Shooting is a beautiful thing. My son is a jump shooter. When he shoots it is pure and natural. He always jumps. He is in the 9th grade and is 5’8” with a slender build. He can shoot for 30 minutes and, when he is on, he will rarely miss. Except for free throws, he always jumps.
This works fine when his legs are fresh at the start of a game or when we are just shooting around at the gym but this causes him difficulty when he has to guard a talented player on defense or when he needs to play a quarter or two at the point guard position. He gets tired and his shots suddenly do not go in like they do when his legs are fresh. His shot gets flat and has quite a bit of backspin on it from his arms having to propel the ball at the rim. It is frustrating for him and it is frustrating for all of us because we know what a good shooter he is.
One of the best shooting coaches today is an old-school shooting coach named Tom Nordland. Tom spent a lot of time analyzing shooting techniques and has discovered that the shooting method that delivers the most consistent results is to generate power with your large muscles in your legs that tend to not get tired, line up with your front leg, elbow, wrist and shooting eye aligned with the basket, use a loose wrist and let it fly. His technique is called The Swish Method and I like it. The video he sells looks old school but the results are fantastic. I suppose the old school look is likely because this is the way that I was taught to shoot (I actually copied Kyle Macy’s form). You can get to Tom’s web site by clicking back to our main site at www.HoopAids.com or go directly to the link at The Swish Method.
I was taught to not jump unless there was a need to because it adds more variables into the process of shooting. If you are in the lane and your shot is contested, then you have to jump but other than that, be quick to shoot. I was taught to play the game very low – to come off screens quickly at a semi-crouched height with your hands up to catch a pass. The advantage to already being low when the ball is caught is that you can then quickly use your legs to generate power for your shot and you do not need to jump high, if at all, to get the shot off. You will beat your defender coming off the screen and the ball will be in flight towards the hoop before they can even get there to get a hand in your face. I worry that my son catches the ball standing upright and then goes lower to generate power to jump, allowing the defender time to catch up, which means he has to jump in order to not get his shot blocked – the defender has that split second to catch up. The good news is that he has a solid fundamental form that should be able to easily adapt to a new technique with a little off-season practice. That way he can have the confidence to shoot however the situation dictates and have the game come to him.
While watching the high school basketball previews of local teams last Friday evening I noticed that most of the high school 3 point shots are indeed quick set shots. The boys catch the ball, square up and shoot quickly most times without hesitation. The best ones look like they are shooting a long free throw when you view them in isolation away from the rest of the game. Whether you shoot a jump shot or a quick set shot, when done correctly - Shooting is a beautiful thing.
Yours in Hoops,
Coach Chuck
Want to Shoot Better – check out these shooting aids…Basketball Shooting Aids
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
How to Make 90% of Your Free Throws
I love free throws. I always have. For me they have always been easy and fun to practice. They are also a great way to add easy points a game to your PPG and can devastate opponents late in the game. I used to go hard through a series of shooting drills and get a little tired. I’d then practice free throws to give my legs a rest. I also thought shooting free throws helped to build confidence in my shots from the rest of the court, so when I would return to regular shooting drills I had a crisp release and a great feel for the ball. I used to practice shooting 25 at a time. If I was shooting the right way the ball would spin back to me about half way up the lane and I did not need to go very far to get it so I could shoot again. I would shoot 100 a day and track my stats on a chart that hung inside my garage.
I used to enjoy watching a player from the University of Kentucky named Kyle Macy. I liked all of his form except the part where he would always touch his socks. I thought that was a little weird. His form was the most pure I have seen and I would always try to emulate his style. It worked well for me.
When I watch players shoot free throws today I am amazed at the poor form on the line from many of them. The best men and women players that have great form all do the same basic things:
1) Line up in the right spot for their shot. This is easier to do than most people think. There is a dot right in the center of the free throw line on every court. Find it and you will find your home. Most players will align their shooting foot (right foot for right handed/left for left) with the dot and will place their feet about shoulder width apart. The front foot should be right behind the free throw line, the opposite foot about 3-6 inches behind the front foot. The reason for this stance is that it will naturally allow your body to align your arm in the proper position when shooting. Get the weight on the balls of your feet so you can raise your heels off the floor – your feet are now all set.
