-----------------------------------------------------------------
SWISH
TESTIMONIALS, BATCH #13 (ASSEMBLED 10/14/6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Tom, I
made a great discovery about shooting last September. I learned to
practise!
"I have read everything
you have published on the web. I've probably read everyone of them at
least twice. Somehow I just haven'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 practise during the winter and my shot started to slip back to
the old. And when I did have time to practise 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
realised 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
practised 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 practise during
the winter. I've always had the difficulty to complicating things.
"Last September I
realised 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, practising 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 and then
releasing at the top of the jump. 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
realised 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 way to go."
- - Risto ja A. (Finland)
---------------------------------------
"Tom, Thank you for
asking. You may absolutely use the testimonial. What I didn't tell you,
Tom, is that my son isn't one of those really confident kids when it
comes to sports. Finally, finally, this method of yours has instilled
in him a certain confidence. He awoke 45 minutes earlier than usual
this morning with excitement and said that he cannot wait to view the
DVD again and practice this afternoon after school. Now, friends on his
are asking where to get the video.
"Once again, thanks for
helping out my boys (and me, too)."
- - Al E., Raleigh, NC
-----------------------------
"Dear Tom, I just
ordered your video and cannot wait to see it. I wanted to report to you
that I gained instant improvement from my players (12-13 year old
girls) just from watching the free video clip you provided on the
website.
"I have a player this
year who has never set foot on a basketball court in her life (no bad
habits). With the little bit of information you offer on the short
video clip, I was able to teach her -- she was consistently hitting
8-10 shots in a row in 5 minutes of instruction. She would only miss
because she lost concentration due to her giggles of total joy.
"She then scored her
first basket on Saturday. The second game she has ever played in her
life. I have coached for many years and it can take some young players
1-2 seasons to get their first basket. Amazing. Thanks for the help."
- - Chuck D., Richmond,
VA
-------- Follow up email
from Chuck ----------
"The experience above
was most exciting due to the fact that the player was new to b-ball. No
bad habits yet, physically or mentally (meaning she was all ears and
very coachable) so she was a great testimony to how the method works as
a true fundamental technique. The other players picked up bad habits
that had to be broken first. I had one player who never did quite get
it. She simply could not let go of they way she had been doing it. I'll
keep trying.
"Your method was first
tried on my son. I read/reviewed your website on a Friday night. Next
day his game was the first in the gym for that day and we were 45
minutes early so no one else was there yet. (Keep in mind I just read
this the night before and it was not my intention to show him your
method.) As I watched him warm up I got to thinking about what I had
just read the night before. I walked over and just started telling him
the basics from what I picked up on the short video. In ten minutes he
was hitting 5-6 in a row. All close-in, different points around the
perimeter. (The real joy is to feel the excitement that builds within
the player -- son or not, it is the best part about coaching.)
"After 15-20 minutes,
Mom (the scorekeeper for the boys' team) was transfixed watching her
son sink shot after shot. You could feel his confidence go through the
roof and I was amazed and very excited about what I might have found.
Still somewhat skeptical -- can I repeat this for other players? No
fundamental method can be this easy! I have coached basketball for 6
years, been all over the internet, coaches clinics, etc. and I simply
could not believe a few basic ideas could make so much change in such a
short amount of time.
"To further review the
method, I came back that night and reviewed the video with my daughter.
As I sat at my computer going over the video, guess what I hear? My son
out back on our portable basket practicing his shot. Keep in mind,
January is pretty cold here in VA. He was stoked. At any rate, next
game he was high score for his team. Only 10 points but he was a 2 or 4
point player before. Next day with my daughter I repeat the results in
15 minutes. She told me she could "feel" the difference. Said before it
was shoot and hope before, but now she knew when it would sink.
"Lastly, I go back to
the website, review, make good notes and take it to my girls for
practice. I dedicated an entire 2 hour practice to your method. The
results were very measurable. Within 10-15 minutes I knew I found
something. I was sold. The chatter in the gym was awesome. They were
really enjoying practicing shooting. Can't wait to see the full video.
