to try and swish every shot. A great visual aid is to imagine that there are eggs sitting on the rim and you do not want to break any of the eggs. Shooting Terminology & Technique 1. Toes to the Target: In addition to pointing your body in the same direction of the rim/goal/backboard about shoulders width apart, the prominent toe (Right for Right-handed shooter/left for Left-handed shooter) should be slightly more forward. LA Clippers Asst. Coach Kevin Eastman teaches a similar terminology, 10 Toes to the Rim.
2. Wrist/Wrinkles: Cocking your wrist as far back as possible will create wrinkles on the back of the wrist. These are necessity in order to put the proper backspin on the basketball upon your release. Placing backspin on your shot makes it a softer shot; meaning if it hits the rim it is more likely to bounce in than fly off the rim. 3. L : The Humerus and the Radius/Ulna should form an L with your shooting arm. This ensures that you start the ball in the correct position in order to put the proper arc on your shot. Additionally, you want to make sure the L is tucked in close to your body and not flying out like a chicken wing.
4. Pads & Panels: The basketball should never touch the palm of your shooting hand. It should rest softly on the pads of your hand and fingertips. You should be able to see daylight under the ball if you look straight through the space between your thumb and index finger. Additionally, your shooting hand should be centered on the panels of the basketball.
5. Knees Bent: The farther you become from your target, the more legs you need to incorporate into your shot.
6. Elbow Above Ear: On the release of the ball, as you flick your wrist and follow through your elbow should finish above your ear. 7. Freeze the Follow Through: Once the ball has left your shooting hand, freeze your follow through until the ball reaches the target. The analogy he gave was to imagine you are putting your shooting hand down into the center of the rim. Another correlation my dad always used was imagine you are trying to reach into the cookie jar on top of the refrigerator.
8. Balance: Many coaches preach to land in the same exact spot in which you left the floor after a jumpshot. However, this is impossible in order to become a great shooter. The shooter should allow for the momentum to carry them forward just slightly (ie: If you shoot a 3-pointer, you should land just in front/on top of the 3-point line). While the shooter cannot land in the same place as they originally left their feet, they should however try to remain on balance and not drift one way or fade-away. If you ever watch one of the greatest shooters of all time, Ray Allen, he is always on balance on every shot he takes.
9. Balance-Hand: Refers to the non-shooting hand, this is the Balance-hand. The first time I heard that back in 2005 in Maryland, I thought that was the greatest teaching point I have ever heard in terms of shooting. Too many times players (Especially the young) start shooting with the form similar to a two handed chest pass. We have all also seen the thumb shooters; as the ball is released the thumb of the Balance-hand is pointing toward the target because the shooter pushed with their thumb on the release. Where does the balance hand go? Some players place it on top of the ball; this is incorrect as you are already blocking your own shot before the release. Other players place the balance hand beneath the ball looking as if they are preparing to bowl. The correct position of the balance hand is on the side of the ball, for Balance. Similar to the shooting hand, the ball should rest on the pads and finger tips of the basketball. Note: the thumbs should form a T on the basketball. As you begin momentum of your shot, make sure you maintain Wrist/Wrinkles, Pads/Panels, L, Knees Bent.
Once you begin to break/extend that L with your shooting arm, the Balance-hand should FREEZE as the basketball glides off on its journey to the target. Once you Freeze the Follow Through, your shooting elbow should be above your ear, wrist flicked (putting your hand in the rim), and the only part of your Balance-hand that you should see is your thumb and the side of your index finger. You should not be able to see the palm or back of your Balance-hand. One way to check this is to bend (Flexion) the elbow of the Balance-hand and only the tip of your thumb should touch your forehead.
The author of this article Dave Hopla has made it easier than ever for players who are fortunate enough to own an iphone, ipod Touch, or ipad to improve their shots. He has created his own App., ihopla. The App not only assists you in keeping track of your shots, but it also provides different shooting drills and workouts.
Beat the Pro Hopla ended his lecture by demonstrating one of his favorite shooting games, Beat the Pro. There are several different variations and scoring methods you can use for this game (use your imagination). The shooter chooses a Pro they would like to compete against; Kobe, LeBron, Durant, etc. Shots can be taken from anywhere on the court. Beginners should start closer to the rim. As you become a stronger shooter, move behind the 3-point line and/or add dribble moves to the game. This is how Hopla scored it: Game: First to 21 points Wins Make: Shooter gets 1 point Miss: Pro gets 2 points Another way to score: Choose number/goal: 5, 10, 15 (Any number below 20 preferably) Make: Shooter gets 1 point Miss: Shooter gets -2 points Goal is for shooter to reach a positive 10 (or whatever goal is). If shooter hits negative 10, they lost to the Pro and must start over. Challenge yourself to break down your shot and become more effective shooters by focusing on the above principles and techniques; make sure you chart your progress. I guarantee you will see an improvement by the time school is back in session.