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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. I looked at games for each of the 16 teams in the Playoffs. Detroit, Toronto, and now Charlotte have been ousted, so I'll not report on them. When I look at games on TV, I can often tell when a shot is going in or not just by what I see in the shot motion. The trick is to know what to look for and then to stay focused on the shooter, not on the flight of the ball. There are several major clues going on that will tell you if effective form is being created by the players. SEE IF WHAT I SAY IS TRUE These are quickly gathered summaries of these players' tendencies, so they may vary some. For example, a player may shoot one way with his jump shots and a different way with his free throws. Glen Rice of the Lakers is an example of this. With his jump shot, he has a very high Set Point (or Shooting Pocket), but for free throws it's maybe 6-8 inches lower. The result is a different shot motion for the two shots. For his jump shots, his action is almost totally horizontal, a wrist flipping motion, whereas with his free throw, the motion includes more power from the legs and lower body, so his shot is higher. And players sometimes shoot differently under pressure than they do when wide open. You'll see comments on these three simple areas: (1) Quickness of the Release -- Where does the power come from? (2) Trajectory and height of the Shots, and what direction is the action, upward or horizontal? (3) What happens to the shooting arm and hand in the Follow Through? QUICKNESS: I feel the better shooters shoot early in the body motion, using the whole body to shoot with. This results in a "quick Release," and it means they're shooting on the way up. A "medium quick Release" means they waited a bit in the jumping (or free throw) motion to shoot, thus losing some of the powerful, upward force of the lower body. A "delayed Release" means they waited until the top of the jump (or leg thrust for a free throw) to shoot. Shaq O'Neal is a classic example of the latter. He bends his knees, straightens them, and then shoots. TRAJECTORY: Poorer shooters, as I see it, flip the ball with the wrist and hand and/or throw the ball with the arm, using little or no legs/lower body. This gives them a flat trajectory and a small target. The better shooters' shots have a more "upward" trajectory, giving higher arch and a chance for gravity to slow the shots down and give them a softer landing. SHOOTING ARM AND HAND: Watch the Follow Through to see what's happening with the shooting arm and hand. The better shooters extend their arms upward in line with the basket and hold them out there during the Follow Through with little movement, if any. Lesser shooters' arms pull back or jerk to the side. You can tell they're unsure of their Release. And the wrists and hands of the better shooters are relaxed. They're so relaxed, the hands will even bounce sometimes. The poorer shooters hands are tight, or move in strange ways. Watch to see if the hand "snaps," meaning the motion is quick and to the end of the arm with a relaxed wrist. A comment about the skill of these players: What I'm talking about here are some mechanical things I see that would make for more accurate and consistent shooting. These are great athletes who play the game professionally. They play and practice just about every day of their lives. They can do some amazing physical things. But with poor or mediocre mechanics, consistency is difficult or impossible. Streaky shooting is the best you can hope for, unless you can attain and maintain incredible mental control. You'll see many of them make great shots, but then you'll see them miss easy shots, and sometimes be unable to make anything. The great shooters have flawless technique, and that gives them consistency and they rarely have a bad day. I won't attempt to comment on their mental game, as we can't see that and it's only speculation. I can say that if the technique is flawless and you can make shots over and over, your mental interference will be minimal. So let me make some general comments on a few of the players on each of the remaining teams. When you next watch them play, see if you can see what I see. The descriptions I give will not always be true, but I think you'll see enough similarity to verify what I see. You'll have to give up watching the flight of the ball to see this. --- INDIANA Smits: Very good shooter for a big man. Has a quick Release and high arch, though his hand is tense. Would be a better shooter if he would relax his wrist and hand and get a snapping motion. Miller: Great shooter. Quick Release, shoots upward with high arch. His wrist and hand are relaxed, though he has a habit of pulling the hand back (and to the