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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 ------------------------------------------------------------ I was thinking about how I shoot and how to coach it recently on a trip to Indiana. One way to look at it is that "something wonderful" happens when the Release is the same speed and force every time. Amazing shooting can start to occur! When you have what I'm calling a "Constant" or "Automatic" Release, then the shot becomes easier, more predictable, more reliable, more repeatable. If the Release varies, it's hard to be consistent. A constant Release is possible when you create a simple pushing action with the arm (rather than a throw or flip) and relax the wrist, hand and fingers (rather than powering or steering the ball with those smaller muscles). The only job of the wrist and hand, as I see it, is to keep the ball on line with the arm's direction. With all the variables of fingers, hand, wrist and arm eliminated, I can focus simply on direction and distance. I can, in a phrase, "LET IT GO, LET IT FLY!" to the target. Great performers in any sport get to that point. My first thought is of the amazing touring golf pros. They do things with that little golf ball that are mind boggling. They can hit it 150, 200, 250 yards with incredible accuracy and consistency. They play a game that most golfers can't even imagine. I once watched Ian Woosnan, from Wales, hit practice balls prior to the British Open in 1983. He had his caddie stand out in a field about 200 yards from him and hold his cap in his hand to catch balls. Ian was hitting a long iron, maybe a 3 or 4, and the caddie hardly had to move to catch ball after ball after ball. I'd be lucky to hit one of ten that accurately, more realistically one in twenty. Many years ago I read that Greg Norman, the great Aussie player, would not just aim at a house in the background at the British Open (landmarks for some of the blind tee-shots), and not just at a window in that house, he would aim "at a corner of the window" in that house. Talk about control... I'm a pretty good golfer, but I'm nowhere near the level of the average pro, let alone the top players like Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, the great Jack Nicklaus in his prime, etc. I can hit some shots perfectly, once in a while, so I know what it's like. They can do it at will, almost all the time. I know this because one of my mentors is a golf master of the highest level, both as a player and a coach. I see him practice and perform from time to time and marvel at his power and control. I always think to myself, "I can do that!" But it's a level of mastery I've not yet earned. When I'm in a sand trap, I'm just focusing on getting the ball out fairly close to the pin. 10 feet away is acceptable. The great pros are thinking about making their shots, thinking in terms of inches. They have the distinction "sand" to a high level. The point I'm making is that the golf greats have mastered technique to such an extent they can focus solely on target and let it go, let it fly! Most of us with a golf club in our hands are so unsure of our technique and so worried about the outcome, we can focus on the target only to a small degree, if at all. No wonder our shots go all over the place. The basketball shot is nothing compared to the complexity of the golf swing and the difficulty of hitting a little ball with a club traveling at 100-150 miles per hour. We have a big rubber ball (9 to 9 1/2" in diameter) being shot at a target that is about twice the diameter and 3 1/2 times the area, and we have a backboard that can help if the shot goes long. Golfers don't have those advantages. We have no wind to contend with, our terrain is always pretty much the same. We DO sometimes have an opponent talking derogatorily to us or trying to block our actions, so that makes it more difficult. But when we're wide open for a jumper or we go to the free throw line, that interference is not there. When technique is simplified and trusted (mastered to some degree), then we can focus more on where we want the ball to go and performance improves. With an automatic, trusted and repeatable Release motion, now we have possibilities. IT HELPS TO REDUCE THINKING When you work with your Release motion long enough and well enough (making it a constant action, with my teaching), it starts to become automatic and trustworthy. When it's constant and only goes X feet (4, 5 or 6 feet for most people), then you KNOW that as you move further away from the basket you HAVE to add leg power, which you want anyway, as it gives more power, a quicker release, higher arch, all those benefits. The shot all just comes together then, the power, the accuracy, the consistency, higher trajectories to increase the size of the target and allow gravity to slow it down, etc. With your own shot or with your players, observe the Release motions and see if they're simple, on line, consistent, repeatable. Or are they complicated, not in line with the shooting eye, varying all over the place? Just knowing the difference will lead you (or them) to developing a Release that's more consistent. And shooting will improve some. And when you know the structure of a technique that leads to true accuracy and consistency, like the Swish Method, then what you'll develop will lead to extraordinary shooting. ------------------------------------------------------------ Recently I was talking to a head coach for a professional team, and he lamented how little learning he sees going on with the players in the league from year to year. There are some exceptions, of course, like the shooting improvement that