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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. DAN MAJERLE SHOOTING 3'S I think I heard the announcers say those teams are two of the better shooting teams in the NBA. I believe it. The Heat shot 56% overall (45 for 81) and 94% from the line (15 for 16). The Wolves weren't chopped liver either, shooting 53% overall (43 for 81) and 87.5% from the line (14 for 16). Unfortunately Dan hasn't been able to sustain anywhere near that performance since then. In the 6 games since Jan. 11, he's gone 7 for 36 (19.4% ) for field goals and 5 for 25 for three's (20%), with the worst game being the 18th against the Bulls when he went 1 for 11 from the 3-point line (9%). Dan is one of the better 3-Point shooters in the game, and even he has huge ups and downs. If you want to check Dan's perfor- mance, go to his Website on nba.com at this URL: http://www.nba.com/playerfile/dan_majerle.html PISTONS-KNICKS -- FREE THROW EXHIBITION! ATLANTA'S SHOOTING WOES DIRK NOWITZKI FROM MAVERICKS The TV commentators noted how most European players are good shooters. What I see in Dirk is what I coach. He shoots early in the jumping action, his wrist and hand are relaxed, and his shots are quick, high and soft. What makes him exceptional, in my opinion, is his Release and Follow Through. He is very "connected" to the basket when he shoots, and he holds the connection until the ball reaches the basket. Watch him and you can see his great finish. GREAT SHOOTER - JEFF HORNACEK NBA FREE THROW LEADERS If you want to go directly to the Free
Throw Leaders page of the NBA.com website, click on: UNIV. OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SETS 3-PT
RECORD 61 POINTS FOR EDDIE HOUSE I SEE THE PROBLEM MY COACHING, WRITINGS AND VIDEO I coach a simple, yet powerful, way to control the "Flight of a Basketball." Once you understand the Method, you'll get confirmation of its effectiveness by watching players at different levels of the game. You'll see the principles at work in the few great shooters, and you'll see the absence of them in the majority of shooters. And they're Universal. I would give the same basic instruction to a beginner that I would to Shaq O'Neal. Sure, there are subtleties to be learned as you grow in the skill, but the basics are the same for everyone. I invite your questions and comments. ------------------------------------------ Q: "What does it mean if a player's shot seems to frequently rim out? What adjustment should he make?" A: If the shots are rimming out, that means they're pretty accurate distance-wise but off 5-6" left or right. Thus his problem is direction more than distance. He's also probably got a flat arch, so the ball is coming in low and "hot." My guess is he's using his hand and fingers to guide the ball, and those smaller muscles are pulling or pushing the shots off line and also creating a more horizontal ball flight. Coach him in developing a Release Motion that's more of a "push" upward with the arm and less with a wristy or hand/ finger action. To do that, since he'll lose the extra power the hand/fingers give, he'll have to shoot from more leg drive (what I call UpForce) to get power. He'll have to shoot quicker, on the way up, and that's very desirable, since it gives greater range, a quicker Release, and a higher, softer shot. The powerful lower body muscles also stabilize shooting. If the wrist, hand and fingers don't interfere, the ball will go exactly in the direction created by the arm push (and high shots, even if off line 5-6 inches, will glance into the basket rather than spinning or rimming out). If the arm is directed exactly in line with the basket (but high above), his shots will start to get very accurate ... consistently. To tell if his hand/fingers are getting into the act, watch the follow through. If the hand bounces, you'll know he's totally relaxing those smaller muscles. If the hand is tense and/or moves left or right, or the arm jerks or pulls pack, you'll know he's throwing, flipping, or wristing the ball, adding variables and creating a flat arch. This will get you started. Let me know how it goes. My video would be powerful for him, to see me and a bunch of other examples demonstrating my Swish method. Once he "gets" these simple principles, his shooting will surely improve dramatically. ------------------------------------------ Q: "I fortunately had a high school coach who believed you should be 30-45 body degree angle rather than squaring up. However, I was always told to jump first then shoot the ball, and hence am very streaky with longer jump shots. How do you retrain to shoot first rather than jump?" A: At least half those early instructions were helpful. To retrain yourself, increase awareness of WHEN you actually shoot in the jumping motion. Your mantra could be "Earlier, Quicker, Higher!" A way to monitor the result is to identify the "Percentage" of leg drive or leg lift (what I call "UpForce") you are getting with each shot. Not how strongly you jump, but rather how much of the available energy is used in the shot. If you shoot at the top of the jump, the answer is a big fat "0" on percent. As you note the different percentages, you'll naturally start to shoot earlier and earlier because it works better and creates a higher arching, more effortless shot. Have a goal of 100% and see what happens. This is not