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ATTENTION: You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to it. If you'd like to remove yourself from this mailing list, please see the instructions at the end of this newsletter. Our subscriber list is NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. PLEASE excuse the advertisement paragraph
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ad to help them pay for the service. Sorry for the little commercialism. 1. Welcome from the Coach With my Swish Method, the key thing is to develop a Release action that is always the same. To do that, you need to find the perfect distance from which your regular, learned, automatic, "full out" Release travels with high arch to make a dead-center swish shot. You adjust the distance to the Release rather than the Release to the distance. I've heard of coaches recommending that players go to 4 feet away and learn to make a lot of shots, and then to 5 or 6 feet and do the same, then a little further back likewise, etc. etc.. The goal there, I assume, is to develop "muscle memory" of shooting from different spots. That's one way to do it and it works to some degree. I believe they used to say that Bill Bradley practiced like that, taking hundreds, if not thousands, of shots from different spots on the floor. He developed into a exceptional shooter, whatever it was he was doing. My suggestion is to become more like a robot from the shoulder up and develop only one Release, always the same speed and force, to full arm extension, relaxed wrist and hand, and then adjust for different distances back from there by use of more or less leg power (UpForce) and by varying the arch. You could say, "One Release fits all!" The angle of the Release changes, as it has to, but the force and speed do not, thus eliminating all kinds of possible variables. That's what I mean by "repeatability." Something that can go on automatic. With regard to Reps vs. Repeatability, I feel it's Quality that counts, not Quantity! Machines that return shots to you have value only when you know how to shoot. Just making it easier to shoot more shots isn't the answer unless you know what you're doing with those shots. Having a high net to shoot over forces you to shoot higher, and there's some value to that. But if you're still just in the "trying" mode rather than careful observation of each stroke and each shot, it will be an exercise in futility. To me, time spent at 4-6 feet learning a simple, repeatable release motion is much more valuable. Here are some other coaches' thoughts on this subject, including Coach McCormick's. --- Tom ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Coach McCormick, from Coach Wells' Discussion Group (www.coachwells.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Dave Miller ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "When I played and learned to shoot, I tried to emulate players I saw. I eventually learned (taught myself) to use a high arch for a soft shot. No matter what position my lower body got in, I tried to make sure from the shoulders up I did the same motion every time. I never really thought about how I shot, I just did it. Once I saw your video, I could relate to what you were teaching, cause I kind of stumbled into it with my own shooting. You have defined and put names to the concepts. I don't know that I have ever heard anyone talk about repeatability before you did. When I have worked basketball camps, there are usually shooting stations and instructions. Most of those focused on the old myths (square up, elbow straight etc) about shooting. I think you are leading the way with the idea about teaching repeatability." --- Dan Weinman, Denver A second thought from Dan: "I like to teach repeatability over repetitions. I can have a player go to a spot on the floor and shoot many shots and them move to another spot and do the same. They get the "muscle memory" from that spot. But what happens when they get into a game situation and are off balance, moving sideways or fading away? Unless they have worked on those situations and have the "muscle memory" for those types of shots, the shot may be off. I have found that the repeatability method allows for a truer shot since you have the same release each time. It doesn't matter what your lower body does (moving, fading etc), the release is the same. It still doesn't guarantee success on the shot, but my players that have the repeatable release make more shots in games." --- Dan Weinman ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Jim Edwards, Nebraska ------------------------------------------------------------ The relationship between the student and the coach is critical, of course, and the relationship of the student to her- or himself is likewise crucial. Many students come to coaches to be "fixed," to be told what to do. It's like the coach has this information and experience and that she or he has to transmit that "knowledge" to the student. You might talk of it as "outside-to-inside" learning. The knowledge is external to the student and then gets injected into or somehow put into the