left) immediately after the shot leaves his hand. Since it's after the shot has left, it doesn't interfere. Jackson: Clever shooter. Can pop the 3 very well. Quick Release, upward action, relaxed wrist and hand. Has a snap to his shot. Davis: Becoming a decent shooter. He's learning to shoot earlier in the leg drive, getting higher arch, but shot is still mostly arm and hand. His free throws have more arch than they did two seasons ago, but he could use more legs and get them higher. His wrist and hand are not as relaxed as they could be. Rose: Great shooter. Quick Release, aimed upward. Relaxed wrist and hand. Mullin: Great shooter, one of the best ever. Quick Release, high arch, relaxed wrist and hand, a snap. Free throw motion is the same as the jump shot. He doesn't hold his Follow Through like he used to, but is still a dangerous shooter. Perkins: His patented three-pt shot is a sling, very flat. It's amazing that he can make them as well as he does. Very streaky. Croshere: Very good shooter, though a little streaky. He's a little mechanical in the way he sets the ball, but has a snapping motion and has nice focus on the target. Best: Good shooter. Quick Release, though there is some arm/hand thrust along with all the leg drive and lower body power. Tabak: Very nice touch for a big man, like many Europeans (Divac, Sabonis, Nowitski, etc.) With his free throw, watch him shoot from a lot of leg drive, quick Release, high arch, relaxed wrist and hand. Watch his hand bounce. --- LOS ANGELES O'Neal: Shoots all with upper body. Very flat. Not a good shooter, though he's getting a little better. He even made one over the backboard in a game against the Kings. Terrific! With free throws, he stops his body and shoots all with arm, wrist and hand. Wrist and hand are usually quite tight. Much has been said about his free throwing. They thought he had made a breakthrough, but I think he's reverted again. In his last 20 games he's shot 57% from the line, but in the last 10, only 53%. In the last two games, 5 for 11 and 5 for 14 from the line, 40%! Bryant: Streaky but sometimes amazing shooter. Has great focus and connection with the basket. Shoots from both leg drive and arm thrust. With free throws, he uses some leg action but then powers the ball with an arm thrust, though his hand is quite relaxed. Rice: Great shooter, though sometimes streaky. With jump shots, his Set Point (or Shooting Pocket) is extremely high, requiring that he wrist flip the ball for power. That flattens the shot, but he's good at it. For free throws, he lowers the Set Point and uses some leg drive to power the shot. Has, obviously, great focus and confidence. Green: Nice mid-range shooter. Quick Release and fairly relaxed wrist and hand. Fox: Medium quick Release, and shoots with a relaxed wrist and hand. Gets the snap. Would improve if he shot earlier. Harper: Good use of leg drive to shoot from, but throws the ball with arm and hand. Horry: Good shooter but streaky. Shoots mostly from an arm and hand throwing action. Fisher: Very good shooter. Watch his quick Release, upward action and high arch. --- MIAMI Mourning: One of the better shooting big men in the game. His free throw motion is the same as his jump shot. He opens his body and gets the ball over his shooting eye. He has a quick Release, shooting upward and high. His wrist and hand are fairly relaxed (could be a little more so). Occasionally you'll see some doubt in his Follow Through, but generally a fine shooter. Majerle: Great shooter when he releases the ball quickly, using his whole body. You'll see a "snapping" motion with his shots. Weatherspoon: His shots are powered by a wrist flip and an unstable arm. Watch how he waits to shoot, and then flips it horizontally. This is very difficult to do consistently, and I think you'll see him miss a lot of shots. Carter: A good shooter. He has a pretty quick Release, and watch his wrist and hand. They're pretty relaxed. --- MILWAUKEE Allen: Very fine shooter. With jump shots, a little wristy, but he gets away with it most of the time. For free throws, his shot is all arm, wrist and hand, thus less reliable, but he shot 89% from the line this year, so he's mastered it. Robinson: A very flat shooter, with the shot coming all from arm and hand. Same with free throws. Could shoot better if he shot earlier in the leg motion. Del Negro: Great shooter. Quick Release, high arch, snapping. Relaxed wrist and hand. Cassell: Very good shooter, though somewhat streaky. His Release is very "connected" with the target. With free throws, he shoots from the leg drive but he also uses a wrist flip, thus flattening the shot. Johnson: Fair shooter. Uses some leg drive in his free throws. Thomas: Pretty good mid-range shooter. With free throws, stops his body and shoots very horizontally