players like Magic Johnson and Karl Malone made in their careers, and Grant Hill and Jason Kidd, too. But the majority don't seem to improve their skills that much. He said he can show players what it is they need to do, be it a better way to pivot or an improved way to shoot, and when he turns his back, the players have reverted back to old habits. There doesn't seem to be much motivation to learn in some players at high levels. I was wondering what the problem is. I have seen remarkable learning take place with players old and young, both in basketball and in another sport I coach, golf. I know learning is natural and achievable by people of any age. But, yes, there has to be strong motivation because it requires a lot of awareness, patience and persistence. Old habits are hard to break. I would guess that many of today's highly paid players don't feel the need to work so hard once they get their big contracts. Learning takes concentration, attention, observation ... it takes, in a word, "work." It's easier and more "fun" to just play around and goof off, rather than to work at something. Let raw athletic ability take over. But to people who truly want to develop themselves, learning is discovered to be extremely enjoyable, to be the "real" fun. One of my mentors came to the realization that learning and enjoyment could really be looked at as one word, "learningandenjoyment," they go together so well. From his experience and mine, when we're learning something, there is incredible joy and pleasure. I worked one time with a pro player who could not shoot well. In a lesson of an hour and a half, he followed my coaching and made tremendous strides in his shooting. I kept reinforcing what was happening, making sure he was aware at each point how his shot was changing and getting more effective. There was even a third party, a good friend of his, observing and confirming what I was saying about his progress. The next time I saw him, however, a couple days later, it seemed that 80-90% of what we had, together, developed was gone. He had regressed back almost totally to where he had been. Now I wasn't surprised by that. I know from my own experiences in learning something new in golf that, under pressure, I would almost always revert to old habits for a time, until gradually the new motion was learned and trusted. I needed on-going coaching for awhile to help me truly integrate a new motion. So I expected this player to revert. It's just part of the package. But what I didn't expect was that he wouldn't ask for more coaching. He knew it was my knowledge of shooting that was helping him, and he knew that my coaching method had helped him integrate the new shot and shoot so well by the end of that session. But something in his makeup has prevented him from calling me back in ... so far. (I haven't given up hope.) When I was with him, he was very aware and coachable. That wasn't the problem, but afterward he didn't take the steps needed to keep the learning going. As a professional player, we might think that the ability for him to shoot better would be given high value and priority, and anyone or anything that could be proven to help in that area would be desirable. It's taken me a long time to learn the value of humility when it comes to learning. That I don't have all the answers. That I can't figure everything out for myself. At least not if I want to excel at something. (Mediocrity can be achieved by anyone on his or her own.) So I can't judge these players who are reluctant to see it the way I see it and do not ask for coaching. Something in us wants to take credit for everything that works and avoid the blame for anything that doesn't. That same thing wants to be the source for all growth and development, though we know it's impossible. And that same thing likes things the way they are, too. We need coaching to grow, we need teachers and coaches throughout our lives if we want to master things. To ask for coaching is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of wisdom and humility. It's a necessity for greatness. But our whole culture is being whipped into the frenzy of instant success, instant rewards. People who are into training "for the long run" are few and far between. Most want to achieve quick rewards or they're off to the next big "thing." (Editor's note: As Scott Ostler humorously put it in his Oct. 23rd article (see next item), hopefully exaggerated, "Most NBA guys work on their facial hair more than they work on improving their jumper.") ------------------------------------------------------------ Recently I attended an ABA meeting in Indianapolis to present my Swish Method as a shooting method they could adopt. The ABA is one of several professional leagues for men in the country, including the CBA and the NBDL (the NBA's developmental league). The ABA was comprised of seven teams last year, including two from Mexico, and this coming season they're expanding to 32 teams. Yes, 32 teams!!! I was able to give to the owners and GM's
present a packet of information, including a DVD of "Swish,"
a letter from me, and Scott Ostler's wonderful article from the
San Francisco Chronicle last October calling me the "Jedi
of the Jumper." Scott is an award-winning sports columnist,
syndicated across the country. Here's a link to the article:
Before the trip, I thought to ask Scott to write a letter to the owners about the potential for them of using my coaching method. He has tremendous experience following the NBA and writing about basketball, and here is what Scott wrote: "To ABA Owners: "I'm just a sports columnist (San Francisco Chronicle), so what do I know? "But I've played a lot of basketball,