difficult. Just focus your awareness and development happens ... naturally, organically. Q: "Do you recommend bringing the ball into the shooting position first, then shooting? It seems it is ingrained in me to jump while I'm bringing the ball into the shooting position, thus releasing at the top or on the way down." A: The setting of the ball into the shooting position and the jumping motion happen at the same time. Don't separate them. As you learn to Set quickly, you'll be able to use more and more energy from the legs and lower body. It also teaches you to Set the ball more in front of your head because you don't have time to take it way overhead. You don't want to anyway, because from there, all you can do is throw or flip the ball. The Set Point is just right there, directly above and in front of your shooting eye. You can get the ball there very quickly. Note that if the ball is above your eyes (little kids will have to set it below the eyes for more strength), you can be truly "aligned" with target, ball, palm, eye, arm and body in general alignment. That gives great accuracy. As you get stronger, raise the Set Point above the eyes, to the top of the head and even higher, if possible. Higher is better because it's harder to block. If you're extremely strong, by raising the Set Point you can then go "full out" with the Release every time and not send the ball over the backboard. Note that you don't want to raise it so high there isn't much arm-straightening power left. I think Glenn Rice, though he's a great shooter, has a Set Point that's too high. He tends to wrist it sometimes when he delays the shot and loses leg power. Q: "Also, I noticed my left hand tends to be more on top of the ball rather than on the side. What do you recommend for left hand placement? Any suggestions on how to retrain the left hand?" A: The left hand can just "support" the ball and the shooting hand, not be in a position to interfere or add power. Thus it's to the side and under the ball. Play around with the left hand grip and see what's most effective. If you let the ball drop into your shooting hand and let the left hand "find" its own position, that will probably be perfect. Forcing it to be anywhere is ineffective. To "retrain" it, again just use awareness. Set the hands over and over and observe and feel the left hand. Where is it? What does it feel like? Is it in the way? Can it easily drop away and not interfere? Take shots and watch, through vision and feel, what it does. For awhile you'll have to keep reminding yourself of the goal, but eventually it will become natural and habitual. Trust that awareness will allow you to naturally "fix" the problem and find a most effective grip. ------------------------------------------ Q: "When shooting the ball do you point the right toe at the hoop if you're a right handed shooter?" A: Kevin, I don't coach that way. That's the kind of rule that can get you in your head thinking too much. Just stand such that you're "facing"the basket and ready to shoot toward it. For a one-handed shot, I advise opening up your stance, with your "strong" foot forward more than the opposite foot, but I'm not interested in how much. Just so you feel balanced and ready. Which way exactly your foot points is not the point, so to speak. What's more important is that you connect visually and mentally with the target and are physically oriented to support your shot. Then, as you generate energy upward and then direct it exactly in line with the target - the basket - the ball goes where you intend. The directing is done through the arm straightening in a pushing action, upward and yet connected to the end result you want. Your hands are your connection to the ball, and act fairly passively to simply keep control of the ball, so it doesn't roll or fall off to the side. If your hands and fingers don't interfere, wherever direction you extend your arm in is where the ball goes. And the backspin will be perfect. I hope what I said is simple and uncomplicated.
Keep it that way. Let the target draw your energy to it rather
than try to get your feet right. To find your favorite team(s), replace the word "Knicks" with the name of other teams -- Pacers, Pistons, Lakers, Blazers, Heat, Magic, Celtics, etc. and then Bookmark it for future use. The "Inside" pages are part of
the regular team page for each team, which can be accessed by
going to this type of address: 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 5 Clinics of about 18-20 players at a cost of $35/player*, 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. (*Price includes an administration fee for the organizer(s).) 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. TRAINING COACHES: PRIVATE COACHING: VIDEO ANALYSIS: Go to the Swish Website, find the section about the "Shooting Newsletter," key in your Email address and click on the "JoinList"graphic. An Email will be sent automatically back to you asking that you confirm that you want to be on the List. Reply in the affirmative and you will be added to the list and receive a password. There is no need to save or record the password because ListBot will always quickly Email it back to you when asked. It's needed only to change your Email address or to Unsubscribe. To UNSUBSCRIBE from this Newsletter: If you ever want to Unsubscribe, please
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