with a wrist flip. Ham: All upper body. Very flat. Poor shooter. --- MINNESOTA Garnett: A streaky shooter. He brings the ball over his head and slings it with arm and hand. The trajectory is quite flat. He's good at it but can miss a lot if he's not totally focused. Smith: A fine shooter due to the fact that he shoots on the way up and VERY high. Watch the upward action to his shooting. Szczerbiak: Very good shooter, but a little flippy with the wrist and hand. Has a quick Release and generally high arch. Could benefit by shooting earlier in the jump. Sealey: A good shooter. Watch the snap to his shots. Peeler: Same as Sealey. Good shooter. --- NEW YORK Houston: Great shooter, has a quick Release and shoots upward with a snapping motion. He takes it back a little farther than I coach, but he is a master with it. Sprewell: Great scorer but not a great pure shooter. He has a snap to his wrist and hand, though hand is not totally relaxed. Delays his Release some times. Like Iverson, knows what it takes to get the ball into the basket. Ewing: Stops body totally (unless rushed with a jump shot) and catapults the ball with arm, wrist and hand. Unreliable shooter. Camby: For his jump shots brings the ball way overhead and even to the left of his head and flips the ball. Very unreliable. Free throws are not much better. Johnson: Pretty good jump shooter, though streaky. With free throws, he freezes his body and shoots entirely with arm and hand. Childs: Great shooter. Quick Release, high arch, upward action, relaxed wrist and hand, a snap! --- PHILADELPHIA Iverson: Unusual but very effective shooter, most of the time. Streaky, but has an uncanny sense of the basket and how to put the ball into it. Quick Release, and shoots upward. Wrist and hand are not relaxed. He does whatever it takes to get the ball to the basket. He seems to shoot two-handed sometimes. Tremendous focus on scoring. Snow: Very good shooter. Quick Release, relaxed wrist and hand. A snapping motion. Kukoc: Pretty good shooter. Quick Release, with a snap and somewhat relaxed wrist and hand. However, he sometimes slings it with arm and hand. With free throws he stops his body and flips the ball, and is less effective than with jump shots. (Only 72.5% in free throws this season.) If he shot earlier in the leg drive, he'd shoot better, in my opinion. Hill: Nice upward action to his Release and shoots quite well. Has a snap to his wrist and hand. Would shoot better if he shot earlier. --- PHOENIX Rogers: My favorite shooter on this team. He's an excellent outside shooter and I think you'll see why. He has a very quick Release, he shoots upward and high, and his Release is a simple, quick, arm-straightening action with relaxed wrist and hand. You'll see his hand "snap." He has confidence because he knows what's coming off his shooting hand with each shot. Because his wrist and hand are passive, accuracy comes from directing his arm directly at the basket. He simply varies arch to control distance. Hardaway: A fine shooter, though a little streaky. He generally has a quick Release, and his wrist and hand are fairly relaxed. I think he could relax his wrist/hand more and get more of a snapping motion, but he is a great athlete and scorer. Longley: He is a fine big man shooter. He has a quick Release, an upward action and a relaxed wrist and hand. He shot 82.5% from the line in the regular season. --- PORTLAND Pippin: An effective but streaky shooter. He powers his shots with and arm throw and a wrist flip, making them flat. He would shoot better, I feel, if he'd shoot earlier in the jump. His free throw motion is the same and you can see tentativeness sometimes in his stroke. Stoudamire: A good clutch shooter, somewhat streaky. Has a pretty good stroke, quick Release, upward. I feel he takes too much time with his free throw. Schrempf: The best shooter on the team, one of the best ever. He was second to Bird in the 3 Pt. Championships many years ago. Quick Release, high arch. Watch how relaxed his wrist and hand are in the Follow Through. Sabonis: Was a great shooter but his legs are going. You can see he wants to use more legs but they just aren't there. Thus his shots are flat but his Release is relaxed and he shoots with a quick Release and as high as his legs allow. Smith: A very good shooter. Watch for the snap in his Release. Wallace: Very good shooter. Shoots upward with a relaxed wrist and hand. His free throw motion is a little erratic. --- SACRAMENTO Divac: Very good shooter, like many of the other Europeans (Sabonis, Schrempf, Nowitski, etc.). He shoots with a quick Release and a relaxed wrist and hand. However, with the free throw, he stops his body and relies only on arm and hand, thus adding variables and flattening the shot. That's why this good shooter gets only 