Proper Shooting Mechanics
Sorry it’s been a little bit since I’ve written but I’ve been extremely busy with things. I’ll make it up over the next couple of days I promise.
Today I want to discuss the proper shooting mechanics and the 3 things that I focus on with each shot or when I’m evaluating shooters.
1. Footwork is undervalued when it comes to shooting. One of the most important things a shooter can do is make sure that his feet are aiming at the basket. The feet square up your entire body and play a role in everything else. I make sure that my front foot or ’shooting foot’ as i call it is pointed directly at the front rim. Thinking about my feet also takes pressure off of everything else for me because that’s what I focus on first thing.
2. Elbow being straight: If your elbow is straight the ball will travel straight. To test this out, just take a ball and with one hand shoot some shots. Make sure your elbow is straight and aiming at the target. If your ’shooting’ foot is pointed at the target and your elbow is straight then the ball will travel straight. Only one thing can mess up the path of the ball.
3. THUMB Shooting: It’s the 3rd thing and the most common mistake that beginning shooters can make. Understand that the shot is something that can be done right if it is consistent and some of the best shooters in the game are thumb shooters. Ray Allen is a thumb shooter and he’s amazing but he’s also extremely consistent in his release while others aren’t. Thumb shooting occurs when the off hand thumb comes into play to help propel the ball towards the basket. Why i don’t teach it is because of the fact that the thumb can mess with the flight pattern of the ball because it can push the ball on your shooting hand off by an inch or less and that’s all it takes to create an inconsistent shot. Most thumb shooters are very very streaky because they can dial in the release for a stretch and be very good and then minutes later you’ll see them get very very bad.
When practicing or starting out make sure that you point that foot at the basket, keep your elbow straight and don’t allow your thumb to push the ball at all. Only use your off hand as a guide.
