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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
you'll see at the top of this Newsletter. Because I have a "free"
service with the Mail List company (Topica), they insert that
ad to help them pay for the service. Sorry for the little commercialism. 1. Welcome from the Coach But that makes accuracy more difficult, less predictable. A coach recently reminded me of the analogy of throwing darts. Would you ever think that throwing a dart from alignment with your shoulder or even your ear would be as accurate as throwing it from in front, aligned exactly with the eye? Would an archer be more accurate if she or he pulled the arrow back aligned with the shoulder? I don't think so. So why shoot with the ball off line like that? It makes it more complicated, as you try to figure out the angle from there to the target every time you shoot. Shooting with your shooting hand in line with your eye on that side of your head (right hand in line with right eye for right handers) allows for great accuracy and consistency. The hand position in the Set Point is either above the eyes, if you're strong enough, or below the eyes for younger, smaller kids, but it's most effective, I believe, to be in line with the eye. The elbow will NOT be under the ball when you do this. If you force it to be so, there will be tremendous tension in the hand, wrist and arm. Try it both ways yourself and you be the judge. And the other "concept" of a smaller number of coaches that the hand, elbow, knee and foot should be be aligned also needs to be questioned. The more important alignment to me is simply hand (ball), eye and target. Forget the elbow. We don't hit the ball with the elbow. (IF DOMINANT EYE NOT ON STRONG SIDE: Note
that I feel the eye you need to align with is the eye on the
strong side, right eye for right handers, left eye for left handers),
even if that is not your dominant eye. If you try to align with
a dominant eye on the other side, you'll create a lot of tension
in the arm and the elbow will tend to fly out. The body can
figure out the slight adjustment and it's a huge target. Again,
try it both ways and see what you discover.) It's the sound of professional basketball players flinging, not necessarily shooting, foul shots. Is anything more frustrating than watching the world's highest-paid athletes miss free throws? Earlier this month, the 24 best of the best combined to miss half their 32 free throws at the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles' Staples Center. Talk about some foul foul shooting. If you think you're alone in your frustrations, think again. "It's maddening for me to watch, certainly," shooting coach Tom Nordland said by phone from his home in Boulder Creek, Calif. "I see what is happening. The biggest problem is they're stopping their bodies and using all or mostly arms, wrists and hands. The majority of the pro players just don't use their legs at the line and that's where they make the shot more difficult. "If all you use are the wrist and
the hand, you produce a flat shot. But if you employ the leg
Sounds simple enough. If a 64-year-old who barely got off the bench during his playing days at Stanford can figure it out, why can't Shaquille O'Neal? Or Tim Duncan? Or one of the coaches? "It might be because the coaching they've had over the years hasn't made a difference and they've stopped looking for help from that source," said Nordland, whose Web site, www.swish22.com, is a bricklayer's paradise. He has a highly acclaimed shooting video called "Swish" and also has written many articles on shooting, which are available on his Web site. "They're doing the best they can with the understandings they have of shooting. My guess is they don't realize there's another way to shoot," he added. Some of them do. Nordland, who averaged 28 points per game and made 19 of 20 foul shots in a state title game as a Minnesota schoolboy, has worked with several NBA players, including Portland's Dale Davis, Golden State's Erick Dampier, Minnesota's Mark Madsen, New Jersey's Jason Collins, Utah's Jarron Collins and ex-Jazz forward Adam Keefe. Nordland seems most proud of the work he did with Davis, who went from a 46.5 percent foul shooter in 1997-98 to 68.5 percent two seasons later, with the Indiana Pacers. "Dale made a very quick improvement with me," said Nordland. "He even got to 72 percent that winter and was chosen to the All-Star team for the first time in his nine-year career. He later told me he wanted to get up to 85 percent, but he hasn't used me since and he's been deteriorating." (Davis was back at 60.2 percent at the All-Star break.) So why aren't guys such as O'Neal - who once went 0 for 11 at the line in a game - and Duncan beating a path to this guy's door for help? "Maybe they think that because you're some old guy, "Who the heck are you?'" said Nordland, who also has worked with WNBA players and many kids to improve shooting technique. "But if they knew what I could do for them, they'd have their agents at my doorstep asking for help." Nordland dismisses the notion that this nation's foul shooting woes are mental, as many broadcasters often suggest when Shaq nearly brings down the backboard with one of his misses. "A lot of American guys think that it's all mental, but I don't believe that," said Nordland. "They've been doing the same thing over and over on their shot, but their technique is simply flawed. That will eventually get to you, even if you get hot and enjoy a few stretches of success from time to time. Once you understand proper technique you learn like crazy, confidence will rise and the shot becomes easy." Europeans such as Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki,