Good job coach, you got something here."
- - Chuck D., Richmond,
VA
---------------------------------------
"Tom: Unbelievable! I
haven't even received the video yet, but I applied some of your
techniques while shooting around at home (just to see if they really
work) and they work!
"It took about 10 or 15
minutes to find a combination that I was comfortable with (stance, set
point, release) then I started making (swishing) every shot from 5' to
6'. Then I moved to the free throw line and started dropping shots
through the hoop that didn't even move the net. I can't wait to get the
video and learn more. I am anxious to start teaching this to my kids,
but I think I will wait until I master it myself. If nothing else, I
hope to improve our free throw shooting.
"I started coaching Jr
High boys this year again, after taking a few years off (my wife and I
had a couple of family additions planned). I was amazed at how poorly
the kids were shooting, not only missing shots, but their shooting
forms were atrocious, the ball had absolutely no chance of going in.
Some of the shots that did go in, could have been classified as
phenomena of physics. Anyway, I found that, at least in this program,
the coaches just do not have enough time to teach shooting as it is
considered mostly a 1-on-1 instruction, and the kids were told that
they need to put the time in on their own to become better shooters.
This is ok, but what if the kids just have no idea of how to shoot
properly and just perpetuate all their bad habits. Anyway, I look
forward implementing the "SWISH" shooting technique. Look forward to
more of your information."
- - C.R., Valley View, PA
---------------------------------------
"Tom, I coach girls AAU
basketball. For the past 3 years I have coached girls at the U10
& U11 levels. I have seen girls with good shots and poor shots.
My daughter is on the small side and has worked to develop a shot based
on the "traditional fundamentals." However, some days she shoots great,
other days she is way off. No consistency. After about 30 minutes
working with the Swish Method, my daughter gained something at 10 years
old that very few kids have, never mind many 10 year olds. Awareness!!!
My daughter was aware of everything she was doing. When her shot was
way off she would say " I pushed it", "I pulled my arm back", "I needed
more legs". She was right! She new exactly 'why' her shot was off. My
daughter now has the foundation for self discovery, self adjustment ...
in short, awareness! What a tremendous gift to have at such an early
age.
- - Buddy K.,
Connecticut Waves
---------------------------------------
"Dear Tom, I received my
copy of Swish2 and I'm looking forward to applying all new insights and
exercises. Swish2 came right in time for me as a coach.
"At our Sunday practice
I worked with one of my players on a continuous movement in the shot
(he's still a bit struggling with the Swish fundamentals) and the next
Monday evening, after receiving the dvd, you introduce "dipping" as the
"real" starting point of the shot, bringing it up to the set point and
than shoot without really stopping the movement. A great development in
the Swish method for me already.
"I'll let you know how
Swish 2 works when I apply it in coaching my team further on. The
shooting of some my players has already developed to a fascinating
level, one is shooting rainbow three pointers with his right and left
hand, and I'm talking about a 14 year old. I believe Swish 2 gives me
as a coach the extra tools to provide great shooting for all my
players, especially those facing a few difficulties with applying the
right technique.
"I Swish you all the
best 2!"
- - Rik B., The
Netherlands
---------------------------------------
(Editor's Note: Kevin
first wrote the following after getting Swish 2, having already owned
Swish: )
"Tom, We received the
Swish 2 DVD a few weeks ago. Both of my sons have watched and learned
from it. They seemed to have paid special attention to the areas that
speak of coaching the method. Both of them have improved their foul
shooting since then. My 5th grader had been averaging about 20 points
per game, but most were inside shots or drives. His first game after
the DVD he was 8 of 10 from just inside the arc and ended with 21
points. It was a nice confidence builder. I made them watch the
original Swish video tape years ago, and they would groan when I would
bring it out again. I have come home from work in the last two weeks
and many times found the Swish 2 DVD missing from my room and in their
DVD players. It has become their shooting Bible. Thanks for the great
job.