69% from line during the season. Williams: Very streaky. His jumpers are mostly shot with his upper body. When he has to shoot quicker, he shoots better. Anderson: Has a delayed Release often, thus flattening the shot and adding variables with the arm, wrist and hand. If he shot earlier, he'd shoot better. Webber: Pretty good shooter but streaky. He's improved his shot, but has a ways to go. He used to bring the ball way over his head, and now he keeps it in front but takes it very high. His shots are very wristy. He can make them in streaks and then can miss them all. Same with the free throw. Shooting just with the wrist and hand is not reliable. Barry: A great shooter. Quick Release, high arch, upward action, relaxed wrist and hand. A snap. Stojakovic: A great shooter. Watch how he shoots early and upward, with relaxed wrist and hand. Delk: Very good shooter, quick Release, upward, a snap. His hand could be a little more relaxed some times. --- SAN ANTONIO Robinson: He has a very jerky shot, and it comes from having a delayed Release and powering the shot mostly with wrist and hand. He makes shots due to his athletic talent and his intention, but the mechanics are not reliable. Watch him jump and then shoot, instead of shooting off the jumping action. Ellie: His famous set shot comes from a quick Release, an upward action, and a snapping motion. Watch his hand bounce when he takes his great outside shot. Johnson: He's a fair shooter, quite streaky like most players in the NBA. You can see he's kind of "mechanical" in the way he sets to shoot, like he's trying too hard. If I were to coach him, I'd ask him to loosen up and be more natural. I think he'd shoot a lot better. Elliott: He has a quick Release and a high arching shot. His hand bounces when he's shooting his best. Next to Steve Kerr, who isn't playing much these days, he's their best shooter. Porter: This old veteran has been a very good shooter for a long time. Watch how he shoots on the way up (quick Release) and how his hand snaps. His one flaw is that his shooting hand jerks to the right in the shot, but his shots usually find the basket. --- SEATTLE Payton: He has a medium quick Release and a jerky, slinging type of Release, very flat. His wrist and hand are not relaxed. He's a streaky shooter, but a great scorer. Baker: Watch his free throw motion. He freezes his body and shoots only with the arm and hand. It's like a catapult, close to the motion of Patrick Ewing. His shots are flat and unreliable. Grant: A very streaky shooter. He has a delayed Release, waiting until the top of his jump, and then wrist flipping. He's got a good focus and follow through, but the shot is often unstable and underpowered. With his free throw, he, too, freezes his body and shoots entirely with arm, wrist and hand. He does get some arch with that action. Patterson: In the one game I saw, he looked like a very good shooter. He has a quick Release, a nice Set Point out in front of his head, high arch and a snapping action of the wrist and hand. Brent Barry: A fine shooter. He has a very quick Release and high arch. His arm pulls back and it looks a little like he's a two handed shooter. --- UTAH Malone: A strange and wonderful shooter. I don't know how he does it. Surely he is a master of the mental game. Most of his shots are taken falling back, including free throws. His jump shots have beautiful arch and backspin. His free throw motion is a jerky kind of thing but he can do it consistently and he makes a good percentage. I still think he can have bad games at any time, but he keeps on truckin', so to speak. This is not a method that you could coach anyone else to do as well as he does. Hornacek: Probably the best shooter in the NBA. His 95% from the line shows that, but so do his beautiful, high arching jump shots. He has a very early Release, and his shot motion is a simple, pushing action with a relaxed wrist and hand. He definitely has a snapping motion. I think the main thing about him is how "simple" his action is, simple and totally repeatable. Stockton: A very good, consistent shooter. He has a quick Release and a relaxed wrist and hand with the Follow Through. However, he shoots off his right shoulder, and that requires that he calculate an angle back to the target each time he shoots (his shooting eye is not in line with the ball and basket). I'll bet this form comes from being told to "square up" as a kid. Despite this challenge, he's a wonderful free throw shooter and fine jump shooter. I believe Hornacek will always shoot better because of the alignment difference. Russell: Very good shooter. Quick Release, relaxed wrist and hand. Gets a snap. Ostertag: Delayed Release and he shoots horizontally. Hard to be consistent that way. With his free throw, he stops his body and shoots just with wrist and hand. Though they are fairly relaxed, the shots are very flat and hot, hard to control. THAT'S MY QUICK SUMMARY! Tell me what you see in this. Can you stay focused on the shooter and not watch the ball? It will take some discipline, but when you do it, you see and learn some neat things. Tell me if you see what I'm talking about. This is training you to observe yourself better and/or your players or children. Great shooting is really quite simple,
