---------------------------------------------------------------- "More athletic players with a big vertical can probably get away with a set point further back (as long as the release is a push) because they have more time to catch the upforce. I can't confirm or deny that point, I can't jump as high I used to. Only when I am shooting in very close do I move the set point back and up (if necessary) if there is defense closing but because it's so much closer you can get away with it. I don't seem to lose much, if any, accuracy doing it this way close in and it's much harder to block. "I am easily shooting the best now than I ever have in my 17 years of basketball. "And the Newton's 1st Law of Motion that you talked about a few newsletters ago has definitely helped my 3 point accuracy. I quite consciously start the shot much lower and keep it in line for much longer. It takes longer to shoot so you have to be more open but accuracy is definitely improved. "For about the 11th time (LOL) thanks again. I just wish fellow basketballers were more open to changing their shot. The resistance I have met to the few that I have mentioned what I have done is quite surprising. I just don't get it. "And I would love to get hold of the centre of our city's basketball team and get him to use the Swish method. He was 1 out of 8 from the line in the game last night. I see him practice all the time, his technique is all arm and it's atrocious. "You are also right about the complete lack of the Swish technique in all levels of competition. In the Australian competition there are very few and guess what the ones that are lead the competition in accuracy. And Andrew Gaze, arguably Australia's best player, definitely used the Swish techniques. Can't wait until I get Swish II. I loved Swish I and you say this is much better, excellent." - -
Travis M., Wembly, WA, Australia (1/15/06) From me to Travis: "What's been the result of having Swish to look at and inspire you? You had such immediate success on your own, without the video, that maybe you can't improve much more. But probably your "off" periods will be less once you have the reinforcement of the video." Response
from Travis: "You are right in everything you say, when I have games
like the one in my testimonial (which happen more often than ever
before) you can't really expect much more "Even though hitting absolutely every shot all of the time would be great, it's not realisitic. "As far as an update goes, the number one improvement has been consistency. I shoot the lights out more often and have far less "off" periods. And when I do have "off" periods it's because I am what I call "shanking" the Swish Technique. I can tell straight away when I shoot whether it's a good shot or not irrespective of whether it goes in or not. I know that if I shoot with the Swish technique more will go in then miss. "I have
watched Swish 1 several times and know the content backwards. It's
gotten to the point that I am very aware of my shot that I can self
correct when I have "off" periods. That was only possible through
watching Swish 1 many times. "Since I only play in a social league I don't have exact statistics but I can say that I either score more on average with the same amount of shots or score the same as I use to with less shots. "Now I do keep records of some of my practices. My records (for me) are beyond what I thought I could do. "My record for free throws is 49 out of 50. Missed the 45th one but you get that. "I rarely record how many free throws I get in a row so this is based on only counting a few times. In social games I am hitting about 70 - 75% so room for improvement there. "It's a mental thing but improving all the time. But consdering I used to be a free throw bunny I am absolutely wrapped with these results. I used to only get in about 50% of my free throws in games. "My record for 3 pointers in a row in practice (proud of this one) is 25. This is the Australian/International 3 point line, about the same as the USA college 3 point line. "Just yesterday my friends were taking half court bombs for the fun of it so I thought I would give it a crack. I just threw the first 6 and thought hang on, let's take some techniques from the Swish method. So I generated as much up force as I could by taking a few steps and started the set point down near my waist and kept in line with my right eye as I brought it up and released it. The result was ridiculous. I hit 4 half court shots in a row and the 5th one just missed. "I should also mention that all of these personal records were done retrieving my own ball so it's not like I can get set and the ball just gets thrown back to me whenever I make a shot. "And there have been several times in practice just shooting mid range when I laugh at how many I get in a row. I don't count all the time but it's around 20 in a row. I have done that many times. Again, not from the same spot but retrieving my own ball and taking