(Editor's Note: Then,
later, Kevin wrote this follow up:)
"I asked my youngest
what he liked about the Swish 2. He said he liked it because it showed
more people shooting the ball from different camera positions.
"On Sunday afternoons my
brother-in-law, friends and some AAA high school players and I head to
a local gym and play for a few hours. Yesterday my youngest played with
us. Last year he was far too small (we would have fallen over him).
Yesterday he must have shot at least 80% from just inside the arc. The
high school players were yelling out his name by the end of our play
period -- if he was open, they passed it out to him, and he drained it.
It was funny, but enjoyable. I have found it interesting in that after
my sons watch the tape or DVD that they will practice Swish and then
have a bad shooting game. But, by the next game they have zeroed in. I
don't have that figured out yet!!"
- - Kevin W., Fairmont,
WV
(EDITOR'S NOTE: I feel
this has something to do with "expectations." If we think we "know"
something, we often interfere by that so-called "knowing," expecting
success will come automatically and probably decreasing awareness and
trust and effort. Then, after a little more time passes, the learning
that you got comes to the fore and the new level of performance
manifests and stays around.)
------------------------------------
"Tom, I continue to use
your methods to teach shooting. This year I am coaching a 9th and 10th
grade 'rec' boys basketball team. We practice once or twice a week and
play every Saturday. IF we get a second practice during the week, I
devote the entire practice to shooting and swishing! I get instant
credibility with the boys when I swish shots (especially foul shots)
using your method. We stress awareness and experimentation and those
boys are shooting better and better.
"The only team we have
lost to this year had two GREAT shooters who beat us with 3 pointers.
Another good team we played had been practicing at the same time we did
once, and I saw them relentlessly running their set offense in
practice. I knew we would be able to beat them, due to superior
shooting and other fundamentals. Sure enough we beat them by 22 points
despite their superior speed, bench and 'set offense.'
"One of the things I
love about the Swish method is it is a process, a road to Mastery, as
George Leonard would say. I never get bored shooting baskets or helping
others improve their shooting. I DO get disappointed when I hear
coaches say "We just couldn't hit a shot" or "shooting comes and goes
but defense is a constant." I feel they don't understand the jumpshot
and are taking much of the fun out of the game for the players. Keep
swishing!"
- - Michael G., Salt
Lake City
------------------------------------
Hi Tom, I'm really
excited about purchasing Swish 2 DVD. Swish had so much great
information we couldn't absorb it in one sitting. My 14 yr. daughter
started playing high school ball this season, and within a month
coaches were in awe of her shooting and they moved her up from Freshman
A to the Junior Varsity team.
Two things that stood
out were defense and her perimeter shooting (thanks to Swish). She
really wants to work on her 3's, so I suggested perfecting it in the
off season (which is really soon). And obviously we like to get Swish 2
before we start her training. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks.
- - George C., Chicago
---------------------------------------
"Tom, We received the
Swish 2 dvd a few weeks ago. Both of my sons have watched and learned
from it. They seemed to have paid special attention to the areas that
speak of coaching the method. Both of them have improved their foul
shooting since the dvd. My 5th grader had been averaging about 20
points per game, but most were inside shots or drives. His first game
after the dvd he was 8 of 10 from just inside the arc and ended with 21
points. It was a nice confidence builder.
"I made them watch the
first Swish tape years ago, and they would groan when I would bring it
out again. I have come home from work in the last two weeks and many
times found the DVD missing from my room and in their dvd players. It
has become their shooting Bible. Thanks for the great job."
- - Kevin W., Fairmont,
WV
---------------------------------------
"Hi Tom, Thanks for
calling several evenings ago. It was a surprise and also very uplifting
in speaking with you. I received the videos yesterday. I watched a bit
of both of them because I didn't have time to watch either in their
entirety. But, I got Rod Jr. to look at a few points of interest. I was
surprised to hear him later say that while he was at the YMCA, he
worked on a few things that he saw. It was unprovoked, his working on
the technique and the "tell me" part.
