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THE SHOOTING NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER '99
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By Tom Nordland, Shooting Coach
Issue Number 8, December 1999
Editor: Tom Nordland
To E-mail Tom
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ATTENTION: You are receiving this newsletter
because you subscribed to it. If you'd like to remove yourself
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of this newsletter. Our subscriber list is NOT made available
to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber
and respect your privacy.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Welcome from the Coach
2. Purpose of this Newsletter
3. Review of 1999 Newsletter Items
4. Shooting Clinics / Private Coaching
5. How to Subscribe / Unsubscribe
6. Contact Information
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1. Welcome from the Coach
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Welcome to my Monthly Basketball Shooting Newsletter. This will
be a forum about the skill of shooting in the great game of basketball.
I invite your questions and will answer them in this Newsletter.
Remember: Great Shooting CAN be taught!
- Tom Nordland
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2. Purpose of this Newsletter
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This Newsletter is a vehicle for communicating
what I know about shooting. I see the game in deep trouble because
there are very few great shooters any more, and few people know
how to coach great shooting. Coaches and players everywhere lament
the decline in this master skill. Wonderfully designed plays
are run to perfection, a player is opened up for a 10-15' shot
or a 3, and then the shot is missed. It even happens so often
that coaches and players aren't surprised when the shot is botched.
Failure is kind of expected, but it's still disappointing. Articles
are written about this dilemma, and people are looking for an
answer.
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3. REVIEW OF 1999 NEWSLETTER ITEMS
......(To review the whole Newsletters, click on the links)
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As is the custom in our society at year end, I'd like to do a
review of the year's Newsletters. I started them with the May
Issue, so there are seven issues in the Archives. I hope you
have enjoyed my different perspective on the state of shooting
in the game of basketball today. And I trust you can now see
new possibilities for learning and coaching this critical, skill
in the game.
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Link to May `99 Shooting Newsletter
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May Item #3. The State of Shooting in the Game Today
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In this first issue of the Newsletter, I first described what
I see as the reasons for the deterioration of shooting skills
for the past 20-30 years. Many articles talk about how such things
as "jamming" and the 3-point shot changed the way kids
practice the game. Also the emphasis on games and performance
rather than practice and developing skills has slowed learning.
Somehow, over time, shooting skills diminished and expectations
of players and coaches dropped accordingly.
From research of statistics supplied to
me by the Federation of State High School Associations in Kansas
City, Missouri, and the NCAA in Overland Park, Kansas, the one
bright spot I noticed was that girls and women had improved their
free throw shooting from 1980-81 to 1995-6, and their decline
in field goals and 3-point shots was less than the boys. In fact
high school girls wound up shooting better than the boys from
the 3-point arc in 1995-96, 29% to 28%.
My analysis of those statistics are that
girls know they can't muscle the ball with upper body strength,
so they shoot more with their legs, and that's a preferred way
of doing it anyway. My "Swish" Method is based on power
coming from the lower body.
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May Item #4. Comments on the NBA Playoffs
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Next I commented on the NBA Playoffs that were happening in May.
I noted how the teams still playing were those who had better
shooting performance. I commented on the shooting skill of some
of the players on those teams: Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Rik
Smits for the Pacers; Latrell Spreewell and Allan Houston the
the Knicks, Jimmy Jackson, Rasheed Wallace, Walt Williams, Arvydas
Sabonis and Isaiah Rider for the TrailBlazers; Steve Kerr, Sean
Elliott, Mario Ellie and Tim Duncan for the Spurs.
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May Item #5. Suggestions for Summer Skill Building
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Finally in May I gave some suggestions for improving your shooting
over the summer. As a coach, it's important to stress to the
kids how important the skill of shooting is and that their success
the following season will be enhanced if they learn to shoot.
I discussed how too many games and little time for practice is
part of the problem in today's game. Kids don't have time to
experiment and fail. If all they do is play games and have stats
kept on their performance, they get stunted in their growth.
In the older days, kids spent a lot of time on individual skills.
Today we need a balance between learning, enjoyment and performance.
Tim Gallwey, author of The Inner Game books and coaching methodology
calls it the L-E-P triangle. Too much emphasis on just one of
the sides of the triangle (i.e. Performance) will lead to imbalance
and ultimate collapse. That's what's happening in the game today.
As a coach, you could restore some of the emphasis on the Learning
and Enjoyment parts of the triangle.
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Link to June
`99 Shooting Newsletter
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June Item #3. Comments on Shooting in the NBA Playoffs
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In June I made some comments on what I saw in the `99 NBA Finals
between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks. I presented
my opinions on why the Spurs won from a shooting perspective.