whom Nordland says has great form, are doing "I watched the World Championships and I'd say about 30 percent of the European guys had learned great form, compared to maybe 10 percent for Americans," Nordland said. "The European players aren't necessarily better coached, but shooting is more important to them and they work harder at it, thus more of them figure it out. Not long ago, I worked with a Belgian coach who had heard of me and I blew his mind with the simplicity and consistency of my method." Nowitzki, who is 7-foot, is an 85 percent career foul shooter. At 6-11, Buffalo native Bob Lanier shot between 68.4 and 81.8 percent every season during his 14-year career. Still, for generations casual basketball fans have equated size with free-throw problems, largely because of 7-1 Wilt Chamberlain and 6-10 Bill Russell, who were two of the worst in NBA history. Russell shot 56.1 percent in his career, which looks superb compared to the Dipper's 51.1. Chamberlain appeared indifferent at times, standing 3 feet behind the foul line, especially late in his career. His attitude was in marked contrast to the Lakers' Karl Malone, who shot just 48.1 percent as a rookie with Utah in 1985-86 but worked hard and went on to become a 74.2 percent career shooter. Chamberlain was a member of the NBA's three worst foul-shooting teams ever, and when they played together in the late 1960s, Chamberlain and Russell combined to force the NBA's overall free-throw percentage down nearly four points because they lived, or more accurately died, at the line so frequently. Together, they combined to miss 8,271 career free throws. But don't try selling Nordland that big men have it tougher at the foul line. "(Former Indiana center) Rik Smits (who is 7-4) shot from his leg power and had a very soft-landing shot and he's bigger than most of the guys now," Nordland said. "And look at Yao (7-5 Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, who shot 81.1 percent from the line as a rookie last season). "Tim Duncan (a 7-footer shooting 58.7 percent from the line at the All-Star break) is an incredible athlete, but it's easy to see what's not working," Nordland said. "He stops his body and powers his free throws with only the upper body in a flat motion, then wonders why he doesn't make them. One theory I have is that he shoots too many bank shots, which require a "flippy' wrist motion. If that's all he practices, he's simply training himself to have a flat shot. "A big part of it is technique. Learning to maximize big muscles and minimize variables. I respect the great talent and skill the NBA players have and would love to coach them. Maybe some day they'll get it." Then again, maybe that's the biggest fantasy of all. e-mail: tborrelli@buffnews.com -------------------------------------------- --------------- "It was so interesting to watch him as you spoke and demonstrated the arm movement you believe is necessary to develop a consistent stroke. He struggled at first to adapt his shot. Ryan has always been taught to "finish high and stick his hand in the cookie jar". Your philosophy of fully extending the arm and finishing with a relaxed wrist is contrary to all of the work Ryan has done for two years, and breaking that muscle memory was tough for him for about 30-minutes. I left the gym to get something to eat, but when I got back, my wife Julie grabbed me and said that I really needed to see Ryan. She said he hadn't missed a shot from anywhere in 15 minutes. One look in his eyes told me that a switch had flipped. He hit shot after shot after shot with beautiful arc and very consistent rotation. "There was a time when Ryan was in the fourth and fifth grade when his upper body wasn't strong enough to get the ball to the rim from out side 15-feet without using a lot of legs in his shot. The result of concentrating on his lower body was a beautiful shot that had sort of evaporated over the years - replaced by a nice looking shot by today's standards. That great stroke of the fifth grade Ryan was back, and the results were also very similar. "On the way home, all Ryan could talk about was how much fun he had shooting after learning your method. Monday after practice, he shot for two-and-a-half hours. Ryan has always worked hard on his shot, but after about an hour his arm would get tired and he would have to stop. He was ecstatic that he can now work on shooting "as long as I want because my arm doesn't get tired anymore." The concentration on UpForce and using the lower body has taken all of the strain off his arm. "We've spent money