student such that a new skill is now possible. Another way to look at it is this: Perhaps the knowledge of how to do things already exists within us and we just don't know how to bring it out. Maybe the specific knowledge about how to step into a shot, elevate and release the ball perfectly is not there (or manifested), but the potential is, and it's just a matter of learning to "trust" ourselves to do it. This is a more empowering way to work with a student, and for a student to work with a teacher or coach. It shifts the potential and the responsibility to the student! When you accept the possibility that the student is the genius, it makes coaching much easier, though "tricky." It's tricky because the coach has to be careful and ever mindful that the person on the receiving end of the coaching is the key. The coach's words and demonstrations and encouragement can be used to enhance experience or it can pretty easily dis-empower the student. It's all in how things are presented and spoken. DISTINCTIONS As a coach of mine said it, what matters is the "Distinctions" the player is getting. Is the player understanding where power is coming from, how distance is controlled, how accuracy is achieved, what causes the ball to go left or right of the target? Is she or he aware of where the Set Point (Shooting Pocket) is and how that affects the shot? Can height and spin be distinguished? Is the importance of the Follow Through understood? Does she or he get how important consistency and repeatability are and know how to get them? Does the player know how to self correct? These are the Distinctions that need to be known. Then the player can coach her- or himself to more and more effective shooting. EXAMPLE -- SHOOTING HIGHER Let's say you want your kids to learn to shoot higher. There are two basic ways to approach it. One is to tell them to shoot higher, show them a high shot, demonstrate how to do it, and ask them to do it. This is the more normal way to coach a change in behavior. If they don't do it, then tell them more strongly to do it. They'll try hard to do what you say and some will get it and some will not. Some kids are just more athletic or in their bodies and can figure things out pretty well. Others will have a hard time adapting to a verbal instruction like that. With this approach, kids may be pretty quick to judge themselves as poor shooters, unathletic, unable to learn, etc. USING AWARENESS The second approach to coaching it is to ask the kids to notice how high they shoot now and then suggest they shoot higher (or let the shots go higher). For the noticing, it's valuable to set some kind of scale they can all relate to and easily distinguish. The number of feet above the rim the bottom edge of the ball gets to at the highest point is one way to do that. Before asking them to change their behavior, ask them to shoot and see how high they currently shoot. Invite curiosity with this. Tell them there is no wrong or right. You just want to know what is really happening before you have them learn something new. Words like discovery, exploration, curiosity, etc. are very comforting. This approach will minimize their self-judgment (good or bad) and lead to greater learning. Ask them to start to notice the height of other players' shots, too. Tell them that observation of others is a wonderful way to learn and helps them understand and know their own shots. Seeing something in others means it's available to them, too. Once they're aware to some degree how high they shoot now, then gently suggest they shoot higher. You can tell them what you know at this point about how to do that. They can aim higher with their Release, they can jump more strongly, they can shoot quicker in the jumping motion. Ask them to experiment with different ways and see what happens. The result will be much greater learning than just telling them to do something. Now they can see the result of their actions more powerfully and they're not made "wrong" if they don't get it. When they change something, they'll be more present to what happened and how it happened. That's called learning. Notice that with this approach, THEY are more in charge of the learning process, not just being told by someone else (you, the coach) to DO something. Learning comes more from within through what is called awareness. When awareness is enhanced, learning accelerates. HELP THEM BE IN CHARGE OF THE LEARNING PROCESS In this way, they come to know that they have a big part in this process of learning. No one else is going to do it for them. Your words and demonstrations can lead them to the water, but they have to do the drinking. Experience is the teacher here, not you. You're the guide, and what you say and do can enhance that or it can interfere. Remember that they are the genius for their own learning process. And they have a lot more ability than they (or you) know. A SUGGESTION FOR KEEPING KIDS FOCUSED A coach in the Bahamas recently asked me about discipline for his kids. He asked, "Please give me any ideas on what I can do to keep kids from talking and clowning around while I try to explain what I've gathered from you." Rather