I was impressed that he
WANTS to do this.
"So tonight before our
first shooting class with members of our team, I'll watch the Swish 2
video, go over your notes and begin to help the boys and myself to
improving our shooting abilities. My son and I are extremely excited
about what we believe we'll be able to accomplish through your Swish
techniques."
- - Sincerely, Rod H.,
Fishers, IN
------------------------------
"Tom, I love the
information you provide in Swish & Swish 2. I wish I had this
information when I played college ball. I would have been a much better
player!
"I have been involved
with basketball for 20+ years as a player and a youth coach. Over the
past 6 years I have been coaching youth basketball. Because I was a big
man I was never expected to be a great shooter. So, before I became a
youth coach I became a student of the basketball shot. I leveraged the
shooting knowledge I had(which was limited) and I grabbed as much
information as I could from the internet. I quickly found out that
there are a lot of different people teaching a lot of different (and
most not correct) ways to shoot. I also studied good shooters both
college and pro. I came to the conclusion that its about the legs. I
became a believer of powering the shots from the legs. This is what
initially attracted me to your shooting method.
"I watched parts of both
DVDs with my 10 year old son. One thing that we immediately got out of
watching portions of the DVDs was the relaxed wrist, hand and follow
through. My son tried it for 15-20 minutes and the results were
amazing. His shot is on line with the same back spin every time. He had
a very consistent and repeatable arm motion. We can't wait to watch
more!!!"
- - Joe B., St. Louis, MO
----------------------------------
"Tom, Just a note to
thank you for the Swish DVD. My 11 year old daughter and I watched it a
couple times then went to her school for open gym. After about 20
minutes, I couldn't believe it -- she stood there and swished 3 free
throws in a row WITH HER EYES CLOSED! Then the high school girls came
in for practice and she got all nervous and fell apart! But she knew it
wasn't just luck, she was controlling the flight of the ball.
"She's all excited and
can't wait to find a basketball camp to go to this summer. Wish I had
had your video when I was in high school. I was such a lousy shot, I
just gave up and focused on defense. But now I know I can do it, and
help others learn, too. Thanks again!"
- - Amy W., Soldier, IA
---------------------------------
"Tom, Great, great
shooting technique ... made several adjustments and rejuvenated my
entire game. Self confidence restored ... first game scored 19 points
and double figures each time since then ... not bad for 62 years old
... sharing with youngsters ... thanks."
- - Ron P., Conyers, GA
---------------------------------------
"Hi Coach Tom, (Sorry
this is a bit long, but i can't shorten how you changed my game.)
"I must say i am very
impressed with SWISH 2, it showed clearly how practical swish method
can be (which i previously thought wasn't -- not versatile) and how
easy it is to learn this method.
"Starting with myself
(as i am a coach), i first met swish my last birthday, i self coached
and was hitting 75% of my J's that i was nicknamed "the sharp shooter."
Soon, i got complacent and forgot to fine-tune my "pure release," and
as fate would have it -- i loaned my swish video and booklet to a
friend of mine who never returned it.
"My shooting went on a
negative gradient and i soon "lost" the "lost art of shooting."
"I just got swish 2 for
my birthday (coincidentally), and i watched it with much anticipation,
and swish 2 sure lived up to the hype it has created among my coaching
circle. I immediately went to try out by starting with:
"1) How am i shooting
now?
2) The fundamentals +
release
3) playing around
"I started to SWISH
SWISH SWISH, (perhaps due to my SWISH background), i was able to start
hitting practically from anywhere on the floor (except 3 pointers), any
how i settled myself, i found that all i had to do was catch the
upforce and connect it with my release. so simple! predictable!
repeatable!
"I shocked my friends as
they always now refer me to as the "drive-only guy." I had a
one-on-one, and i just hit 7/10 J's from the free throw line extended
area. He was astonished, and he commented that i had a "pure" flight.
