(Note:
This article
was written in February 2007.)
To the Basketball World:
Please, let's examine
the generally believed instructions that you must “Square up” to shoot
a basketball, and that wrist flipping and shooting at the top of the
jump are important and needed. And that the elbow needs to be
directly under the ball.
MAY I SUGGEST NONE OF
THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE?
I've been researching
and studying shooting for over 18 years and I keep running into these
old “myths” of shooting. They've been taught to kids for
decades and still shooting is in the dumpster at all levels of the
game. Have you ever thought that maybe they are part of the
reason for the decline in shooting?
THE GREATEST SHOOTERS DO
NOT DO THOSE THINGS!
I'm here to suggest that
an open stance is more effective and powerful than squaring
up. That the elbow does not belong “directly” under the ball,
and that a Release powered by the arm fully extending with wrist and
hand fully relaxed will lead to superior shooting (NOT by wrist
flipping). And, SURPRISE, this way of shooting is the “secret” of how
almost all of the greatest shooters have always done it!
SQUARED UP WORKS GREAT
... FOR TWO-HANDED SHOOTING!
I don't know where this
all started but, to me, the squared up stance is very seffective ...
for two-handed shooting, which nobody does any more! I could
shoot set shots that way when I was playing, and I even used
two-handed, underhanded free throw technique for awhile in high
school. I was good at the former but found the latter
uncomfortable, if not ineffective. Some people just can't get
that way of shooting free throws, and nobody likes it, except Rick
Barry. Two-handed shooting is obsolete!
AN OPEN STANCE IS MORE
NATURAL, MORE POWERFUL...
An open stance and
“stepping in” to shoot is a more natural way to shoot. There
is no reason to square the shoulders and keep them that way while you
shoot one-handed. Any kid, if asked to shoot a ball with one
hand, would rotate the body while shooting so the strong arm is
extended toward the target. And an open stance is more
stable. As a coach said one time when I mentioned the value
of an open stance, “It's like a boxer would stand to throw
jabs!” Yes, a left-handed boxer would adopt an open stance,
with right foot, right shoulder and right arm extended toward the
opponent. To stand square would give you a weak
stance. There is power and stability with an open
stance. Push against a wall from a squared-up stance, and
then open your stance and push again. Feel how much more
power there is in the latter? To learn to shoot quickly, the
simple 1-2 step in can be done in a flash. What's more
important, getting your shot off quickly (and missing a lot of shots)
or shooting in a way that helps ensure success?
ELBOW UNDER THE
BALL? WHY WOULD YOU WANT THAT?
If you align the hand
with your shooting eye and basket, and have the hand facing the basket
directly on the line of the shot, the elbow will be out a bit (5-10,”
depending on the length of your arm), not directly under the
ball. You can't have both, an elbow directly under the ball
and the hand directly lined up with the target. Try
it! See if you can do both. If you can't, which do
you think is more important? I think you'll agree with me
that “It's the hand that matters, forget the elbow!”
FLIPPING THE WRIST
ENGAGES SMALL, FAST-TWITCH MUSCLES
Flipping the wrist is
one way to add power to a basketball shot, but I think you will see
it's putting power and control into small muscles which are less
reliable under pressure. A wrist-flipping motion is also a
horizontal action, thus flattening the shot and making it “hotter”
(less effect from gravity to slow it down).
A PUSHING ACTION IS
SIMPLER, MORE PREDICTABLE
Alternatively, a pushing
action to full arm extension, aimed upward with relaxed wrist and hand,
can be molded into a “Constant motion,” eliminating all kinds of
variables. Thus the shooter has a greater sense of what's
coming off the fingertips. The motion can then rely on the
larger, more reliable muscles of the legs and lower/middle bodies for
the variable power.
AT THE TOP OF THE JUMP,
IT BECOMES ALL UPPER BODY
Shooting at the top of
the jump is an incredible weapon ... if you can do it. But
it's very difficult and gets more so as you move back and the target
gets smaller and smaller. Few athletes can shoot well this
way all the time. Shooting more quickly engages the big
muscles more and their action provides a stable platform from which to
shoot. Add to that motion a constant Release and you've
really got something!
REACHING YOUR HAND INTO
THE COOKIE JAR DOESN'T HELP!
Another instruction
tossed out from time to time is to reach your hand into an imaginary
cookie jar. But note that such a motion is downward, thus
flattening the shot. It also increases spin, which may or may
not be desirable. And it's engaging those pesky small muscles
of the wrist, hand and fingers. Instead, I suggest you push
upward with the arm and relax the wrist and hand. Try it both
ways and see which gives the higher, softer shot action.