than give him a canned response on getting kids respect and attention, maybe the answer is to involve them more in the learning process. If you make them "responsible" for their learning, and if they "get" it, they'll realize that goofing off is not helping them! Set up the exercises so they are asked to give feedback to a partner or the group on what they see and feel. When they see that their experience is valued, perhaps they'll be more interested in what's going on. I think it will also help if the coaching really works and they know it. If they see that you have something important to offer and they'll miss it if they're not paying attention, they'll probably be more present with you. Shooting is an example of a skill with immediate feedback. The ball either goes in or it doesn't, unlike an inbounds play or a team defense thing. If what you teach results in the making shots right away, they should be easier to work with, more ready to cooperate with the exercises. ------------------------------------------------------------ (This will be posted on my "For Coaches"
page soon.) A Second Lesson Plan for
coaches -- Shooting! This is a follow up to Lesson Plan A, the general introduction to shooting. In this Plan, we'll take the basics and apply them to different kinds of shots. The sections:
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - First, remember that the genius is in the student, not in you, the coach! And two things are paramount to learning:
Review what was covered in the first session, how they started observing how they shoot now in six different areas (six "distinctions"), and how you then presented a powerful way to shoot, the Swish Method. Remind them how they did a simple progression of learning, starting with the UpForce and moving to the Release and then putting it all together. The wall was a great place to practice the motion without the judgment of the basket. Then you went in pairs to a basket and integrated the keys of the Method. The rest of the first lesson was to work on developing a constant, predictable Release Motion that can go on automatic more and more. They learned how to generate and connect to the UpForce, and how the more UpForce they use, the higher the shot, the quicker the Release, and the more stabilized the shot. If you had time you looked at a Free Throw as a Jump Shot without the jump, still working on the same stuff. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Secondly, re-introduce them to the idea of the simple learning progression they did in session #1. This progression can't be done enough. It's the way every shooting session can begin. Great shooters do this. They don't just go to the 3-pt line and start firing away. The mastering of the simple, constant, relaxed, full-out Release is the most important Key! When it is automatic and trusted, shooting has to improve. It's the delivery system. It's where accuracy and repeatability happen. If the Release isn't controlled and repeatable, shooting will always be a guessing game. Review what they learned in Lesson A. 1) Power comes from the lower/middle body
muscles -- shoot FROM that power source! Acknowledging "Yes" or "No" with the Release is a way to increase awareness and let your coach or partner know you are awake and getting what's happening. It's all too easy to just say "Yes" and "Yes" over and over and not be present. It's the "being present" that leads to the learning. They then put it all together. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - As I wrote in Plan A, Free Throws are like Jump Shots without the jump, and the only differences are that you don't jump off the ground (though you could), and this shot doesn't need a Set Point. The Set Point, a brief stopping point before the Release, is needed for Jump Shots because of all the body motion and chaos, moving left and right, up and down, turning, twisting, etc. The "setting" of the ball gives you a stable starting point for the shot. With a free throw or set shot, the body is already stable so you don't have to stop at the Set Point. The ball can be brought up from below the chest (from the Triple Threat Position) up and through the Set Point area without stopping, thus it has one fewer variable. That's why the Free Throw can be, in a season, 95-98%, maybe even 100%. But Jump Shots will never be that high. SET UP As you coach this, stand at the free throw line and have them sit along the lanes on both sides. Point out that with a Free Throw, everything is constant so it's a really simple shot! Distance is constant, they're learning a constant Release, the leg drive or UpForce can become constant with practice, and the height can be approximately constant every time (though it can be varied, as necessary, to compensate for varying degrees of strength -- fatigue lowers it, adrenaline raises it, etc.). With this system, the Free Throw can become a "sure thing," rather than the guessing game it is for most players. Ask them how far the Free Throw line is from the backboard (answer: 15 feet). Then ask them how far it is from the center of the basket (answer: 13'9"). It's a medium distance, not 