"I have only you to
thank for that.
"To share with you what
i found REALLY important when shooting (not in order of importance):
"1) Finger pads pressure
1.1) i think this is
greatly underrated for all shooters, i realized that w/o the pressure,
shots tend to go left and right , short and long.
2) Way of "dipping" the
ball
2.2) I found that when
you "dip" the ball, it should be on one single vertical line and in
line with the eye, e.g., if someone watched a shooter from the front,
the ball should be raised perpendicularly to the ground from the triple
threat position, in my opinion, this really helps to keep the ball "in
ONE motion" with the fewest possible variables
3) Off-hand
3.3) i realized that the
off-hand has a job , that is to bring the ball from a "triple threat"
position to the set point. through my own "awareness" (as you
suggested), i realized that if the off-hand takes care of bringing the
ball up from the "triple threat" position to the "set point", the
shooting hand is able to "continue" that motion (according to newton's
first law) to produce a smooth stroke. More predictable, less to think
about and less to judge.
"Another point to
note... In your video, you mentioned that bank shots include a "wrist
flip" motion whereas the Swish stroke does not. I agree with you
totally. But recently i posed myself a challenge, can i use the SWISH
fundamentals to bank shots? ... and i found the answer to be YES!
"Remember the drill you
gave us in the video that mentioned, "aim to let the ball hit ON THE
WAY DOWN." I experimented this on bank shots, if the ball hits the
"angle" (top left/right of the painted box) on the way down, you can
SWISH a bank shot! So you literally "kiss" the ball off the glass. It
works!
"I am now proceeding to
coach my players on the marvelous SWISH method. I will keep you updated
on the progress."
-- Y.S. from Thailand
----------------------------------
"Hi Tom, Just wanted to
let you know, I read some of the "For Coaches" pages. I took what you
said and implemented the shooting technique. I had a girl who could not
shoot her free throws without stepping over the line. She is a sixth
grader. I had her stand about 4' away and shoot the way you had
explained it. Once she mastered it there, I had her back up and try
around the checkered line, and once that was mastered, I had her back
up to the free throw line, and shoot the same. She was swishing her
free throws without hardly lifting her feet off the ground. She was so
excited and, for me, seeing this on her face was worth everything.
Thanks. I can't wait to receive the DVD's."
-- Kevin N., North
Dakota.
-------------------------------------
Following are four
emails that were sent back and forth between a young player from New
York and me recently. These were in a period of just a couple weeks.
Memo #1 -- First memo
from Mike to me:
"Hello Tom, My name is
Mike I am 20 years old. I have been playing basketball since I was
about 10 years old. I played in high school and currently am in
college. I took maybe a year off completely from basketball because I
hurt my knee during football and never wanted to jump on it too much.
Anyway, I came back and started playing again recently, about 4 months
ago. I was shooting decent and got my shot back but it was still not
near 50 percent. I searched online for shooting material to improve my
game and make it better. The Swish video looked like the perfect
option. I purchased it from Amazon.com, and since then I don't know
what is wrong but I cannot hit any shots. I am shooting everything long.
"I know how to correct
myself by arching my shot more, but when I arch it more to adjust the
distance I come up short. I completely am in shambles and I went from
being a decent shooter to non existent. I really believe in your video
and I can clearly see it works but it;s been so mentally frustrating.
When we play pickup games I wind up not getting picked when there's an
odd number of players because I cannot contribute offensively enough.
If anyone out there can help me I know it can be you. So I ask you Tom
what should I change and what should I focus on because I am lost.
Thank you for your time and for all of the work you have done for
basketball fans and players. You are truly an inspirational person to
the art of shooting."
Thanks,
- - Mike C., Staten
Island, NY
---------------------------------------
Memo #2 -- from me to
Mike:
"Mike, You're long
because your trajectory is too flat. You're short because your
trajectory is too high. All you need to do is to learn to adjust the
arch for different amounts of power, distance and factors such as
fatigue. Play with it and you'll figure it out. You just aren't
sensing, in the moment, how much power you're generating for the
distance. That's all. When you learn to sense and adjust, you'll start
to make everything.