2) Hold the ball the same way every time. You should have a pretty good idea how to hold the ball to shoot the right way. If not, here is what I would recommend. There is a spot on the basketball called the air valve. I like to put my index finger just to the right of the valve (I am right handed). The rest of the hand fits naturally around the ball. The left hand is only a guide and is not really involved in shooting the ball – it provides support and that is all.
3) Arm motion into the wrist is relaxed. Hold the ball in the middle of your body, bend your knees slightly (the power from the shot should come from your knees, not your arms), raise the ball above your shooting eye and flick your shooting wrist. Your elbows will form an upside-down V. Relax and enjoy the shot. Leave the follow through in the air for a second. The shot is going in.
When I shoot free throws I feel more weight on my front foot than my left or stabilizing foot. I have a mental picture of the strength running right up my front foot, through my bent knee, through my arm and rushing out of my wrist as I shoot the ball. If you care to count how many times a ball should rotate in the air on a free throw, it is between 1 and a quarter and one and a half (yeah, nerds like me actually count that stuff in mid air).
How high you shoot is totally up to you but the shot should be soft enough and with enough backspin that it has a decent shot at going in if it hits any part of the rim. I recommend shooting a handful of high arc shots, regular arc and then low arc so you can decide for yourself which works best (the middle point usually works best).
That’s it.
What you do before the shot is your call. I would prefer to keep it low key, so it does not become something you have to think about. I would always receive the ball from the ref, spin the ball backwards from a low point at about knee height, take a couple of quick dribbles, eye the rim, bend and shoot. I would always leave the shooting spot after each spot, because my routine was to receive the ball and then set my feet. I wanted a routine that was always the same and not moving after the first made shot takes you out of that routine. Do the same thing every time.
Practice that routine over and over until it just works. You’ll be close when you no longer have to think about it. I would not stop shooting until I made at least 23 of 25 – that’s 92%. Then I would go write it in my garage.
Good Luck,
Coach Chuck
Check out the latest in Basketball Shooting Aids at Basketball Shooting Aids
I used to enjoy watching a player from the University of Kentucky named Kyle Macy. I liked all of his form except the part where he would always touch his socks. I thought that was a little weird. His form was the most pure I have seen and I would always try to emulate his style. It worked well for me.
When I watch players shoot free throws today I am amazed at the poor form on the line from many of them. The best men and women players that have great form all do the same basic things:
1) Line up in the right spot for their shot. This is easier to do than most people think. There is a dot right in the center of the free throw line on every court. Find it and you will find your home. Most players will align their shooting foot (right foot for right handed/left for left) with the dot and will place their feet about shoulder width apart. The front foot should be right behind the free throw line, the opposite foot about 3-6 inches behind the front foot. The reason for this stance is that it will naturally allow your body to align your arm in the proper position when shooting. Get the weight on the balls of your feet so you can raise your heels off the floor – your feet are now all set.
2) Hold the ball the same way every time. You should have a pretty good idea how to hold the ball to shoot the right way. If not, here is what I would recommend. There is a spot on the basketball called the air valve. I like to put my index finger just to the right of the valve (I am right handed). The rest of the hand fits naturally around the ball. The left hand is only a guide and is not really involved in shooting the ball – it provides support and that is all.
3) Arm motion into the wrist is relaxed. Hold the ball in the middle of your body, bend your knees slightly (the power from the shot should come from your knees, not your arms), raise the ball above your shooting eye and flick your shooting wrist. Your elbows will form an upside-down V. Relax and enjoy the shot. Leave the follow through in the air for a second. The shot is going in.