8 or 10 feet, but also not 15, 17, 19 feet. It takes some power, but not your maximum. When you just "DO" your constant UpForce, constant Release and constant (approx.) Height, the ball will always travel about the same distance. It can't NOT do that. It's a law of nature. It's like a formula: Constant U/F + Constant Release + Constant Height = 13'9". If the shot is straight on line, it will be a "Swish!" And the backboard is there to help if the shot bounces beyond the rim. LEARN IT IN CLOSE When I coach Free Throws, I feel it's important to learn the stroke from in close and then add distance and leg power. Start just beyond the Pure Release Distance, maybe 6 or 7 feet, so the player needs a little extra leg action. Call it a "Micro" Free Throw. The shot starts with a Down-Up leg action which triggers the motion. Keep working on and reporting on the Release, the Yes/No. When they're able to make the Micro Free Throws easily and consistently, then move back to 10-11 feet and do a "Mini" Free Throw. Then move all the way back for the full Free Throw. Leg Drive + Release + Constant Height = 13'9", dead center! Remember to let the Down-Up action trigger the shot. With this kind of progressive practice, the kids will come to realize the Free Throw can be a simple, automatic kind of motion. No big deal. Not something to worry about. Also recommend to them that they start the Free Throw from a straight-legged stance and then flex the knees and go down and up in one motion. That is much more stable than a crouch position where there is only an "up" action. Also recommend a very simple Pre-Shot routine. Good shooters don't have to bounce the ball X times, spin it Y times and waste all that time. They just approach the line, get their stance oriented to the "painter's nail," the exact middle point of the line, take a breath to calm themselves, focus on the basket, do their normal, learned and trusted shot motion and let it fly. No wasted time or motion. It's an easy thing, no big deal! Have them go to a basket with a coach or parent to rebound, if possible. Have them stand in a semi-circle, all the same distance from the basket (~6-7 feet to start). If there is not a rebounder, then have the kids take turns rebounding for a time and then rotating in. One shoots at a time (two shots to get a little rhythm) and they rotate shooting in a circular fashion. Start at the micro-free throw distance. After a few cycles of that, then move back 3-4 feet and do what we could call a "mini free throw." This requires a bigger UpForce (the "Down-Up" idea) with the same Release. They should start to be making a lot of these in a row. It's just that simple. Down-Up to trigger and power the shot, constant Release, approx. constant height, Swish! Then move back to the full distance, with one person at the center of the free throw line and the others left and/or right, moving in more and more as you move off center so the distance stays the same, 13'9". With practice they will be able to drill shots over and over from each distance. The full Free Throw requires a strong surge of energy and 100% connection for the most power and stability. If they have trouble at a certain distance, move back in closer and re-learn the motion. If they can't make 80-90% from a distance, there's no reason to move back further and complicate things. With practice the Free Throw can become an automatic, sure thing! Even under pressure, you can learn to just "DO" your motion and the ball will sail pretty consistently on line with high arch to the basket. With everything constant, you can learn to trust yourself. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Keep it simple here. When you can shoot well in the stand-and-shoot or catch-and-shoot positions, then shooting with movement will also be do-able. The problem is that the extra motion and speed complicate things. And we get excited and make it worse. When you know what makes for a great, consistent shot, you can apply the same things to shots off the move and with dribbling. Alignment is critical, the constant Release action is critical, and Follow Through becomes more important. Since shooting quickly on the way up is stabilizing, the use of the leg drive or UpForce is critical. With shots of this kind, two simple coaching
instructions are powerful: CLOSE IN AND SLOWER Set up your kids to practice shots off the dribble starting in close, inside the paint. Ask them to take one dribble to the right and shoot, then one dribble to the left. Ask them to stay just 6-8 feet from the basket at first and move back only when they feel comfortable with the closer shots and are making a lot of them. Demonstrate how they can dribble slowly to one side, stop and pivot, start the leg action while bringing the ball to the Set Point and getting it aligned with the eye and basket, and let it fly with a great Release and connected Follow Through. A note about body orientation: For right handers, moving to the right requires that you pivot on the inside foot and step in (turn) to get your body aligned toward the basket. I advocate an "open" stance when shooting, but turning all that way