"You will not know what
height to make it until the exact moment of Release. All you do then is
adjust up or down by changing the angle of the arm. Aim for at least
medium height (that is, generate enough power from the legs and body
for that), because then you can always adjust up or down. If you have
only Swish, then get Swish 2 because it's so much more complete."
- - Tom
---------------------------------------
Memo #3 -- from Mike to
me:
"Tom, I just wanted to
thank you for all of your personal help. I now have the confidence to
shoot from anywhere and the motion is effortless. My problem was I
would never generate any power "Upforce" from my legs and barely bent
my knees, so in turn I was flat on my shots and shooting long. My back
spin is near perfect now and my hand flops like the videos show. It is
to the point where I can call whether my shot is in or not and actually
even be able to predict where the rebound will be (if I'm going to
miss) as soon as I release it. I played some games yesterday at the gym
with the usual crew and they were amazed to see such a turn around in
my shooting in just two short weeks.
"The teams were a little
lopsided, so a few on the other side were complaining, and that's when
the amazement came. One guy on the other squad quickly replied to his
friend, "I'm actually entertained watching him drain all of his shots."
I cannot thank you enough for all of the work you have put forth. I
will do my best to spread the word locally and attempt to get more
players interested in your video and your dynamics.
"Thank you for
everything."
- - Mike C.
---------------------------------------
Memo #4 -- from Mike to
me (after I asked if I could use his words as a testimonial):
"I purchased the
original Swish video off of Amazon.com one day while browsing some
basketball shooting videos and books. I stumbled across it and it had
some very nice reviews. It was not until after I purchased and viewed
the video that I discovered your website swish22.com. Swish 2 will be
added to my collection very soon. I would like to see where you
elaborated and what steps of the shot you focus more attention on.
"As far as being part of
the testimonial that would be an honor and sounds great to me. Every
time I go to the gymnasium, it becomes more and more natural. Once you
have the smooth constant release with the flop of the hand and proper
arm extension, the rest comes very easily. Just by using more leg power
you completely have total control over the shot. When I miss I know why
and that feels great. It's crazy how you can actually feel when you are
using the hand muscles and are not fully relaxed. The hardest part is
to make this become your natural reaction. When I'm open and I focus, I
almost feel invincible, like every shot should and will go in. The part
that takes getting used to is the hand in the face. When under
pressure, or off the dribble rather than the catch and shoot, more
variables take place, like you say. But all in all I can see myself
shooting just as good off the dribble as the time and consistency
continues.
"Pistol Pete Maravich,
perhaps considered one of the greatest shooters of all time, has a
video on shooting. I believe it's around 50 minutes long. I purchased
that video a while back, and to be honest with you, your styles were
complete opposite. He recommends "squaring up,""elbow under the ball,"
"flicking the wrist," and even tells the viewer never to put the ball
in front of the eyes because you block your vision of the basket.
"The reason I went
further in my search was because all of these techniques were previous
things that I was taught as a young boy when first shooting the ball
but they were no longer working for me. And, believe it or not, I feel
like YOU KNOW MORE about shooting than one of the purest shooters in
NBA history. I hope my entrance into your testimonials will have an
impact and I know more and more people will open their eyes to your
style.
"NBA playoffs are here
and while watching the games this weekend I saw the pro's missing wide
open 15 foot jump shots. It truly is pathetic. Because of their egos
and their ability to DUNK, they may never look to you for help, but it
would not shock me at all to see you sitting on an NBA bench in a few
years and ESPN discussing Tom Nordland, the LAKERS shooting coach!
"Keep up the hard work
because I know I am not the only person who has and will benefit from
your teachings. Sometimes things work in strange ways. If you never
lost your shooting touch back in college, you would have moved on to
the NBA, I'm sure of it. But thinking about all of the students' and
children's lives you have touched by rediscovering your technique
grants more respect than a million dollar contract. If you need any
more info feel free to contact me further. It is always a pleasure to
hear your thoughts."