When I shoot free throws I feel more weight on my front foot than my left or stabilizing foot. I have a mental picture of the strength running right up my front foot, through my bent knee, through my arm and rushing out of my wrist as I shoot the ball. If you care to count how many times a ball should rotate in the air on a free throw, it is between 1 and a quarter and one and a half (yeah, nerds like me actually count that stuff in mid air).
How high you shoot is totally up to you but the shot should be soft enough and with enough backspin that it has a decent shot at going in if it hits any part of the rim. I recommend shooting a handful of high arc shots, regular arc and then low arc so you can decide for yourself which works best (the middle point usually works best).
That’s it.
What you do before the shot is your call. I would prefer to keep it low key, so it does not become something you have to think about. I would always receive the ball from the ref, spin the ball backwards from a low point at about knee height, take a couple of quick dribbles, eye the rim, bend and shoot. I would always leave the shooting spot after each spot, because my routine was to receive the ball and then set my feet. I wanted a routine that was always the same and not moving after the first made shot takes you out of that routine. Do the same thing every time.
Practice that routine over and over until it just works. You’ll be close when you no longer have to think about it. I would not stop shooting until I made at least 23 of 25 – that’s 92%. Then I would go write it in my garage.
Good Luck,
Coach Chuck
Check out the latest in Basketball Shooting Aids at Basketball Shooting Aids
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Making The Team
It’s that time of year again...time when 7th graders everywhere around the country are sweating their tryout for the basketball team. It does not matter if you are the best player to have ever set foot in the school’s gym or if you sat the bench for your rec team last year – you are nervous. At some point we will discuss what you should have been doing all summer long and the plan that you should have created at the end of last season and all the conditioning you should have been doing to develop your body, but we will cover that at the end of this season.
Here are my best tips as you get ready and then participate in the tryout:
1) If you have a couple of weeks, or even a couple of days, get out and play. Work on your mid-range shot, your free throws, make all your layups (especially with your off hand). If you have not been playing for a while you need to get the feel of a ball back in your hands. Get a good workout video or set of drills to do and work up a sweat doing them. The feel of the ball will make a big difference when you start working with the other players during the tryout. The football players typically have the hardest time getting their feel back and throw a bunch of bricks during the first week of practice.
2) Try to gage your competition. Figure out who is trying out (most schools have a tryout signup sheet) and rank yourself accordingly. If your school is large this may be hard to do, if it is small you probably already know where you stand. Look at a regular team of 12 players – a coach will keep 4-5 guards, 3-4 forwards, 2-3 centers and normally a couple of good hustle-type defensive players. Figure out where you stand on a depth chart, even if it is only in your own mind.
3) At the actual tryout, make a point to get into drills with players that you are slightly better than. My son had a best friend in 7th grade who was the best player in the class (he was the second best). The two of them would always want to square off in the drills with my son normally coming out on the short end of the competition. While I was always impressed with this type of attitude and desire for competition I have been consistently surprised at coaches who are always ranking the players by position. My son would have been beaten several times by this same boy in drills for a guard spot and his ranking would have likely been low. If the coach had only memories of my son getting beat when the cut was made, he would have faced a challenge to be on the final team roster.
4) Be the hustle guy at the tryout. Each team has a hustle guy who is rewarded with making the team when perhaps the talent is not all there. Hustle is free, you did not have to work all summer at it, you just need to provide it, and you should provide it all the time. I will discuss practice attitudes in a later post but please understand that coaches know and remember the players who hustle, almost as much as the ones they remember who do not. Hustle means to hustle everywhere and to everything – not just in the sprints but during everything – even to and from a water break. If you find yourself talking, walking or hanging out during the tryout, wake yourself up and start moving. Believe me, the coach is watching.