the shot from different areas. "On another note I have been told by several people that my arch is actually too high. That makes me laugh, it just reinforces that I am shooting correctly. "In summary, my shot has improved substantially with consistency being the number 1 improvement and I still haven't perfected the Swish technique. What I mean by "haven't perfected" is that I still "shank" the technique from time to time. Sure there are many times when I shoot the perfect swish shot, but I can improve on the repeatability aspect of the Swish technique. Therefore, I can certainly envisage more improvement in the future even though I have had dramatic improvements already. "By the way I absolutely agree with you that the release is just so important. The consistency of my shooting is directly related to the consistency of my release. "Thank you again for taking my understanding and enjoyment of shooting and basketball to a whole new level." - -
Travis M., Wembley, WA Australia (12/31/05) "Hello Tom, G'day from Australia. "First some thanks... I bought the SWISH video several months ago and I must thank you, it's been absolutely enlightening. Just one example, 2 days ago in practice I hit 48 free throws in a row. Now for me that was truly unbelievable, generally being a bunny at the line. "It's absolutely, without a doubt, a more accurate way of shooting. Your DVD inspired me to change my shooting technique after 17 years of basketball. <<< THANKS MUCH. I'M THRILLED FOR YOUR PROGRESS! >>> "A question about the set point... "Listening to the feedback that my body is giving me, I find that I shoot far more accurately with a set point further back then you suggest. <<< IF IT WORKS, THEN DON'T CHANGE IT. BUT SEE BELOW... >>> "In the first month of purchasing the SWISH video I kept my set point quite far back, changed my release from a throw to a push, utilized UpForce in the shot by shooting on the way up and for weeks was absolutely shooting the lights out. When I say my set point is quite far back I would antcipate that the back of the ball is half way between the forehead and the back of the head. "However, I consciously moved the set point forward so that the back of the ball is roughly in line with the forehead. This was to ensure that it's a push as outlined in your video/manual, as this is a point that you really seemed to emphasize. "For me, this has decreased my accuracy which was perplexing to me. "So my question is, do I persist with a set point that is further forward (back of ball in line with the forehead as you suggest) and my accuracy should improve with more practice, or don't worry about where my set point is, as long as the release is a push, even if it's further back than you ideally suggest? <<< I'D SAY THE LATTER. HOWEVER, CHECK THIS OUT. I FEEL THE SET POINT IN LINE WITH THE FRONT OF THE HEAD ENSURES A PUSH RATHER THAN A THROW OR FLIP, AND IT MAKES FOR A QUICKER RELEASE. IF YOU TAKE IT OVERHEAD, YOU ARE PROBABLY DELAYING THE SHOT JUST A FRACTION, WHICH MEANS THE RELEASE IS PROBABLY SLOWER AND LESS STABILIZED. BUT IF YOU CAN TAKE IT HALF WAY BACK AND GET ALL THE ABOVE "GOOD" STUFF, THEN GO FOR IT. YOU MAY BE THE EXCEPTION, AND MAYBE I'M OFF ON THIS POINT. >>> "I will say however, that even with a set point further back than you suggest, the ball still has a very high arc because I shoot with maximum UpForce whenever possible. <<< MAYBE, BUT YOU CAN THROW IT HIGH, IF THE S/P IS BACK A WAYS. >>> "I suppose another way of asking the same question is : "If the arc is high (I am talking 5 feet or more above the basket), does this by definition mean my release is a push as opposed to a throw? <<< NOT NECESSARILY. CHECK IT OUT. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IF THERE IS ANY WRIST AND HAND IN THE SHOT, YOU OPEN YOURSELF TO VARIABLES, AND THEY CAN HURT YOU, ESPECIALLY UNDER PRESSURE. BUT MAYBE YOU CAN TAKE IT THERE AND DO A PURE PUSH AND FLOP. >>> "I would be very interested to hear your thoughts. It may be time to go out buy a video camera to see exactly what's going on, then I will take you up on your offer of your video analysis on your site at some stage." - -
Travis M. (9/5/05) "Hi Tom, 'Anyone can do this stuff, at least to stand there and make shots over and over a few times.' "With the SWISH method yes, but don't sell yourself short. "Let me explain in detail. "I am 31 in May and have been playing basketball since about 14. I have seen many what I would consider good players not being able to make mid range shots with any consistency. There's plenty of people doing that on the video you have on your site. "On another note, I don't know if you have been given a good wrap in between somebody ordering the product and before it is actually received. That is where I am at the moment. "I have spent about several hours on your site reading, re-reading so I have a good idea of what the SWISH method involves. "I spent about an hour working on my shot : "1.