- - Mike C.
---------------------------------------
"Thanks again so much
for your video. I can't believe how quickly it has improved my shot. A
lot of it is just using up force (since upforce naturally gives you a
high arc) and not worrying about about being squared up, flipping the
wrists, and all of that nonsense.
"I'll keep you updated
and thanks again."
-- A. Rumschlag
---------------------------------------
"Dear Tom, I'm having a
ball ( literally) with your swish method! I find myself practicing and
not being able to quit. I'm shooting free throws at about 80% now and I
was 50% before. One of my most recent discoveries is that I used to
shoot with my fingertips rather than letting the ball go into my palm.
Seems like when I start missing I'm using my fingertips again.
"My son is playing golf
now and so I haven't been showing him your method but I've been telling
him about my progress. My plan is to get to be an expert shooter, as
you suggested, then start coaching him. Thank You for your good works!"
-- Clay M., Valier,
Montana
------------------
"Tom: I am a parent
coach and for the past 2 seasons the first practice that I hold is at
my house where I invite the team over to watch the Swish video and talk
to the boys about the swish method. At every practice I devote time to
go over various parts of the swish method. This last season this really
paid off. I coached a U14 boys team that went undefeated and won the
league championship. We were an undersized team so we had to rely
primarily on our ability to make outside shots, from inside the 3 pt
arc area. After several games many of the opposing coaches complimented
me our our teams ability to shoot the ball from the outside. Most of
the teams we played seemed to always try to force the ball inside for
layup type shots. Our ability to shoot from the outside really opened
things up for our offense and forced defenses to come away from the
basket area.
"It's interesting in
watching how the boys take to the swish method. Some adopt it right
away, others try it occasionally, and some are just stubborn and don't
want to change. The leading scorers on the team all adopted shooting
with a higher arc. Some of the boys who saw the success that the
leading scorers were having began to adopt more of the swish principles
into their shots.
"Keep up the good work
and I look forward to getting the Swish II DVD."
-- Michael K., Silver
Spring, MD
---------------------------------------
"Tom, I have been using
your method for coaching shooting for several years with one of my
son's basketball teams. They will be 6th graders this Fall. Recently we
have had some new additions to the team that have not been trained in
any real method of shooting. Without much thought, we did some of our
usual free throws at the end of practice. Kids had to make 10 free
throws before they could leave. Our regular kids generally breeze
through this and then start goofing around. One of the new kids, whom I
happened to be watching, was getting very frustrated because he could
not make a free throw. I was letting him do his own thing because I
wanted to see if he would start the process of changing and trying
something different or just get more upset. About the time that I was
going to intervene, his mother got my attention and insisted that I go
help him.
"I walked over and asked
him to put his ball on the floor (he gave me a really odd look at that
point). I asked him to find his dominate eye by holding his hands out
and forming a hole between both hands and using both eyes open to line
up on the basket from the free throw line. I then had him close one eye
and see if the basket was still in the hole. We established that he was
right eye dominate along with being right handed.
"I then had him set his
feet near shoulder width apart and right foot slightly ahead of his
left to force a slightly open stance (his original stance was both feet
at the line). I then had him shoot one handed without the ball in his
old and new stance. He admitted that the shooting motion was easier in
the newer stance.
"In his new stance, I
had him shoot the ball about six time straight into the air one-handed
in the new stance making sure that he was powering with his legs.
"After all of that I had
him sight a spot on the rim and use the new stance and shooting form.
This kid had just missed about a dozen shots in a row. He proceeded to
make four consecutive shots. I'm not sure who was more impressed, the
kid or his mother. He only needed the basics of your shooting method
put into place to be effective. He had everything he needed, it just
wasn't together."