and I hope this invitation to see what's there is helpful. If
I get some good comments about what you saw, I'll print them
next month. ---------------------------------------- "INDIANAPOLIS - Rice shooting ace Jenny Cafferty was crowned the best three-point shooter in the nation Thursday night (March 30th), winning the women's national three- point shooting title then besting the men's winner in ESPN's 12th Annual Slam Dunk and Three-Point Shooting Championships. "Cafferty, a senior from Arden Hills, Minn., led the field of eight after the first round, scoring 19 points. Jill Morton of Louisville, who finished the regular season tops in the nation hitting 53.5 percent from long-range, was second with 18 points. Oklahoma State's Jennifer Crow and Arizona's Lisa Griffith also advanced to the second round. "Griffith won the second round with 18 points, with Cafferty right behind her with 17 to set up the final showdown. Both players struggled in the finals, but Cafferty's 11 points would prove to be enough to claim the women's title after Griffith scored just seven points. "In the "Shootout of the Sexes," Cafferty faced the men's three- point champ, Richie Frahm of Gonzaga. The battle went down to the wire, but Cafferty hit three of her bonus-point shots to win 16-14 as the women's champ beat the men's champ for the second year in a row. "There were five racks of five balls, including one "money ball" worth two points, stationed around the three-point line. Each player had one minute to sink as many shots as possible. The event is held in conjunction with the men's final four. "Cafferty holds the Rice record for three's in a game (seven) and three's in a season (74). Additionally, she ranks second all-time with 123 bombs, despite missing nine games as a sophomore and 26 as a junior with injuries. She is slated to graduate in May with a triple major in economics, psychology, and managerial studies." ---------------------------------------- Frahm Captures 3-Point Title In Indianapolis Beats ASU's Eddie House in final March 31, 2000 "INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Gonzaga University Bulldogs senior Richie Frahm walked into Conseco Arena Thursday (March 30th) as the underdog in the ...Three-Point Basketball Championships. He walked out the top dog. "The native of Battle Ground, WA, shot his way to the 3-point title, downing Eddie House of Arizona State University 18-17 in the final. Frahm scored 20 in the first round and 19 in the semifinals. "Each competitor had five racks of balls placed around the 3-point arc, with one bonus ball in each rack worth two points. Frahm made 11 of his last 15 shots to overcome House for the title. Frahm led the West Coast Conference in 3-point accuracy this season at 40.2 percent, and was the first Bulldog to compete in the 12th annual event." ---------------------------------------- This is the second year in a row that the women's champ has beaten the men's champ. Last year, Amy Geren of Clemson outscored Jason Terry of Arizona. I wrote about it in my first Shooting Newsletter last May. Here's a direct link to that Newsletter: http://www.swish22.com/Nltr_101.htm IT'S BECAUSE WOMEN SHOOT MORE FROM LOWER BODY MUSCLES As I said then and I'll repeat now, I feel the women shoot better than the men because they rely more on lower body muscles to shoot from than on upper body muscles. Not having the upper body strength of the guys, women realize they must use other muscles, and they end up with a shot that is basically more sound -- a quicker, higher and more stabilized shot. If the men would do the same, they would shoot better. I see this at all levels of the game. I didn't have a chance to see these 3 Pt.
Championships, but I hope to get a video of it soon. If I do,
I'll write about the form I see in the next Newsletter. Check these sites out: Great NBA Information Site (including wonderful
humor): Great NBA stats Website: Great College information and stats: ...Dallas/Ft. Worth -- July 13-17 Call or Email me for dates and times. They'll also be put on my Website and in this Newsletter as they become firm. 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/player* 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 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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