|
Following is Part V of a sample collection of thoughts and suggestions I wrote mostly in response to email questions. This collection of writings will slowly be expanded as a way for you to read my slant on a number of subjects related to shooting and how to learn/coach the skill.
---------------------------------------------------------- One of the most important "keys" of the Swish Method is the mastering of the Release from what's called the Zero Point in the video (I prefer "Pure Release Distance" now). There, with no leg power (very young kids can use a little leg power, just make it the same everytime; older kids can use just a tiny down-up or rocking motion to trigger the arm motion), the "full out" Release (about 75% of max. speed and force) will send the ball high and soft, dead center every time. If s/he can't do that, there's no value in moving back and adding leg power (UpForce) and complicating things. But once s/he truly "gets" the Pure Release, then s/he'll start to make everything. More and more UpForce is needed as you move back, because the Release only goes X feet, and that's great. Quick Release, high arch, powerful and connected Follow Through, and, voilà, the ball goes in the basket. ---------------------------------------------------------- Some arm strength is needed, but not as much as you think. With the Method I coach, most of the power comes from the legs. The Release only needs to go a few feet and you train yourself to do the same motion over and over and over. And it's an upward push, not a flippy or thowing motion. The legs provide the variable energy. But if your arms are so weak you can't get the ball up to 11-12' or more (to come down softly from above the rim) from a distance of just 3', 4', or 5', then, yes, do any exercises to build arm strength. Most coaches teach wrist flipping and arm action, which I say creates a flat, hot shot and is hard to repeat. With that method, then, yes, you're limited by your upper body strength. But if all you're doing with the arm and hand is an upward pushing action, at a constant speed and force (maybe 75% of max), then arm strength is less important. ---------------------------------------------------------- Yes, it's possible to get too much arch. I rarely see it, so I keep saying "as high as possible," but 10', 12', 15' and more above the rim is too high because it's both hard to judge the distance and the ball starts to accelerate as it approaches the rim, thus making it more "hot." It's fun and useful to "play" with height and shoot that high, but then tame it down when you shoot for real. If she can shoot ultra high and make the shots, then there's no problem, but it's a difficult thing to do consistently. To coach your daughter, see how she is shooting so high. Is it from the legs? Or is it from a very strong arm action? She may have to tame it down, again, very rare. Have her work from the Zero Point (I prefer "Pure Release Distance" now). She should be able to drill shot after shot after shot from that same distance, high arching, soft landing, dead center, swish! Fire off the Release (make that consistent) and then adjust the distance from the basket accordingly, so the shots come in from high, dead center. From the PRD, the bottom of the ball can get up to 11 1/2, 12 or 13 feet -- much higher than that probably isn't necessary. If she (or anyone) is that strong, then raise the Set Point. You want the repeatable release motion. That's the key. As she moves back, then, the leg power will be needed to power and stabilize the shot. ---------------------------------------------------------- I'm just saying that Jeff Horncek, Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Mark Price and most of the truly great shooters shoot the way I coach and it made them super effective. Ray is a terrific shooter, but in my opinion he uses too much wrist and hand power. Other styles are possible, but great, repeatable shooting requires fewer variables, and, to me, use of the wrist and hand adds variables and flattens the shot. To learn the Swish Method, you have to isolate just the Release (shoot from just 3 1/2', 4', 4 1/2' [more if you're that strong] away with no legs, or just a tiny, triggering leg motion). Shoot and then adjust your distance so you have a high arching, full out (about 70-75% of max. speed and force) action. Practice it over and over and over, and practice it every time you go to shoot, start in close and re-learn, re-discover that relaxed wrist motion. It'll become easy and pure and repeatable. Then you can start moving back and adding legs. When you master that simple Release and then add leg drive energy to power and stabilize your shots, you're going to start making everything because you know exactly what's coming off your fingertips each time you shoot. Varying arch is how you control distance! And having a passive wrist and hand makes accuracy greater. Wherever you point your arm, the ball goes there ... exactly. ---------------------------------------------------------- What do you mean by keeping the Release the same? By "the same," I mean the same speed and force, the same relaxed wrist and hand! The angle is the only thing that changes, to control distance. That will be instinctive. You don't