5) Have a sense of common courtesy. You are trying out for a team, not an American Idol audition. Let your play and your desire make the team, keep your attitude and cockiness away. Look your coach in the eye when you speak to him/her, look at him and listen without talking when he speaks. Practice a firm regular handshake, full hand covering each other, your coach will notice. I always shook my players hands to see if they were mature enough to know how to do it correctly. Keep the jokes and the quick witted comments off the court, even if you know you can get a great laugh from it. Don’t knock anyone’s game – ever. You might be the next player to shoot the ball over the backboard on a free throw (you never know). Be on time. Have your equipment with you. Don’t wear clothes that stick out too much from the other kids. Don’t let yourself be judged by anything other than your positive attitude and your basketball ability.
6) Think about the types of drills a tryout typically has in it and physically/mentally prepare for them. 3-man weave with a good catch and release while on the run, off hand layups on the run, shooting drills off the dribble/curl/screen, one on one drills. Lots of coaches do full court drills (11 man drills) to judge players with the ball on fast break, these drills also keep the group moving and can be done by large groups easily. If you have an open gym prior to the tryout and the coach is there, ask him/her what types of drills will be done at the tryout so you can mentally prepare.
7) Know your strengths and try to get them on display. If you know you are good dribbler/shooter/rebounder - be sure that you are able to find a way to showcase that talent without showing off. Do it often. I once knew a boy who could make shots from 15 feet. That was his range – period. He would shoot bricks from 12 and could not throw it in the ocean from the 3 point line. He spent his entire game right around the free throw line so he could get a screen and shoot. He knew and stuck with his strengths.
8) Find a way to tell the coach about yourself. If you played for 5 seasons with a select team, make sure he knows it. If you were your team’s best rebounder last season, be sure to tell him. Even if you are very talented in another sport – be sure he knows. Do it in a way that is factual without being a bragger. Your coach will remember it when he has to make the final cuts.
9) Take a charge and always box out. Find a way to take a charge in a scrimmage. Get good position, feel the contact and then flop on your rear. Coaches love it and you will stand out immediately. Always box out your man. If a shot goes up from anywhere, no matter where you are find your man and box him out (especially if he just shot the ball). So many players will turn and watch the shot, allowing a hustling offensive player to get a ball and an easy stick back while you look silly for letting him by. Remember to box out.
10) Have fun. It’s 7th grade basketball, not exactly a breaking point in your life. If you get cut, find a team to play with so you can keep playing and enjoy it. Congratulate the guys that made it, go see some games during their season and tell yourself you’ll be back next year. If you get the chance, ask the coach for feedback on your game. Most will tell you what they thought and give you some solid advice on what to work on for next year. Be friendly if you end up getting bad news on the last cut. That same coach could end up being your coach next year and you do not need to burn a bridge with him. Every school has the story each year of a couple of kids who got cut from the 7th grade team, worked hard over the summer and made the 8th grade team. (did I mention how important the summer is to improve your game?)
Good Luck,
Coach Chuck
Check out other great coaching aids at the following link:Basketball Coaching Aids
Here are my best tips as you get ready and then participate in the tryout:
1) If you have a couple of weeks, or even a couple of days, get out and play. Work on your mid-range shot, your free throws, make all your layups (especially with your off hand). If you have not been playing for a while you need to get the feel of a ball back in your hands. Get a good workout video or set of drills to do and work up a sweat doing them. The feel of the ball will make a big difference when you start working with the other players during the tryout. The football players typically have the hardest time getting their feel back and throw a bunch of bricks during the first week of practice.
2) Try to gage your competition. Figure out who is trying out (most schools have a tryout signup sheet) and rank yourself accordingly. If your school is large this may be hard to do, if it is small you probably already know where you stand. Look at a regular team of 12 players – a coach will keep 4-5 guards, 3-4 forwards, 2-3 centers and normally a couple of good hustle-type defensive players. Figure out where you stand on a depth chart, even if it is only in your own mind.