It was wonderful that the great David Robinson finally got his
ring. He's a classy man and deserved it. We need more good role
models in the game like the Admiral.
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June Item #4. How Do We Learn Something New?
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Then I looked at the subject of How We Learn. When asked by a
parent how long it would take his son to "learn" my
method, I told him it depended on how "coachable" his
son was, and how committed and dedicated to learning something
new.
The key thing is the Learning that the
son does. Learning doesn't come from the outside. A parent or
coach can tell a young player exactly what to do, but if the
player doesn't feel what's happening, there is no learning. He
or she could copy what you demonstrate and you'll think s/he's
getting it, but if there was no awareness, most likely the child
will slowly (or quickly) return to old habits and not even know
what happened.
I talked about how "Distinctions"
are how we learn. Distinctions are like "balance" on
a bicycle. They are things that have to be experienced to be
learned. All the words in world "about" balance will
not transfer the experience to someone who doesn't have it. But
once it's learned, once it's "discovered" by the learner,
it is never forgotten. Though you may be rusty getting on a bicycle
after 20 years, you'll re-learn "balance" in an instant.
With shooting, coach the distinctions of
shooting (like arch, power from the legs, Release, Follow Through,
etc.), not the descriptions of how to do things. Guide your players
into feeling and seeing what they do, what they "actually"
do. That's how they'll learn what you wish to convey, through
Experience. Words alone won't do it. In fact I believe Awareness
of experience is the only thing that's developmental.
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June Item #5. KIDS' KORNER
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Next I asked kids if they "goofed" off during the summer
or did they really learn something. And I asked them to be serious
about basketball (for at least some of the summer) if they really
want to get better and do well. I invited them to ask for help
from other players, older siblings, and from adults around them.
Asking for coaching is an important thing to learn. I know from
experience that too often I was shy about asking for help, and
the bottom line was I didn't develop in many areas of life that
I could have. Adults LOVE to be asked to help.
Getting help from others is fine, and searching
out things for themselves is okay, too. As they practice something
like shooting, I invited them to really pay attention to what
they do. Stop trying to perform all the time and find out what's
actually happening with direction and distance, height, the wrist
and hand, where power comes from, etc. etc. You can learn a lot
just by being attentive to the present moment.
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Link to July
`99 Shooting Newsletter
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July Item #3. The Role of Intention in Shooting
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In July, I wrote about the role of Intention in our shooting.
Intention is described in the Dictionary as "Determination
to act in a specified way." It's a measure of how specific
your goal is, how strongly you are determined to get it. I talked
about what strengthens it and what weakens it.
I also mentioned how Intention is not the
same as "wanting" something. It's more about who you
are "being" as you go to shoot. Wanting something too
much can lead to "trying" to get it. Intention asks
the body, without emotion or attachment, to do its best to accomplish
what it is you intend. It calls forth maximum effort because
it is something you CHOOSE to have happen.
Finally I suggest some ways to develop
Intention when you shoot a basketball.
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July Item #4. Do you need a Sports psychologist?
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Next I discuss the subject of the "mental" side of
shooting relative to shooting performance. Most people would
say the Shaq O'Neal's problems are all, or mostly, mental. I
beg to differ with that.
Surely his problems have become mental,
due to the long nature of the problem and the intense media scrutiny
that every facet of his game gets. But I feel the source -- and
thereby the solution -- is physical
I make the point that human beings are
the only species that interferes with its own growth. We have
this mental ability to doubt our own performance, right in the
middle of the action. Birds don't appear to do that. You don't
see a cat miss a bird and then hang its head in shame. But humans
... yes!
My point is that shooting a basketball
is physical, but we MAKE it mental. If that's true, then we can
also UNMAKE it mental and get back to a physical approach to
learning and performing. When we do, we'll perform closer and
closer to our potential.
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July Item #5. KIDS' KORNER
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For the kids, I stressed again the importance of Awareness in
learning. I had just come back from doing 13 shooting clinics
in Minnesota that summer and talked about what I had noticed.
I noticed that my words do not mean much. But the kids' experiences
mean a lot! From my work with Tim Gallwey, author of The Inner
Game of Tennis and The Inner Game of Golf, I had learned that
"EXPERIENCE IS THE ONLY TEACHER." I got a re-education
in that last summer.
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Link to August
`99 Shooting Newsletter
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August Item #3. Pete Newell's Big Man Camp in Hawaii
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In the August Newsletter I talked about my experiences of attending
the famous Pete Newell Big Man Camp in Hawaii. I had been invited
by Pete to observe the camp and do coaching in off moments after
he viewed my video. He is, like I am, saddened by the state of
shooting in this great game, and he sees a solution in my shooting
method and coaching.