have to think about what angle. Your clever body will know to aim higher or lower. And always plan to shoot very high, if possible, which requires a strong, deliberate leg drive action. Master the Release from the Pure Release Distance!!! This is a distance where, with no legs or just a tiny, triggering kind of motion, you fire off your Release aimed high and the ball comes down dead center every time. The ball gets up to 11 1/2' 12' or a little more (not 15-20') and drops softly into the center, swish. Don't adjust your Release to fit the distance. Adjust the distance to fit the Release!!! From there you should be able to make 5, 10, 20 in a row any time you want and make 90-95% of your shots (and get focused, calm, trusting). If you can't make a bunch in a row like a robot, any time you choose, it means your Release is not "constant," not simple and repeatable. Moving back with that kind of unstble Release will just make things worse as you add more variables (the leg drive, the distance, maybe extra body movement, etc.). Keep it simple. ---------------------------------------------------------- Your spin is not perfectly backspin because you must be doing something extra with your shooting hand or wrist (or even the off hand). Observe yourself shoot very carefully and see if you can figure out what's interfering. To practice a great Release, bring your shooting hand in line with your shooting eye and the target (an open stance is more natural than a square stance). Observe if your hand is directly in line with the target. Is the center of the hand in line. The fingers are pointing vertically. To shoot, simply straighten your arm in a pushing action, aimed up high in the direction of the target, and hold the follow through. You might do it one-handed for awhile to learn it, and then add the off hand. Observe to see if your hand twists or does it stay straight in line with the target. If it stays straight in line you should get perfect backspin, medium in speed if you do it fairly strong and quickly. If your hand is doing something else, that will interfere with the normal, medium backpin that a relaxed wrist and hand will create naturally when the arm is pushed directly in line with a target. I advocate NO tension in the wrist and hand. That way the action is simple and repeatable. And you'll find it's the way the greatest shooters shoot (Jeff Hornacek, Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Mark Price, etc.). The Release is just an arm thing, a pushing to the end-of-the-arm at the same speed and force every time. Go to my website (http://www.swish22.com) and read all my articles, Newsletters, coaching suggestions, Q&A's, etc. You will read of the simple way of shooting that I coach. The July 2002 Newsletter has a section entitled "What Matters in Shooting..." It talks about how the Hand matters, how that hand is pointing and how it's used in the shot. This spin thing is simple bio-mechanics, not some complicated thing. But you have to be aware of what you do. ---------------------------------------------------------- Q: I'm trying to vary arch to control distance, as you advise, but I'm always short. What's wrong? A: Don't make arch a set thing! It's an intangible. It has to be figured instinctively, in the moment, based on how far you are away from the basket, how much power you feel from the lower body (leg drive, UpForce), how fast you have to shoot, how much of the leg energy you are "catching," etc. etc. You will just KNOW whether to raise or lower the arch at the moment of release. If you are short or long, it just means
you are not paying attention to all those variables (at least
To learn how to do this, play around with it! Experiment, explore, discover! Be creative! Stand in one spot, say 12-15 feet away,
and take a bunch of shots. Each time vary the amount of I feel this adjustment in arch can be completely
instinctive, nothing to think about. With practice Return
to Index Why is it valuable to practice a motion in a smaller/shorter mode and to slow it down? As to small and slow, I just know that awareness is the key to learning, and if you can keep it small and even slow, in the beginning, you will develop better awareness of what you do. A slow motion golf swing does wonders for a player's awareness of what the club is doing. Once you're aware, then you can speed up to 1/2 speed, 3/4 speed, and normal quickly and easily. The problem with most players is that they don't know what they do, exactly what they do. They'll look at an area, perhaps, see or feel something, and think they know what's happening there. Awareness takes careful attention, and, for a complicated motion, repeated constant attention, as it is, besides being basically unknown, probably also shifting and moving. The basketball Release is not complicated, so it doesn't take the kind of attention that a golf swing does, thus awareness will develop more quickly. ---------------------------------------------------------- I can't say without seeing how strong, talented, motivated, etc. you are. If you learn to shoot well and can learn to dribble, pass, screen, play defense, fake, have good conditioning, then, yes, probably, you can at least make your high school team. It all depends. Why don't you just "go for it" and see what happens? Dedicate yourself to the project, define what you need to learn to make it (ask coaches, friends, top players, your parents), set a plan for how you're going to succeed, and start the work. It will be an enjoyable and enlightening project!!! WHAT DO YOU NEED TO ACCOMPLISH AND CAN YOU DO IT? Look at it positively, visualize what you want, set your goals in whatever form you can, and then take action, one step at a time. Record your progress. It will take lots of hard work. You'll need to learn to love the practice. You'll have breakthroughs and breakdowns. Can you stay committed? When things get tough, do you quit or do you strengthen your resolve and keep going? It will teach you a lot about yourself. Look at it that way. If it's something you think you want, then you can just create it. You can create something out of nothing by your own willpower, resolve, hard work, planning, commitment, etc. etc. All of the above. I hope this inspires you to not worry about the odds against you and just strive for the goal. What have you got to lose? At the worst, you won't make your goal but you'll still learn a lot about yourself. As someone put it, "Shoot for the stars and maybe you'll hit the moon!" At best, you'll become a talented player and have a great time with basketball. Sports are really just a metaphor for life. If you can learn to set goals and then work hard to reach them, you can accomplish great things. ---------------------------------------------------------- Bending your knees may not be enough. You need to generate a powerful surge of energy and then use all of that energy to power your free throw. Start in close, maybe 6 feet away, where you need just a little leg power. Start straight-legged and do a tiny down-up leg action and shoot from that, putting your automatic, relaxed wrist and hand, no brainer, full out, high arching (bottom of the ball to 11 1/2 or 12 feet, maybe slightly higher, not too high) Release on top of it. With a little practice you should be able to make 95%+ of your shots, effortlessly, dead center swish, over and over. You will be able to make 10, 20, 40 in a row or more once you really "get" it. Keep practicing it until you do. The Release needs to be the same every time. Call the shot from this first distance a "micro" free throw. Then move back to approx. 9-10 feet and increase the leg drive. Still the same down-up motion, though now a little bigger. Same Release, swish swish swish. Call this a "mini" free throw. Automatic, full out, high arching, swish after swish after swish! Maybe make one more interim stop, with a bigger leg drive, and practice from there. Then go to the full 13'9" distance (to dead center of the basket) and do your normal free throw motion. It will be a bigger leg drive (UpForce), quite strong, with the same Release. You should start to make these with great consistency. It's not a big deal now. It's a "sure thing" rather than a "guessing game." Accuracy comes from having a relaxed wrist and hand that do not interfere and throw the ball off line. The ball flies exactly wherever you point your arm. Consistency comes from using the big muscles, the legs and middle body, to power and control your shot. And Repeatability comes from the full out, automatic, same-speed-and-force Release action, ever the same. Only the angle (arch) changes to accommodate differences in leg drive, fatigue, adrenalin, etc. Keep it this simple. If you can't make a ton of shots from 6 feet, it ain't going to get any easier as you move back. So start small and close in until you start to master the motion. Key, as always, is developing the constant Release. And the idea of "Down-Up" is crucial, as it gives a powerful and stable driving force. Don't start in a crouched position. That robs you of half of the stability. The Release and Follow Through get the ball on line to the target with great precision. Stay connected to your target throughout the motion. Trust yourself. Trust your shot. Master a couple simple things and consistently great free throw shooting is yours! ---------------------------------------------------------- (From a player: "I just seem to go blank on that detail for no reason whatsoever.") Hold the ball in your entire hand with fingers spread wide apart (without strain). Then add a little pressure in the finger pads. That will give you more solid, tactile connection with the ball and will also bring the ball off of the base of the palm, giving you the gap there that every coach advises. It still touches the top of the palm. That should be the grip you want. When you straighten your arm quickly in an upward direction (with totally relaxed wrist and hand -- as you push, you relax the finger pad pressure), the hand will flop forward and the shot will fly true. The ball will roll easily off the fingers and create medium backspin every time, without trying for backspin. ---------------------------------------------------------- Comment: "Received the video...watch the video...enjoyed it. The trust thing is going to be hard to get down. Everything I was shooting was waaaaaay long in my game yesterday...adjusted by shooting higher with no success. I cut the follow through short on shots too. This gonna take a