3) At the actual tryout, make a point to get into drills with players that you are slightly better than. My son had a best friend in 7th grade who was the best player in the class (he was the second best). The two of them would always want to square off in the drills with my son normally coming out on the short end of the competition. While I was always impressed with this type of attitude and desire for competition I have been consistently surprised at coaches who are always ranking the players by position. My son would have been beaten several times by this same boy in drills for a guard spot and his ranking would have likely been low. If the coach had only memories of my son getting beat when the cut was made, he would have faced a challenge to be on the final team roster.
4) Be the hustle guy at the tryout. Each team has a hustle guy who is rewarded with making the team when perhaps the talent is not all there. Hustle is free, you did not have to work all summer at it, you just need to provide it, and you should provide it all the time. I will discuss practice attitudes in a later post but please understand that coaches know and remember the players who hustle, almost as much as the ones they remember who do not. Hustle means to hustle everywhere and to everything – not just in the sprints but during everything – even to and from a water break. If you find yourself talking, walking or hanging out during the tryout, wake yourself up and start moving. Believe me, the coach is watching.
5) Have a sense of common courtesy. You are trying out for a team, not an American Idol audition. Let your play and your desire make the team, keep your attitude and cockiness away. Look your coach in the eye when you speak to him/her, look at him and listen without talking when he speaks. Practice a firm regular handshake, full hand covering each other, your coach will notice. I always shook my players hands to see if they were mature enough to know how to do it correctly. Keep the jokes and the quick witted comments off the court, even if you know you can get a great laugh from it. Don’t knock anyone’s game – ever. You might be the next player to shoot the ball over the backboard on a free throw (you never know). Be on time. Have your equipment with you. Don’t wear clothes that stick out too much from the other kids. Don’t let yourself be judged by anything other than your positive attitude and your basketball ability.
6) Think about the types of drills a tryout typically has in it and physically/mentally prepare for them. 3-man weave with a good catch and release while on the run, off hand layups on the run, shooting drills off the dribble/curl/screen, one on one drills. Lots of coaches do full court drills (11 man drills) to judge players with the ball on fast break, these drills also keep the group moving and can be done by large groups easily. If you have an open gym prior to the tryout and the coach is there, ask him/her what types of drills will be done at the tryout so you can mentally prepare.
7) Know your strengths and try to get them on display. If you know you are good dribbler/shooter/rebounder - be sure that you are able to find a way to showcase that talent without showing off. Do it often. I once knew a boy who could make shots from 15 feet. That was his range – period. He would shoot bricks from 12 and could not throw it in the ocean from the 3 point line. He spent his entire game right around the free throw line so he could get a screen and shoot. He knew and stuck with his strengths.
8) Find a way to tell the coach about yourself. If you played for 5 seasons with a select team, make sure he knows it. If you were your team’s best rebounder last season, be sure to tell him. Even if you are very talented in another sport – be sure he knows. Do it in a way that is factual without being a bragger. Your coach will remember it when he has to make the final cuts.
9) Take a charge and always box out. Find a way to take a charge in a scrimmage. Get good position, feel the contact and then flop on your rear. Coaches love it and you will stand out immediately. Always box out your man. If a shot goes up from anywhere, no matter where you are find your man and box him out (especially if he just shot the ball). So many players will turn and watch the shot, allowing a hustling offensive player to get a ball and an easy stick back while you look silly for letting him by. Remember to box out.
10) Have fun. It’s 7th grade basketball, not exactly a breaking point in your life. If you get cut, find a team to play with so you can keep playing and enjoy it. Congratulate the guys that made it, go see some games during their season and tell yourself you’ll be back next year. If you get the chance, ask the coach for feedback on your game. Most will tell you what they thought and give you some solid advice on what to work on for next year. Be friendly if you end up getting bad news on the last cut. That same coach could end up being your coach next year and you do not need to burn a bridge with him. Every school has the story each year of a couple of kids who got cut from the 7th grade team, worked hard over the summer and made the 8th grade team. (did I mention how important the summer is to improve your game?)
Good Luck,
Coach Chuck
Check out other great coaching aids at the following link:Basketball Coaching Aids
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