takes time. Rather than worrying about your body position, turn as much as you can but make the alignment of the hand, eye and basket most important. When they are in alignment, then fire off your Release. The body may or may not be exactly open as with catch-and-shooto. You can't take the time to think about that and make it correct. Moving to the left for right handers is easier because you're already open. (Ditto but in reverse for left handers.) SMALL AND SLOW MAKES IT EASIER Remind them that if they can't make a good percentage from 6-8 feet away, moving back is not going to make it any easier. Encourage a high level of awareness at all times. Don't just throw it up there and hope. Feel and see what you're doing and learn from each shot. If you're out of control, slow it down until you're in control. Notice if you're firing off the Release the same each time. Is it a "Yes" Release, relaxed, full out, to the end-of-the-arm? Notice if you're catching a high percent of the UpForce or leg lift. With practice you'll be making most of these shots. Then, and only then, move back a bit and make it a little more difficult. Slowly increase speed and distance, but only when you are shooting well and consistently from the closer distance. Then set up some picks and screens and work on catching the ball and shooting with and without faking and dribbling. There will be a tendency to start rushing shots now. Keep reminding them to keep it close in and slow for awhile, increasing distance and speed ONLY after the shooting is settling down and becoming successful and consistent at the closer-in distance. If the shorter distance isn't mastered to some level, the greater speed and distance will just lead to breakdown. One other shot to practice is the inside, turn-around jumper you sometimes get from 5-8 feet, especially the 4 and 5 positions. For this shot, where you do need to elevate a little or a lot, hestitating before shooting makes sense and you'll use less than 100% of the UpForce. Practice shots like this and see what you learn, what works. Maybe only 10 or 20% is appropriate. Notice what happens if you shoot "at the top of the jump" and miss all of the upward energy. I think you'll feel how unstable the shot feels. You're in close so there is a large margin for error, so you can make them sometimes, but an earlier release will probably feel a lot more in control. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - All the same principles apply to the 3-Pt shot, but even more so. You need a powerful leg drive or UpForce for these shots. You need a constant, predictable, to the end-of-the-arm Release action, on line to the tiny target, and you still vary the arch at the last instant to control distance. With the 3-Pt shot, the same two suggestions as mentioned above with shots off movement apply: (1) Have a great beginning and (2) Have a great finish. Because this is the longest shot, you need all the power you can muster. You need to create a powerful surge of energy to drive and stabilize the shot, and you need to shoot from as close to 100% of the UpForce as you can. Then the challenge is direction. The target is small and the slightest loss of direction can lead to a miss. The constant Release you are learning will serve you well. And the Follow Through needs to be especially focused. From a Set Point in line with eye and basket, fire off the Release and hold the Follow Through strongly connected to the target. You're varying arch, of course, to control distance, but it will probably be fairly flat as the distance is so great. SET UP Tell your kids that they can expect a breakdown when they first go to the 3-Pt line with this Method because it's such a long shot and target is relatively so small. It requires their strongest and best effort. Ask them to shoot and notice what happens. Do they revert to old habits to get the ball there? Probably. As they come to trust the new stroke more and more, the old habits will die away. SHOOT AND THEN TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED After they've shot for a short time, call them together and ask them what happened. How many reverted to old habits? Tell them it's expected. Ask how many shot with 100% of the UpForce (or close to it). Could they see that they needed to release the shot quickly to shoot "from" the leg power? How many had a powerful Follow Through, totally connected to the basket? Then ask them to shoot 3's again and be more attentive to their Follow Through action. (You will probably see better performance, more shots in or close than before.) Later you can set up catch-and-shoot plays where they take turns receiving the ball from a teammate and then shoot the 3. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Finally, a note about traditional shooting exercises. Once you know what you're doing, any shooting drill or exercise can be effective in your training. Learn to make it more about awareness than performance. If the exercise is to shoot a number of shots from different spots on the floor, just add the little instruction to observe yourself as you do it. Note how each spot offers a different challenge, maybe closer or farther away, at different angles to the basket. Is it easier to shoot from out front or from the baseline areas. Awareness leads to growth and development so keep returning to it. As a mentor of mine said, "It's okay to be bored with me using the word 'awareness' too much, but never be bored with awareness!" As you shoot, practice your "stuff," the constant Release, shooting from a high percentage of leg drive or UpForce, varying arch, holding the Follow Through. You'll find your shooting is getting more and more effective and you're making more and more shots. A simple game like "Knock Off" can be used in the same way. Instead of focusing so much on trying to make the shots and beat your opponent, have that as a goal but then, in the moment, observe yourself shoot. Are you catching the UpForce? Is your Release automatic, constant, full out? Did you trust yourself? Those kinds of questions and awarenesses will serve you better than just hurriedly shooting and hoping for success. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Again, good luck with this. Let me know of your successes, both as players learning to coach themselves and as coaches working with kids. And keep reading my stuff: · Articles
These writings will help make things clearer and clearer. If you don't have the video, please consider getting it. It will make this Method even more understandable and doable. LET ME KNOW HOW THIS WORKS FOR YOU I'm committed to training coaches to coach shooting more effectively, both with my Method and in general by knowing what to look for. If you use this, let me know what the results are. How do the kids relate to it? Let me know what it teaches you. Thanks. ------------------------------------------------------------ Quality vs. Quantity: In the section above about Repetitions vs. Repeatability, I wrote how the quality of awareness is much more important than just lots of repetitions. When you go to shoot, really come to know what it is you do and how you do it. There is a huge attraction for human beings in whether or not we perform well, in this case making our shots. Performance is taken very seriously by all of us. If our shots go in, somehow we feel better about ourselves. If they miss, we can feel badly. If taken to the extreme, we can feel we are unathletic, poor learners, ignorant, stupid, worthless, etc. The ego can really get upset if our failure goes on too long. THE WAY OUT IS AWARENESS AND TRUST! Trust that your body/brain/nervous system is much more able than you know. With practice you'll see that if you just increase awareness of what you do, you will learn and develop. Some kids learn faster than others, some are just more athletic and coordinated. But you all can learn. And if maybe you aren't as strong or athletic or coordinated as your friends, if you apply awareness and patience with yourself and they do not, you could wind up the better shooter or playmaker or rebounder, whatever it is. If they're asleep and you're awake, there's a good chance you'll come out on top. ALL YOU NEED DO IS WAKE UP So the suggestion is to wake up. Observe what you do and how you do it and what happens and you will grow. It's a fascinating practice. Try to minimize the judgment (good or bad) with each shot and just see where it lands. Then do it again without "fixing it" and watch your amazing body adjust. Shooting a basketball is not a difficult human task. The basket is huge, about twice the diameter of the ball (exactly twice for the intermediate sized ball). If your shots come at it from a high angle, the target is large and forgiving. Showing yourself you can learn at shooting can be thrilling and will lead you to trust yourself in other areas. And when you know how your body creates power and height and spin, and how it can control direction and distance, shooting will become easy for you. You might even see how to help your friends shoot better. My November 2001 Newsletter talked about how to coach others. So enjoy this aspect of your life. Let it be a positive experience, an uplifting experience, and one way to do that is to pay attention and learn. Remember that each time you shoot, the feelings in your body and the flight of the ball are telling you things. Pay attention to them and you cannot help but grow. And if you can hit your shots just about anytime you wish, over and over, you'll have more fun, be chosen earlier for pick-up games, play more minutes, etc., and it can lead to who-knows-what in your basketball and sports and life's future? ------------------------------------------------------------ I invite you to bookmark my Website (http://www.swish22.com) so you can go there easily to catch my latest comments on shooting. You can read about my video there (including endorsements, testimonials, reviews and an Overview of the video), my coaching, and the many articles on shooting I've written. You can see video clips and archived back issues of this Newsletter and, of course, subscribe, if you're not already getting this on a regular basis. Please tell others about this newsletter,
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