while." Response: Keep "mastering" the pure Release, from 4-5', whatever the distance is for you. That needs to become more and more automatic. When it is, then all you need is to connect to the target, catch the UpForce, shoot quick and high, simply adjust the height according to the power you feel in the moment and stay connected in the Follow Through to keep the focus just that much longer. You need to become a little like a "robot" with the Release. When you pull the trigger, it just fires off the same, with no thought, just awareness of power and a last-second adjustment to height. ---------------------------------------------------------- As to the Zero Point (I prefer "Pure Release Distance" now), have the kids spend a lot of time there!!! It's the critical first step! The kids should be able to make 5, 10, 15 in a row or more anytime they want. Dead center, swishes. Eyes closed, eyes looking at the ground, maybe even looking away. If they make only 6 of 9, for example, that reveals still a lot of variability. They need to make that a robotic kind of action, always the same, automatic. Tell them it's a major thing, the key thing. Keep asking them what they are feeling. Can they feel that they're getting more automatic, more constant, more "no brainer" with the Release? You want high arch, so find the perfect distance for that. Then, once that's starting to become "mastered"
to some degree, when they move back they'll be Changing the arch at the last instance
is how they can keep that same Release without worrying about
distance. ---------------------------------------------------------- Q: I do have one question for you. Do you have any tips regarding bank shots. Like how far out is a bank shot still effective, where should you aim for, should you even bother, does it really increase your odds of making it? A: The bank shot is a great shot in those narrow triangles to either side of the basket. And it requires a different stroke, a throwing or flipping motion, just the kind of motion you want to avoid for a swish shot. Thus I don't mention them much, except to say it's an effective shot (ugly but effective). If you try to get arch, it makes it a difficult shot. But it's only a small percent of the floor where they are effective. I usually prefer to go for swishes from all spots, except in close at the angle, shots which one rarely gets. But those are automatic goals. Q: I've always had better luck just going for the swish, but 20 years ago the various coaches always wanted us to go for the bank. I've always had a high arching shot (the result of playing against my Dad as a little kid), but after watching your video, I'm realizing that I must be throwing it at the backboard instead of arching it. A: I like the swish better, too, and when you have a great stroke, you can make them easily and consistently from any spot. Like you said, you have to throw it at the backboard for a bank shot, else it doesn't work so well. So it's the antithesis of the swish stroke. Easy to do if you're in the narrow part of the court, maybe no more than 15 feet from the basket. I don't think it would be difficult to learn or teach the bank shot stroke. It's an easy shot from those two narrow areas. Just realize it is a different stroke! Return
to Index A: Dear coach, What are you looking for in a 8 to 12 week shooting workout? I think you and your son can make up your own workouts once he knows how to practice his shooting and you know how to coach it, what to look for, etc. It's just a matter of increasing the speed and game situations, always working on the Release, the use of UpForce, connecting to the target, etc. I hope you are joining him in this exploration of shooting. You can see better what he's doing/not doing when you can do it yourself, and he'll have a model in you. Ask him to coach you a little. (Have you seen my coaching for kids on how to coach their parents? See the Nov. 2001 Newsletter: http://www.swish22.com/Nltr_311.html.) I think most people think that the solution is more repetitions, more quantity. I don't think so. I feel it's quality that counts, not quantity. Yes, you need some quantity, but no where near the quantity when there's no or little awareness. You can "get" shooting in one stroke, if awareness is super high. Then it's just a matter of expanding your moves and shooting from different situations. Those you'll know how to set up and monitor. I keep trying to simplify things. My feeling is that once you know how to shoot, then ANY drill will work to expand your experience, your confidence, etc. But if you don't know how to shoot, don't know what you're practicing and why, all the repetitions in the world aren't going to help much. ---------------------------------------------------------- My coaching for movement to the right is to "not worry about getting the body turned around into a fully open position -- it's much more important to get your eye, hand/ball and target aligned and pull the trigger quickly and strongly and connected to the target!" (As one coach put it, "get lined up rather than squared up!" You can't take the time to turn as far as 45 degrees, usually. Going left is much easier, because you're already open and alignment is very easy and automatic. To keep it very simple with movement left