I talked about what I saw in the 24 NBA
and ~30 College Big Men regarding their shooting abilities.
And finally I say again that I feel that
great shooting can be taught. It's not something you're either
born with or not. It's like anything else - with proper coaching
(either from outside or self coaching from within), you can learn
anything, including how to control the flight of a basketball.
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August Item #4. Kids' Korner
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For the kids, I asked them if they had had a "focused"
summer and really took advantage of the time and freedom to learn
some important things about playing the game of basketball. If
they did, they will probably have an advantage over players who
did not.
I told them I mention this because I remember
goofing off between my freshman and sophomore years in college,
and it hurt me come the following fall. If I had it to do over,
I would have been much more focused and intentional to learn
all I could in that valuable time between seasons.
I also talked about the value of keeping
things "small and slow" when learning something new.
In learning to shoot, spend a lot of time less than 8-10 feet
from the basket, learning how to do things well, small and slow.
Then, as you move back, you'll be better able to increase energy
and speed and keep the control you learned close in.
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Link to September
`99 Shooting Newsletter
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Sept. Item #3. Basketball season coming / Bill Bradley
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In September, I talked about how the season was beginning to
gear up, and NBA players are reporting to Training Camps.
I talked about reading Bill Bradley's great
book, "Values of the Game," and what it talked about.
I mentioned how, when he was a Professor-in-Residence at Stanford
last year I wrote him and sent a video for his review. He sent
a nice letter of congratulations but turned down a chance to
meet and shoot around.
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Sept. Item #4. Coaching in Atlanta
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Then I talked about coaching Dale Davis in Atlanta and how his
shooting is improving. I mentioned watching a bunch of NBA players
scrimmage. I got a chance to watch Stephon Marbury, the great
"Finisher" Shandon Anderson, John and Drew Barry, Tyrone
Hill, Tyron Lue and others up close. Their speed and strength
are amazing.
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Sept. Item #5. Can Shooting be learned as the season unfolds?
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Something I'm frequently asked is whether players should tinker
with their shots during a season. The general agreement with
coaches is "No." I beg to differ!
I feel if the learning is done within a
framework of awareness rather than shoulds and should nots, you
can learn and develop anything during a season. Of course you
don't want to try to change a shot in the middle of a game, and
if you do adjust your shot, you want lots of time to put it to
the test under pressure. But if it's done in a spirit of awareness
and discovery, why not?
I also offered to send coaches my thoughts
on how to coach shooting to a large group or team, especially
when there is little time for individual attention. Many of you
responded, so I wrote up a document entitled "Coaching Shooting
with Large Groups" and put it on my Website. If you wish
to read it, here's a direct link to it:
http://www.swish22.com/GroupCoach.html
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Sept. Item #6. KIDS' KORNER
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For the kids, I talked about the season approaching and how they
are probably getting excited and wondering if they'll be good
enough to make the team and/or play a lot of minutes. I invited
them to read my articles and newsletters for information and
encouragement. I suggested the video, too, of course, but a lot
can be learned by oneself.
But mostly I invited them to enjoy the
game! Basketball is just that -- a game! It is not who they are.
Winning is NOT everything. What's most important is who you are
and who you become by playing the game. Very few of you will
ever play the game for money.
I talked about Winning and Losing, and
how learning to handle them both with equal grace is a valuable
lesson -- a lot more important than trophies or medals or your
tears from losing. I encouraged them to be grateful for their
lives and for being able to play the game at any level.
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Link to October
`99 Shooting Newsletter
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Oct. Item #3. The Season is gearing up
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In October I talked about how the season is now getting into
gear, and how the Internet, more than ever, allows us to get
information about teams and players and games on a daily basis.
I mentioned some of the bookmarks I've already made and how you
can get the stats on any NBA game just a few hours after it's
played.
I discussed how, via the Internet, I'm
able to follow a player like Shaq O'Neal and his stats. I showed
his free throw performance for seven pre-season games and talked
about some his history with free throws and coaching help.
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Oct. Item #4. Is the problem "Mental"?
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I also talked about Shaq's free throw problems and whether or
not his problem's are "mental." As I've said before
in this Newsletter, I feel the source of his problems is physical
-- the inability to control distance and direction. Because he
misses so often, his mind -- the mental -- goes crazy and makes
it worse.
But the answer is still mental. Of course,
he has to stop doubting himself, he has to turn off the major
mental interference he's added to the equation. I mention a progression
of self talk that could happen for him (or any player), evolving
from "I am not a good shooter," through "I don't
know what kind of shooter I am," to "It's possible
I can become a good shooter," to "I am becoming a good
shooter," and finally to "I AM a good shooter!"