watched a lot, used to cover the NBA as beat writer covering
the Lakers (L.A. Times). I thought I knew a lot. But when I went
to one of Tom Nordland's clinics (I coach a kids' team), I was
hit with a lightning bolt. I realized not only did I know nothing
about shooting, but a lot of NBA and college players and coaches
don't, either. "I hate bandwagons and snake-oil salesman, but I've tried Tom's stuff on my own shot, and I swear, it's like The Truth. And I've watched basketball with new eyes and have seen nothing that would disprove any of Nordland's theories, which are pretty simple. When you think about it, The Truth usually turns out to be amazingly simple, once it is discovered. If someone gives this guy a chance to spend some real time with some real players, it's going to shake up the hoops world. "Jerry West once told me the secret to the jump shot: "It's just a simple lever," he said. Nordland breaks down bad levers and re-builds 'em simpler and more efficient. If someone is crazy enough to give this guy a gig, the secret's going to be out. "Sincerely, Scott Ostler" From Tom: If you have connection with a college or professional team that wants to take shooting to a higher level, consider having me in for a few sessions to coach both players and coaches in this Method. When I leave, each player will know what s/he needs to work on to become a better shooter,and the coaching staff will be able to sustain the learning. The improvement possible is "outside the box." ------------------------------------------------------------ "I made a great discovery about shooting last September. I learned to practice. "I have read everything you have published on the web. I've probably read every one of them at least twice. Somehow I just hadn't really got it, not until last September when I made great progress. This season I've played in an unfamiliar team in an unfamiliar city, since I started to study in an university. I was doing well in my new team, getting playing time, scoring points because I was such a good shooter. But I haven't had time to practice during the winter and my shot started to slip back to the old. And when I did have time to practice I was just basically wasting my time. "Now I'm on a holiday and trying to regain my form. I also wish to increase my range. First I realized that my limited range was due to lack of power. I have a good release ( I can't force myself to say it's great but I have mastered it to some degree) but I lose the release as I move back. I haven't practiced what you call the UpForce ( I think it's a great name) very much so I thought it would be easy to just work on that while of course giving notice to the release and the sun would be shining again. Easier said than done. I had also forgot how to learn, how to practice during the winter. I've always had the difficulty to complicating things. "Last September I realized how very simple learning is. Somehow I just didn't get what I was to do when going to shoot: What to look at, what kind of mindset should I have. All became complicated, practicing became waste of time, in plain words: I learned nothing. Just an hour ago I was outside shooting in our driveway, I live in Finland so it's rare to be able to shoot outside during the winter and even then gloves are a must. I was missing as usual and not making any progress. "Then all of a sudden everything clicked. I was just about to leave when I captured the feel I used to have and again I was making everything. First I did my routine work from in-close on my release and when I got that down I move to 13-14 feet and started to work on the UpForce. I was going back and forth catching a lot of it. I tried to look at the basket in different ways, to be relaxed when going to shoot but nothing seemed to work, I just didn't learn. The thing I then realized was that all I had to do was to channel my mind fully to the shot, that is to say to be completely in the moment. It was only then that my body could learn as the mind wasn't interrupting. "I was giving the normal feedback of when in the jumping motion I released and my body just got it. I'm pretty sure that the difference was in my mindset since that was the only thing I changed. All along the answer was so simple that it seemed too simple. Just connecting to the basket. I'm looking forward for tomorrow and new chances to learn but that's just great about this journey that I'm on that I can only get closer and closer but there's always a ways to go. -- Risto ja Anja Autto, Finland "Hi Tom, I bought your Swish video a few months ago. I decided to try it and see what happened to my shooting first. I would play pick up games at work during lunch, usually 3 on 3's. I was always the worst percentage shooter on either side. To make a long story short, I'm starting to see a big improvement in my shooting. It's not just me but the other guys I play with tell me so. "I concentrated on several of your key points. Constant upper body release (what you use to call "zero point release"), power from the legs (UpForce), and a high arch. When I practice on my own I always start off with the zero point release until I make a lot of swishes from about 5 feet away. Then I step back a few feet and start to add the leg power to my constant arm release. I pay attention to putting a high arch to my shot and adjust it a little for different distances. If I get the other details and practice more then I know I'll even get better. "I feel confident enough to start teaching these few points to my 8th grade girls b-ball team soon. Thank you and I'll write again if I feel I've hit another milestone in my shooting or my team's shooting." -- V. Magno, Fremont, Calif. "Tom, I