or right, make sure you... In the middle is, of course, the full-out*, constant Release, always the same speed and force, aimed as high as possible, adjusting the height (angle) to control the distance. *Full out means about 65-75% of maximum speed and force ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For shooting off the dribble, here's what I say and demo in my clinics. Due to the extra "chaos" happening off the dribble (movement left, right, up, down, rotation, a defender, greater speed, etc.), you need two things: 1) Have a great beginning and 2) have a great ending. By the first one I mean you need to "catch" the UpForce more than ever off the dribble! When you do, you get all the great power and stability available. The shot shoots itself. Secondly, after the usual solid, relaxed, full-out Release motion, have a great Finish, a great Follow Through. That help keep the ball on line longer and more connected to the basket. Otherwise everything is the same: UpForce to trigger and drive the shot, a quick and constant release, high arch, being ready to vary the arch as needed to control distance. One last thing: As to body position, for a right-hander going to the right, you need to pivot on the inside (left) foot and then rotate quite a bit to be "open" to the basket. Do the pivot and rotation, but don't worry about being exactly open such and such degrees. Just rotate so you can get the hand/ball, eye and target aligned and then "Pull the Trigger," "Let it Fly!" Trust yourself, fire off the Release connected to the target, vary the arch instinctively, finish well and the shots will fly true. Going right has one advantage, and that is that you pivot on the left foot and then turn strongly toward the basket, thus generating more leg drive (what I call UpForce). Thus there's more of the stabilizing leg energy to power and control the shot. Going left you generate leg drive from a more passive stance. If you look at it that way, both directions have their challenges and their advantages. ---------------------------------------------------------- Obviously you have not mastered the "pure" Release. You need to spend more time at the Zero Point (which I now prefer to call the "Pure Release Distance"), where, with little or no leg power, you can make 95+% of your shots with high arch, with a to-the-end-of-the-arm, arm-straightening motion at the same speed and force every time. That, I am realizing, is the major "key." I'm now starting to call it "Sticking the Release!" You straighten the arm and hold it on line with the target for a second or two. Once you have that down to some degree, like it's a robotic action, then you will start to make everything! You will then NEED the leg drive or UpForce for every shot outside that PRD semi-circle distance, because the Release is a constant, measureable, predictable thing, and you will NEED to vary arch so the Release can be the same every time. Check it out. See if you can go to the PRD and drill shot after shot after shot, with high arch, dead center, with what I call a "Full Out" motion (meaning about 70-75% of max. speed and force). You should be able to close your eyes and do it quite well. Even look at the ground and do it. Play with it. Experiment! This is a key thing. Don't just do it a couple of times and think you've got it mastered. If you can't make it brilliantly any time you want, then there's no point in going back and adding variables (leg power, body movement, etc.). It will just get more out of control. Accuracy happens when your wrist and hand are fully relaxed in the Release. When they are, wherever you straighten your arm to is where the ball goes. Distance is controlled by varying the arch, not the Release. Leg power will vary, of course, but aim to generate at least enough power to get the ball to the basket with good arch. If you err on the "high side" (too much) you can always go higher. If you err on the "low side" (too little), you're in trouble because you will be short or you'll have to add extra arm, wrist or hand power that that adds variables and flattens the shot. Pretend you're a beginner with this method and do the progression I talk about in the video over. You will find new stuff each time you shoot. And you will figure this simple, powerful method out. ---------------------------------------------------------- "i have a couple of questions id like to ask u. Q #1: My set point is above my head and i have enough power to put it there. The problem is i cant get the ball fast enough to my set point. By the time i do, i have no up-force left. Then i end up throwing the ball. how am i suppose to get the ball to my set-point and have lots of upforce left?" A: You just have to work on this and figure it out. It will take a quicker motion that you are currently doing. As you start your jump, start the setting motion, too. They work in unison so you're ready to catch all the leg energy for your shot. Make sure the set point is at the front of your head (the back of the ball), then it can get there quickly. Practice it. Make it your goal to "catch" as much UpForce as you can and see how quickly you set the ball. If it's slow, then do it again, noting how quickly you do (or don't do) it. Being in front, you can get there in a flash. You may have to change how you get ready to shoot. If you make the goal to catch 100% of the UpForce, then your body will figure out a way to "set" the ball quicker, earlier, something... Q #2: Can u send me some homework like it said on ur site? i already did a lot of the constant release stuff (standing 5 feet from basket, shooting over and over again). what can i do after this, or should i just keep doing this? Once again, id greatly appreciate u sending me some homework, thanx." A: The Homework is for coaches. If you
