Did you happen to see Erica White from LSU in the women’s NCAA semi-final game? There was a fantastic picture of her on TV, coming out of a timeout, with 7.1 seconds left in the game, down by 1 point at 45-44, with the whole world watching. The picture showed just her eyes as she stepped up to the free throw line to take those shots. She got to the line before the other players and stood there as they walked by to take their place at the line. No doubt, there were some comments made to her from the opposing team, there always are in that situation. She was ice.
The camera focused on her eyes and did not let the picture go. She stood and watched the ball in the referee’s hands. She kept her eyes on the ball as the referee bounced it once prior to throwing it to her. Erica watched it as it came to her, dribbled once, twice, looked at the rim and then shot the ball. The camera pulled back in time to see the perfect result of that level of focus – swish.
She did the same on the second shot – her eyes were the perfect picture of focus. In her mind, there was no one else in the building, just the rim, the ball and Erica. The result of the second shot was the same – swish. It gave me chills to watch it. A great athlete, totally in the zone, playing for the moment. I hope you have been there, I have only been there a few times and I will never forget each of them.
Fast forward to the Men’s NCAA championship game the next night. Check out the look on the face of the Memphis players as they are clinking their free throws and Kansas is breathing down their neck. Memphis had been ahead most of the game, LSU was never ahead. Memphis was playing to not lose the game, Erica white was playing to win it all. The face on Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts was one of fear, they could not look up, they could not look at the ball before it came to them, they knew everyone in the world was watching them shoot those free throws.
It is important to have a routine when you go to the line. A routine that you can follow no matter what the situation, what the score, wherever you are. Erica had that routine and stuck to it, Memphis was lacking a routine to follow.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%.
I hope Memphis reads this page.
Good Luck,
Coach Chuck
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