ANOTHER MYTH:
ALIGN EVERYTHING UP!
Some say that the
squared-up stance and hand and elbow aligned (some say to include the
knee and foot in this alignment) are somehow important, that such a
vertical line is helpful. My response is “What
for?” To me, the line that matters is the one from the hand
and ball through the eye to the basket. That's determining
where the ball goes. Any other line is superfluous.
Some even say that the ball should be over the shoulder to include that
part of the body in the “line.” It sounds cool, but it's off
line with the eye so accuracy becomes more of a challenge.
DON'T COMPLICATE IT SO
MUCH!
The biggest problem in
the game today is the poor to mediocre shooting. It's
happening at all levels, from the NBA through the college ranks and
down, of course to high school and middle schools. How
shooting has been taught the last 20+ years is part of the
problem. It doesn't have to be complicated and full of
rules. There are some simple truths and the rest are
variations on the same theme. To me, here's what's important:
1) Open the
stance, step in to shoot where possible.
2) Align the
hand and ball with shooting eye and basket. As you bring the
ball up to the Set Point (where the Release starts), be aware of
aligning the ball with eye and basket as early and as long as possible
so there's some inertia to catch and use.
3) Develop a
Release that's a “pushing” action, to the end-of-the-arm at the same
speed every time. The goal is a “constant” Release motion,
which minimizes variables. If you're a strong player and have
a Set Point above the head, keep the back of the ball in front, not
allowing it to go overhead. Out front you will have to push
the ball upward, which is desirable. If you take it overhead,
a throw and/or flip is encouraged, even required.
4) Relax the
wrist and hand such that the hand can bounce in the Follow
Through. Give the wrist and hand only this job: to
cradle the ball securely and to keep the ball on line with wherever the
arm sends it.
5) Control
distance by varying the arch (trajectory) at the last
instant. This is the easy way to shoot. If you try
to have the same arch every time by varying the Release or the timing
with your legs, it's much more difficult. If you vary the
arch, you can then just “let it fly” at the same speed and force and
trust your instincts to know how high. This is the easy way
to shoot!
OPEN STANCE ALLOWS YOU
TO SHOOT FROM WHOLE BODY
Note that if you square
up and shoot at the top of the jump with the upper body, that's all you
get ... just the upper body. But if you open your stance and
shoot early in the jump or down-up motion, you'll get the feeling of
shooting with your entire body, a stable feeling. And
alignment with the eye is much easier the more open you
stand. It just MAKES SENSE to shoot this way.
THIS IS A WAY TO SHOOT
THAT RESONATES WITH EVERYONE!
The Swish Method can
help everyone. It's simple yet very powerful.
You'll wonder why no one told you of this way to shoot. And
you'll start on a path to excellence that will be noticed by other
players, coaches and fans.
CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AND
THE SWISH VIDEOS
Go to my website,
www.swish22.com, to check out my background, articles by and about me,
video clips, top endorsements, amazing testimonials, and my 101
Shooting Newsletters. I've been writing about these things
for 8 1/2 years.
THERE IS A MORE
EFFECTIVE WAY TO SHOOT!
There's hope for the
game in this way of shooting. You'll learn what and how to
practice. You'll learn how we learn and see how to coach the
skill to others. When you practice, you'll improve, unlike
most players of today who don't know what they're doing. This
approach will start you on a process that will be thrilling.
To make dead-center swishes over and over and over is
exciting. It shows you how capable your body is.
Make the Release “automatic” and you'll start dropping shots from
everywhere.
-- Tom Nordland
(Note:
This article is also available as two separate articles for
republishing via the "EzineArticles.com" Directory."
========== ============
SUMMARY
Tom Nordland is shifting
the way shooting a basketball is taught in this country and the
world. This article describes what makes his approach
different from most shooting coaches (and coaches who teach
shooting). Tom exposes and challenges 6 of the major myths,
showing why they don't work and offering his solutions and describing
why they DO work. And, surprise, what he suggests is the way
the greatest shooters have always shot! Now we can have a way
of learning and coaching the skill that is natural, makes sense, works
for everyone, and is much simpler than you ever thought
possible! As Tom puts it, there's “hope” for the game in the
Swish Method of shooting.
Visit his
website at www.swish22.com for the whole story, and it's where you can
order his two remarkable shooting videos, "Swish" and "Swish 2."
(c) Copyright
2007 Tom Nordland
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