want to see that, go to the "For Coaches" page. See
the You've got the idea. Master the pure Release first. If you can't just stand there and, with no leg action or just a tiny bit to trigger things, drill shot after shot after shot, like a robot, then you haven't mastered it enough to move back and expect great shooting. Think of it this way: You want to "Stick" the Release each time, that is, fire it off to the end of the arm, straightening the arm to full extension (you can feel the elbow lock) and holding it there for a half second or so. Don't just fire it off and then pull it back or move it up or down. Hold it longer and you'll notice you are more connected to the target. Varying arch at the last instant is the final adjustment. Aim to shoot high whenever possible. For the pure Release, that means finding a distance where you can aim high and the ball drops down softly dead center. Then when you move back and need to add legs, don't short change yourself with this power. Aim for it to be at least enough for a high arching shot. If you have more, then go higher, less, go lower. It becomes an automatic sort of thing, simple, easy, repeatable. Keep it simple. Don't over-analyze it or complicate things. ---------------------------------------------------------- "I have contacted you on many occiosions on how to shoot better. I went through about 3 months or the last time I emailed you, for that matter. I surely thought I was on my way to becoming a pure shooter because since I last contacted you I couldnt miss! I absolutly couldnt, I was the best shooter around its as easy as that. I was putting up around 35 points a game. and shooting 65-75% from 3 point land. some how I have gone back to shooting lets call it "funny" for lack of a better word. "After I went back to "my old way of shooting" I went back to about 16 points a game and shooting a 60% from the free thow line; when I was up at 92% this is very hard for me to experience greatness then do this stuff! Ok I know this is gunna sound wierd but, this is what I know for a fact I have even had someone video me. I use all of the upforce have a good set point a constant release and Im connected to the target. I know my shots are almost never ! off left or right or long but they all ALWAYS come up short! for the past Id say 2 months. boing! I cant remember the last time I missed left or right but I have absolutly horried %'s from the floor because its short and I was wondering could it have some thing to do with my grip? thats the only thing I can think of. I NEED your help, I was a sure thing for varsity in my upcoming season but now my coach has flat out asked me what happend to your jumpshot? I jump straight up I dont know what it is!" A: The fact that you did it proves you can. It's just getting back there again. Two things: My bet is that you're just under-applying
the UpForce, being a little tentative. Go for it! Let me know what happens. This is not difficult.
You're just interfering with yourself -------------------- A: By feel, I mean awareness through the sense of feel. And I mean awareness of everything, not just what is "right." "Right" is a judgment, so be wary of that. My truth in a golf swing is different from your truth and neither is necessarily "right" for the other. If you can just feel (be present with) your follow through, for example, or the "uplift" of the legs, without the judgment of right or wrong, then the body will find it's own best way to do the motion. A good coach can lead a student to the areas that are most important, and help clarify what you're looking for, but it has to be the student who does the "learning," the "self discovery" that leads to real learning. I agree that to change a player's shot, he or she must feel it, and, through feel and feedback, she or he will know what works best, what's most efficient, etc. A "Distinction" is the name we give to being able to distinguish (differentiate) between two different experiences. Like "Balance" on a bicycle. The words of your parents or a sibling or friend about how to learn balance were for naught. You had to fall left and right yourself, over and over, until you finally "got" balance. Once you "got" it, you never lost it. Well, distinctions like grip or follow
through or uplift (UpForce, I call it) are like that, too. The
coach can only be a guide and a cheerleader. The student makes
the discoveries, and the process is awareness (feel being one
of the senses for awareness). And don't be a cheerleader for
success, for the "right" things. Be a cheerleader for
awareness and learning and exploration and discovery. Then the
student is best able to experience what's happening and great
learning happens. |