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Oct. Item #5. KIDS' KORNER
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For the kids, I encourage them to go "All Out" when
they play the game this season. I talk about how it's important
to ask for what you want in life and to really "Go"
for what you want. This is not a practice life.
As I've said before in a Newsletter, don't
be shy about asking for what you want and asking for coaching.
We all need coaching/mentoring in our lives.
I recommend a book called, "Mastery,"
by George Leonard. It's a wonderful book about the process of
Mastery, which we all need at every stage of our lives. Mostly
we do not practice mastery, rather we practice non-Mastery. The
quick fix, win-the- Lottery, Home Run mentality of our society
does not permit the unrushed, focused, patient attention to detail
and practice that are needed for real, sustained growth and development.
The book explains all that and gives suggestions for living a
life of Mastery.
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Link to November
`99 Shooting Newsletter
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Nov. Item #3. Poor Shooting Stats in College and Pro Games
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As the season starts, I talked about what I saw in the first
few weeks. I saw poor shooting. Surprise?
Not really a surprise. I watched my Stanford
team play two of the top teams in the country and win because
of superior shooting. I was surprised by the poor shooting of
Duke (at the time rated #6 in the country, I think) against Stanford
and Connecticut. Against Stanford, they made only 24 for 85 field
goals (28%). Against Connecticut they made 25 for 73 (34%), up
slightly. The 3's percentages were 36% and 34%, respectively.
Against Stanford, Duke had a higher percentage from outside the
3 point line, but it was still low.
Auburn, ranked #2, lost to Stanford a couple
days later, and they shot 4 for 24 from the 3 point line, 17%.
No wonder they lost.
I mention some other examples of poor shooting
performance in the NBA and the WNBA, and how we're seeing now
some single digit quarters in the NBA. And these are the best
players in the world, and all they do is play basketball!
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Nov. Item #4. Shaq's Performance at the Line
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I notice again how Shaq is performing at the Free Throw line.
He was at 41% in the season through the end of November (versus
mid-50's last year). I talked about some of the things they had
him working on and whether or not it helped.
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Nov. Item #5. KIDS' KORNER
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Finally, for the kids, I gave some advice about how to watch
themselves and others shoot. I told them they can learn a lot
by watching others.
A. Watch the shooter, not the ball
B. Watch how much leg power is used in the shot
C. Watch the Set Point, Release and Follow Through
D. Once in awhile watch the Ball (Arch and Spin)
--- That's the end of the Special Items in the Newsletters for
1999. I hope you enjoyed them! ---
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4. Shooting Clinics / Private Coaching
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BAY AREA COACHES/PARENTS: I'm available to coach half day shooting
clinics in the Bay Area of northern California. If you have 10
or more kids and a gym, contact me and we'll design a clinic.
The cost is $35/person for a 3 1/2 hour experience in becoming
a Great Shooter ($50 including a Swish video, a $30 value)..
OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY: I'd love to
come to your city to put on Clinics. My rate for 2-3 days of
coaching is $2,000 plus expenses. If we do 4-5 Clinics of ~20
players at a cost of $35/each ($50 to include a video), that
would pay for the visit. The Clinics would be 3 1/2 hours each,
giving enough time for lots of individual coaching in addition
to the powerful group exercises. Call for details and to set
up such coaching.
Keep checking my Website at http://www.swish22.com
or call or Email me if you'd like more details. I'll update the
schedule on my Website when it changes.
PRIVATE COACHING:
I'm also available for private coaching in the Bay Area of California.
I live near near San Jose in northern California. Call or Email
for further information.
VIDEO ANALYSIS:
I am also developing a business in Video Analysis. If you send
me a video of your team or specific players, I will return it
with a new tape showing each player and specific comments and
coaching for him or her. Action shots will show in stop action,
slow motion and regular speed exactly what I see and ways for
development. Voice over will be used to assist the coaching.
Approx. cost $200 for up to 6 players. Call or Email if this
is something you want to consider.
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5. How to Subscribe / Unsubscribe
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To SUBSCRIBE to this Newsletter:
Go to the Swish Website, find the section
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6. Contact Information
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Tom Nordland, Shooting Coach
Boulder Creek, California
Swish Video Website
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Tel: 888/SWISH-22 (888/794-7422)
Fax: Call for procedure
E-mail Swish22!
Remember: Great Shooting CAN be Taught!!!
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Special thanks to E-ZineZ.com for helping format this Newsletter.
E-ZineZ.com
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(c) Copyright 1999 Tom Nordland
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