on videotapes before - put together by people who were great shooters themselves - but after watching them, Ryan and I were confused. There have been two that I haven't even let him watch because they were too complicated, and I believe in any athletic endeavor - the simpler the instruction the better. There are different rules for different shots, and it is all too complex for me. Your technique and the way you communicate it, makes your method much easier to implement. "There is a simplicity in philosophy and communication that allowed Ryan to understand and develop right there in front of us last Sunday. Add your enthusiasm for basketball and teaching, and this was perfect for Ryan. "What a gift the session on Sunday was (and is) for Ryan. Your dedication to developing an easy-to-learn and understand system is greatly appreciated by our family. Everyone involved in basketball bemoans the erosion of shooting ability in the game, and I believe learning your system can be a huge advantage for a player of any ability who wants to work hard to become the kind of great shooter that is so rare these days. People who check their ego at the door can walk away from a session with you as a considerably better shooter than when they walk in. "I'll let you know how Ryan does through the rest of the season and beyond." --K. Sterling, Indianapolis --------------- "He's hit his last four threes in varsity, and hits from everywhere in the JV games. He had 34 in a 45-38 win last weekend. He's really blossomed since your workout. I included the link to today's Indianapolis Star story about last night's game. The end of the piece mentions Ryan a bit, with a nice quote from the head coach. "The assistant varsity coach told Ryan last weekend that if he can improve defensively that he'll be an Indiana all-star. It's a long way off, but Ryan was excited to hear this pretty reserved guy speak that enthusiastically about his future. "Ryan is too modest to write to you himself about his accomplishments, but he says thanks." -- K. Sterling, Indianapolis --------------- -- R. Sterling, Indianapolis -------------------------------------------- "I am now putting on 'mini-clinics' based upon your SWISH method for players in the local community education program. I have modified the teaching a bit to keep the parents off my back. Everyone learned the "square up; elbow under the hand" method and I get an earful when I teach the more relaxed and natural SWISH method. "My solution has been to essentially show both methods, explain they are both valid, but each player should try them both and see which feels better or more natural. The goal, as you so aptly stated, is to control the flight of the ball to the basket, so whatever works for the individual is the best method. I work hard on having the players be aware of their shot and how slight variations feel and then how those slight variations that feel better actually help or hinder the flight of the ball. "In the end, about half of any group I work with seem to improve their shot during the few hours we are together. I feel there should be some type of follow-up clinic to encourage the players to continue to work on and gain confidence in their new shot so they start using it in game situations instead of just practice." -- S. Meidell, Massachusetts -------------------------------------------- "Since I could probably write several 'newsletter' length notes about shooting, I thought I might share another minor insight. "I've recently been disappointed to find that several travel team, AAU and school coaches are teaching the young players to make their 'set point' next to the ear/above the shoulder. I've seen this technique in a number players who come to my mini-clinics and I finally watched two coaches working with a middle school player shooting free throws. For all the reasons you've noted, and a few of my own, it is frustrating to see young players being taught what I feel is a technique that can't be translated for later years when the player is both taller and stronger. "This is a touch difficult to explain without diagrams, but...my revelation was that this "next to the ear/over the shoulder" position is taught with a square stance (both feet pointing to the basket, hips square, etc.). If you keep the ball and hand position in 3 dimensions exactly the same and have the player open their stance, allowing for some rotation of the shoulder, you get a good eye- ball-basket alignment with a more relaxed shoulder and arm which can then use the rest of your method. I've used this where I know the team coach works on this "next to the ear/over the shoulder" form. This allows the player to get mostly consistent help from two separate coaches and just allows them to see the alternative, and hopefully more natural feel, of the open stance. "As you may be able to tell, my whole goal in teaching is not to force a particular method (although I do believe yours is about as good as it gets) nor imply all the teaching they've gotten to this point is wrong. I try to show there are alternatives or variations of what they are doing or learning that may be able to help the flight of