-- Ivan B., Swartz
Creek, MI
Addendum from Ivan:
"Let me add the rest of
the story. I walked back to the Mom and told her that, during my eight
years of coaching youth basketball, I had reviewed several shooting
methods and found that the Swish method had become my favorite. I
always keep a copy (or several) of your newsletter in the front pouch
of my coaching bag, so I retrieved one and recommended to her that she
should order the tape/DVD and work with her son because I felt he could
become a very good shooter and that this was a great method to help
that happen."
---------------------------------------
"Tom, The Swish 2 video
is great. I coach Girls Varsity at Alliance Christian. We have a 8
player team with a
little talent. We were shooting below 20% most games in December.
After our Christmas
tournament I use your method for the past 2 weeks everyday in practice.
We spent 30 minuets each day working on form. We run the Paul Westhead,
break neck run and gun offense. The last 3 games we are close to 35%
from the floor. My 2 guard was 4 for 8, 4 for 8 and tonight was 5 for 8
from 3 point range in the past 3 games. My trailer was averaging 2
points a game had 10 last night and 7 tonight. Before each game we
practice the form shooting even before our layups just to get warm. I
have owned Swish 1 for a few years, but 2 really gave me a starting
point on how to teach the method. We are a young team, my best 2
players are Freshman I think we can improve using your method and
within a year or 2 put a really good team on the floor. Thanks."
-- Jeff C., Chesapeake,
VA
---------------------------------------
"Coach, thanks for
returning my call yesterday. I enjoyed our phone conversation. I found
your DVD's while searching the internet over the holidays and decided
to order both of them based on what I read as well as the sample video
clips that were available on your website. They seemed like what I was
looking for in order to improve as a coach. Of course, the discount
didn't hurt either.
"Anyway, I just finished
my first viewing of the original Swish DVD and can honestly say I am
very encouraged by what I saw. Most shooting tapes I've seen teach
fundamental mechanics such as grip, arm, hand and foot positioning,
posture, release point, follow through, etc. etc. Then when it came
time to "put it all together" they didn't tell you much more than that
-- 'Just put it all together!' From what I've seen, your approach
addresses the critical movements after triple threat position and
presents them in such a way that the player will actually have an
opportunity to be successful.
"My biggest challenge
teaching younger kids (4th through 8th grade boys) to shoot is not
getting them to understand the incremental pieces and why you need to
do things certain ways with your hands, arms and feet to achieve the
proper arc and back spin. That's fairly easy. The challenge is getting
them to synchronize all of the little movements into one continuous
flow that is a jump shot. I have struggled at times to get through to
kids that which has come more or less naturally to me. With my current
approach, sometimes something clicks in their heads and they "get it"
for whatever reason. However, my success rate is too low and I want to
increase my odds through an improved method of teaching. Based on what
I've seen so far, I think your materials are going to enable me to do
that.
"Also, in talking to you
yesterday, it seems that you are passionate about and love what you do.
You must truly want to help players improve, otherwise I am not sure
why you would spend 20 minutes on the phone with a guy from Indiana
AFTER I had already purchased your materials. Today, there are many
"coaches" promoting themselves and their methods, whose sole interest
is separating people from their cash. And a lot of well intentioned
parents are in a big rush to waste money on their kids to send them to
camps and participate on travel teams because they think that is the
real key to making them better. However, when the players are done with
these 'competitive opportunities' they are fundamentally no better than
when they started because practice is consumed by preparing for the
next tournament or AAU game, not teaching the finer points of
basketball.
"Parents don't
understand that you can't buy fundamental skills and wrap them up like
birthday presents. 'Little Johnny played 50 AAU games this year, but he
still can't pass, dribble or shoot!' What in the world does that
accomplish? What people need to do first is buy your DVD's and tell
their kids to study, learn and get out in the drive way and figure it
out. Then, and only then, spend the money for the travel team
experience.
"Anyway, thanks again
for your help. I'll keep you posted on my progress coaching your
system."
-- Terry T., Jasper, IN
---------------------------------------