am greatly enjoying reading all the monthly newsletters --- they are very helpful. Also I have been reviewing the SWISH videotape this fall to help me in my coaching -- I'm coaching a 7th and 8th grade team and the assistant coach for a high school girls' varsity team. "Two exercises from your tape have been very helpful in helping the players develop their shots -- the first being where the players shoot to a partner about 10 or 12 feet away. We incorporate this into a passing drill so that one player passes, the other catches and shoots. It's great to see the shots get gradually higher and the backspin get better as the drill progresses. The players naturally involve their legs and the UpForce more in this drill as they try to get the ball to come down directly on their partner's head. "The other exercise is where players shoot a foul shot (or a closer shot) and call out where the ball is going to end up, so as to increase their awareness and feel. Usually it only takes four or five attempts before players become very good at feeling where the shot is going -- left, right, short, long or in. Short and long are the tough ones for my players -- that seems to be a more sophisticated feel that is tougher to master than right or left. "Recently, after some poor free throw shooting in games, my high school team started working on foul shots more in practice. We did the feel-call your shot drill, then I had them do it with their eyes closed. At first they didn't believe I wanted them to shoot with eyes closed, but when they did it they loved it. I believe that if a coach can get his players to do this exercise he will help their shooting immensely. The players were amazed that they (1) made foul shots with their eyes closed, and (2) could so accurately tell where the shot was going to land. And once they started doing it they couldn't get enough of it. "Thanks very much for all your work." -- M. Gillis, Salt Lake City "I just wanted to thank you very much for taking the time to come to the Washington area and put on your clinic. I only wish that I would have also signed up my son! "My daughter Melanie was in your afternoon clinic and just loved it. It is just amazing what she learned. I thought that 4 hours of shooting might be allot for an 11 year-old to take in but she just ate it up! She came home and continued shooting. All she could do for the rest of the weekend was talk about shooting and how much she learned! "Thanks for all of the inspiration! I will continually check your web site for future clinics - I hope you make it back to the east coast next fall. Thanks again very much." -- K. Leas, Washington, D.C. area "I once again want to thank you for the terrific clinics you put on this weekend. The coaches' clinic was very informative and really fundamentally changed some of my ideas about how to shoot and how to teach the art of perfecting the shot. I have always felt that the coach is teaching players how to make their own evaluations of situations, their own decisions, etc. Your method teaches players to evaluate their shot so that they can continually make improvements. "I also sincerely appreciate your allowing me to assist you at the clinic the following afternoon. The clinic really cemented in my mind the methods you use in coaching shooters. This was a very energizing experience and I look forward to sharing what I learned with my players so that they may all benefit from the "Swish" method. I intend to run my own "Swish" clinic for my players, utilizing your lesson plans and teaching principles. "Best of all, I got to watch three of my players grow immeasurably in the course of one afternoon. When we finished, one of my players stayed around and was shooting free throws. Her shooting had improved so much that she couldn't help but hang around the gym and watch that beautiful shot fall time after time - even after spending four hours in the gym that afternoon. And I was amazed to see a girl who had been struggling from the line taking free throws and finding it next to impossible to miss a shot. She was in an amazing zone and, on those rare occasions when she missed, she knew what she had done wrong, corrected it, and knocked down another string of 7-8 straight. While 7-8 straight makes from the line might not set any world records in any age group, for her it is a remarkable turnaround. "I spoke with a coaching colleague who sent a daughter to the clinic. He was very impressed with the video. His son, a star shooting guard at one of the local private schools here in DC with a great natural shot, watched the video as well and was equally impressed. You will probably hear from Walter as well. We only want to know when you will come back so we can get more players out to benefit from your teaching method. I would really like to get with my Flames organization to work on having you come out for another go around. We have a number of teams who could fill some clinics with appropriate coordination. And those of us who have seen the results will definitely spread the word. "Thanks again for a wonderful weekend of hoops. I will have to let you know how our clinic goes in a few weeks." -- J. Grant, Maryland Flames Girls AAU Basketball ------------------------------------------------------------ This coming week (by July 9th) we should have our DVD versions of Swish completed and ready to ship. If you want to be notified when they're available, send me a return email. You can also look at the Video Order page, as it will be announced there. As a bonus for the DVD, I've added at the end six minutes of clips of shooters I've coached who beautifully demonstrate the Swish Method (the length is now 56 minutes, rather