the ball and make their shot easier and more accurate. If they see that use of a couple of these variations makes a difference in a short session with me, hopefully, they'll start to incorporate these changes into their shot. "I offer an hour of shoot around time at a local gym each week during the season for those who have gone through a mini-clinic to give the players a chance to experiment and work on their awareness in a supportive environment (although I do admit I tend to emphasize the SWISH method). This is where I hope they start to see what works and what doesn't work, and gain confidence in that set of mechanics that works for them." Regards, -------------------------------------------- "We set up a weekly shooting session that was run by a volunteer parent. I can't begin to tell you how much improvement we have seen in many of our players in just a short period of time. Our players are beginning to understand how to use the upforce to power their shots and to rely less on arm strength. Players are "aiming high" and we are seeing more shots go in because of the arch they are using on their shots. "I held mini camps for players entering grades 1-9. Each camp was 3-hours long. The first two days were used (just) to learn and work with the SWISH method of shooting. All players made progress, and many of the JH players made tremendous progress. The third day of the camp was for individual offensive skills. You can bet that we reinforced the SWISH method as the girls went through the shooting drills using their offensive moves. "I want to share one particular case from our mini camp with you. On the second day as we started camp I showed the group a portion of your SWISH video. It is the part where the little left handed girl is shooting. We broke down her technique. It was a great visual. We also watched the next two male players shoot and studied their high release points. This helped our players to see someone their own age, or younger, successfully use the SWISH method. "About midway through our second day of camp we were working on short bank shots just above the block. Again emphasizing the SWISH method. We had a little girl who will be a second grader next year make four shots in a row and was displaying great SWISH technique. I stopped the camp and had this little girl show everyone (about 35 players) how she was being successful using the SWISH method. Not only did all the campers get a kick out of watching this little girl have success, but the confidence and positive self gratification in the little girl's face was glowing. It gets better, this same little girl the day before could not get the ball to a 10 foot basket. "We did not have adjustable rims so we taped off squares on the wall at 8 1/2 feet for the younger players to shoot at. By the end of the second day, not one younger player needed to shoot at the square on the wall. Each was having enough success of getting the ball to the basket they refused to use the square. "I know we are in the early stages of developing good shooting for the entire program, but if we continue to make as much progress as we have already made, no telling how well we will shoot the ball come season time." -- R. Lyttle, Hamilton, OH -------------------------------------------- "I was out of town this past week, but she was working on her own. She's shooting about 150 shots per day. She told me she hit 15 in a row. "Yesterday she finally got a few minutes of playing time for her middle school team. She was fouled while trying to make a put-back. She went to the line and sank the first shot- hitting nothing but net! The other team called time out. After play resumed she shot the 2nd shot and 'swish,' nothing but net! The net was hardly disturbed on either shot. She told me later 'that new form really works!' "Again, thanks for the investment in my daughter. I hope our paths cross again." -- S. Worley, Mechanicsville, Virginia -------------------------------------------- "My daughter has been playing basketball since she was six years old. She is now thirteen. She has always been recognized as one of the best defenders around. If someone was killing us with her shooting, the coach would always put my daughter on her and shut her down. That fact and the fact that she always hustled to get steals and could rebound like someone much taller allowed her to play on some pretty good teams. "The problem was, she couldn't through it in the ocean. It got to the point she was afraid to shoot, thankfully she became a very good passer. About a year ago I purchased your video and we set about changing her shot. It didn't happen over night and I must admit there were several times we both almost gave up but this month she tried out for and made the middle school team. "I am not bragging when I say this is a powerhouse team. Thirty five girls tried out for ten spots and my daughter bagged one of them. Before trying out, a former coach told her, "just do what you do best, they have plenty of scorers on that team". But now, not only is she doing "what she does best", she's a scorer too! One night she was four for seven and the next she was four for six and