than 50 minutes). The clips show about 20 different players making effortless shots, players from Indiana, Chicago and California. DVD's are great because they allow you to bounce around quickly from Chapter to Chapter, not just view things in sequence. The price will be the same as the video, $29.95 plus shipping & handling, and tax in California. If you already have the video, we'll give you a good discount. The video comes with a printed Swish Workbook and Shooting Guide. For the DVD, the workbook is included as a .PDF file on the DVD, and the Guide is included as a printed insert. If people don't have a DVD reader on their computer to read the .PDF, we'll send them the printed version. We're also in the process of installing eCommerce for product ordering on our Website, which should be ready soon. That will make it easier to order videos, DVD's and Swish T-shirts. By the end of summer I expect to have my second DVD/video ready on "Swish II -- Coaching Shooting." Our website is: http://www.swish22.com. When the new order page is ready, you'll see a link in the upper right of the Home page to the new "Products" page. ------------------------------------------------------------ WHAT TO DO THIS SUMMER As the summer approaches, I'll bet you're
getting excited and wondering a lot of things: If you work hard on your skills, you'll be best prepared for what's to come. If you goof off, you'll be less prepared. You've got ~two months before school starts again to develop that extra move off the dribble, to learn better how to block out or play defense, or, most importantly, HOW TO SHOOT! I hope my Newsletters have been of help. Read them over again. Look at the articles I've written on "The Trouble With Shooting."(Go to my Website at http://www.swish22.com.) Get my DVD or video, if you can. If cost is an issue, Email me and we'll work out something. The video will show you how to coach yourself, what to look for in others, how to practice. It will give you an advantage. Most of all, enjoy yourself! Basketball is just a Game! It's a delightful and thrilling game, but it's still just a game. The values you learn on the court will help you in life. Winning is NOT the main thing here, despite what some coaches and parents may say. What matters is what you learn, who you BECOME in the process. You will encounter those old adversaries, Victory and Defeat. How you handle them is important. When you can handle them equally neither being too proud in victory nor too humbled in defeat then you've really learned something! When you lose, for example, can you stop making it all about you and your failure and, instead, feel (or imagine) the joy of accomplishment of your opponent ... and then go over and truly congratulate her or him? It's easier later, off the court, of course, to let go of the negative emotion, but if you can catch yourself feeling sorry for yourself right away and snap out of it and go over and truly congratulate your opponent, that would be awesome! When you win, can you do the same thing, be less into self glory and be more into sincere appreciation of your opponents and what they had to accomplish to be there that day ... and express it to them? I wish I had learned this when I was playing. I happened to be on winning teams mostly up to and through high school. And I spent most of post-game time feeling good about myself. It was, definitely, mostly about me. But looking back, though it helped my self esteem, I could have made some great friends and grown as a person by getting outside of myself in those moments. I didn't get any coaching in that process until much later. Maybe this coaching will help you. See if you can just appreciate being alive and realize how lucky you are to be playing this great game. Smile and greet your teammates and opponents with joy in your heart. See if you can meet them as long-lost friends. (I've heard that the Dali Llama greets everyone he meets as if he or she is a long lost brother or sister, mother or father, or child.) You can change the game with your love and appreciation. Sure, you want to work hard and develop yourself so you can accomplish goals, be recognized, and make a contribution to the team (and victory), but it's the "process" of that development that matters it's who you become that truly matters! Who you become will affect your entire life. If all you can talk about with your grandchildren is that you won some games and achieved some fame, it will be hollow. If this touches a chord in you, email me and tell me what you've discovered or noticed about this subject. Observe yourself in games and practice and watch how you behave. Do you get this idea of "getting outside yourself" and being with other people? I'd love to be in communication with you about it. Life is, hopefully, a long process for you. You don't have to be a success at every stage. In fact you can't. Failure and disappointment are inevitable companions on your journey. Failure can serve to make you stronger, make you work harder, re-evaluate yourself, and make corrections in your life's path. See if you can find enjoyment in even the humblest things, in the "ordinary" things of life. As a mentor of mine put it, "Learn to appreciate the 'ordinary' in life ... because there's a lot more of it!" Best of luck and great learning to you! 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. ------------------------------------------------------------ Clinics planned for this summer: Minnesota Portland, Oregon ------------------------------ ------------------------------ If you'd like to help organize the above
or other shooting sessions, contact
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