added a free throw. That's nine points in twelve minutes. (I told you they were a powerhouse, no one has played over twelve minutes in any game). "Another former coach asked me what happened to her, she said, "she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn last year". She wasn't being mean spirited, we all knew she was right. I just wanted you to know, I am not writing this for any sort of publication, just to thank you for helping us find her shot. Keep up the good work." -- G. Hartley, Kingsport, Tennessee -------------------------------------------- "I bought your instructional tape last March and both of my sons have become disciples of 'UpForce.' I emailed you last spring to tell you of their successes and you courteously replied. I thank you for that. "New update: Both 3rd grader and 6th grader have had a good year. However, last summer, little did I know I would have to coach the 6th grade team. I had not coached a great deal in my life but I did play high school ball many moons ago. "I decided I would start the kids at square one. We watched the "upforce" video one evening and then practiced all of your techniques. Other than warm-ups our first week of practice consisted of nothing but 'UpForce'. Two years ago this team was 1-14. This year their record was 10-5 (should have been 12-3 but they had a bad coach) and we beat both of the teams that played for the league championship. Our foul shooting was between 80-85%. "Credit where credit is due: Our team has gained some height, seven kids with great heart, and a little video titled 'UpForce.' "You have probably heard this a million
times but.... Website for injury prevention and conditioning, oriented for female athletes: http://www.girlscanjump.com. "Laura Ramus is a Licensed Physical Therapist and the Manager of Sports Medicine at St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Head Athletic Trainer for Detroit Shock (WNBA Champs). She does have a Community Outreach program where she will come to your school and do a 3 hour presentation/demonstration on injury prevention and conditioning. Her schedule is on her home page. "Laura does have professional discussion boards she recommends, (ACL Care Message Board) and (Athletic Science Message Board) plus on her links section she lists many other professional organizations that deal with rehabilitation, exercise, strength training, knee care, plyometrics, injury prevention etc. "I found her when I was researching knee prevention material. I bought her video and found it to be an excellent pre-season and/or summer conditioning program for ladies. Her site would be a good starting point for parents and players whose kids play basketball or volleyball. I am not aware of any other videos that focus so much on basketball related prevention." -- Roger Taylor, Missouri Here is a quote that Carlos Santana, the great musician and performer, gave in an interview for the March 30th, 2003 issue of Parade Magazine. He was asked for one of the "keys" to his success. He said it's DISCIPLINE. "Teens don't want to hear that. They think they can just snap their fingers, and voila! But with discipline comes knowledge, coordination, balance, muscle memory, confidence -- things that make it possible to hit the bulls-eye three times in a row. But you must practice!" This is a great description of one of the key things you need in order to develop your shooting skill. He was thinking of his craft, music, but the same things apply to other aspects of life, like learning to shoot a basketball. Your coaches, including me, can tell you to practice. We can guide you into various experiences and then ask that you practice the teachings, often on your own. Practice takes discipline and it takes time, but it's the only way you'll improve. Great things don't happen instantaneously. Maybe winning the Lottery does, for that one person in a million (or 5 million or 10 million). Do you realize that for every Lottery winner who gets the prize of, say, $20 million, that ~20 million people contributed $1 each for that to happen. Do you like those odds? TO GROW YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE Carlos said it so well: "With discipline comes knowledge, coordination, balance, muscle memory, confidence!" Then, as he put it, you can hit the bulls-eye three times in a row (or 33 times or 133 times)! With the huge target we have in basketball, the 33 or 133 in a row is possible. But it takes practice. WE ALL WANT INSTANT SUCCESS A DIFFERENT LEVEL I invite you to bookmark my Website 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,
my site, and my video. Forward the newsletter to them and suggest
they read it and the many archived issues. Send them the URL
(http://www.swish22.com) and let them know there's a proven method
for powerful shooting. For the latest news about Clinics, Camps and Coaches' Trainings across the country, go to this page: Clinics, Camps and Trainings If you'd like to organize some shooting
clinics or camps, please call or email me. I'll be scheduling
Coaches' Trainings at each stop as much as possible, too. Stay
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