Using UpForce "I already shoot with an open stance as you suggest so I didn't need to change this. "What can I say my shots had a much higher arc and I just simple couldn't belive how many swishes I was getting. "I considered my shot accurate before, with my game mainly being mid range jump shots and 3's. I get a lot in but I rarely swish. It's a hand/arm action at the top of my jump action guarantees a flatter shot, less accurate/consistent shot, something of which I only learned from your site. "Crunch time came when I played 5 games of 3 on 3 with a bunch of mates and that's the first time I implemented the SWISH method. Don't get me wrong this is a very very hard game, we all take our basketball seriously. Very fair, but very hard. "What can I say, the results where simply unbelievable. I shot the best I have literally in years. It was absolutely exhilirating, I could hardly contain my excitement. "The first few games I was hitting at least 70% of my shots. And I am not talking lay-ups and only a few shots. Probably around 25 shots. Most were mid range or 3's (Australian 3 point line) and most were off the screen, off the dribble etc. Again, many swishes with much higher arching shots than my old style of shooting. "It got to the point that I just wanted to shoot at every reasonable opportunity with absolutely no hesitation and was running extremely hard to get open. "The defence was getting so frustrated. If they guarded me too far away I took the shot, if they guarded me too close I drove, if they double teamed I passed to an open man. I just took what the defence gave me, all this because the jump shot was just unbelivable. Boy, when you can consistently hit mid range jumpers and beyond, it opens up the game unbelivably. I can't thank you enough. "Even though it's early days I get why this works so I know my shooting will forevermore be much improved. "I know the e-mail is getting a bit long but I can't stop at the moment. "I also noticed my shots are rarely left or right if they miss. Something you mention on your site but to be frank, I simply didn't belive it, now I do. "What is also incredible is how amazing the biomechanics of the body work with this method. I deliberately jumped and shot with massive upforce several times only a few feet out to see what would happen. You said you would automaticallyjust shoot higher because the body is just so clever. Again, I found that hard to believe but that's exactly what happened. I didn't even think about it but the shots went way up and many times still swished. It was way too much power but it illustrated the point. "But
what's really exciting is the shots that I miss. For the FIRST TIME
EVER I almost always know why. Not shooting with enough up force, using
the wrist, not lining the eye, hand and basket up. It's already gotten
to the point that when I shoot I can call it a miss long, short, left
or right and a swish as soon as put the shot up and be right nearly
every time. I just didn't think I could ever get such an understanding
and a feel for my shot, "I will wind up this e-mail novel with just one more comment. The really exciting thing is that I am not even close to mastering the release yet. Can't wait until I do. Using the wrist at the moment. Hey, I shot that way for 17 years, it may take a little longer to unlearn, but that's cool. I am one of the lucky few 30 year olds that can spend at least an hour a day on my shot if I want. I also play at least 3 times per week so I weill get plenty of opportunities to improve. "Thank you again, you have no idea how excited and how even more passionate I am about basketball. I just didn't think it was possible to shoot so consistently and have such an understanding of the jump shot, you showed my otherwise. "Kindest regards." - - Travis M., Wembley, WA Australia (4/16/05) "P.S. I am not one to practice a lot from the free throw line and I usually struggle, 6 out of 10, is pretty common for me. Well only took 10 free throws today and yes hit all 10 and 4 were swishes. Me swishing my free throws, unheard of, not anymore!" --------------------------------------- "Before April this year, I hadn't played basketball for 6 years, but decided to get back into the game, and also implement it into the youth organisation that I started and also run. "Well ... talk about being just what I needed - the swish method provided the technique and information to help me improve my shooting beyond my high school records - and not just get 'frustrated' with my shooting! "A few months ago I was struggling with shooting just from the free throw, both with accuracy and power. But having learnt the method, am I now at a consistent 70% free throw percentage, and am now constantly swishing jump shot three pointers - a shot that I never thought I'd ever have enough strength for! I feel like I have become a shooting superman! "The whole idea of 'pushing' the ball up and in, rather than 'throwing it', has given me incredible strength and accuracy, and my newly formed team are greatly benefiting from it - your drills being especially useful. "Also on a personal note, for three years I have been working 12 - 18 hour days every day in a job of very high demand. I never had an outlet until I took basketball up again, but it has been through the swish method that I have been able to enjoy playing, enjoy shooting, enjoy the accuracy that my body can now achieve. "So thank you Tom! What an invaluable gift the swish method has been to my life! All the best, and looking forward to getting Swish 2." --
Scott G., Exeter, Devon, U.K. "After our coaching session, I didn't get to go to the gym nearly as much to practice my shooting, but when I did go, I was inconsistent, and that only brought on frustration. And with the weather pretty unpredictable, I didn't get to shoot outside as well. "With the gas prices skyrocketing, I realized I couldn't drive all the way from Sunnyvale to San Jose just to go to the gym, so I started praying for better weather, and once things cleared up (and with the time change), I started heading out to the park after work to simply just shoot again and again and again. "To this day, I'll never forget what you told my wife when she asked if I could get another session from you: "I coach him to coach and correct himself. He won't need another session from me." At the time, I didn't know what that meant, but now after hours and hours of just shooting on my own, I see what you're saying. "It took me about 3 straight days of shooting to figure out why I was so inconsistent. When I bent my hand back, it was still parallel with the floor, thus I was still flipping the ball upon my release. Imagine me trying to perform the "pushing upward" motion with my arm and then flipping the ball: I was spraying it left and right by performing two motions into one. One day at home, I picked up my basketball and literally carried it around for a good 10 minutes around the apartment with my hand angled up from the horizontal. It's funny how your technique connects all the mechanics together. "The next time I went outside for my shoot around, I start hitting everything. I started at 6 feet from the basket , moved to 8 feet, moved to 10 feet, etc. until I reached 16 feet...all from various angles. That session was probably the best shooting session I've ever had in my life: I easily made 80 percent of my shots. EIGHTY! That's insane. From 6-8 feet, I couldn't miss. And they were perfect swishes; I'd barely graze the iron at all. There's nothing better than hearing the ball rip the net as it falls thru the hoop. "When given enough time to set up, I'm easily a 60 percent shooter from the field. SIXTY!! Are you kidding me? As I become more fluid in the technique, I can see myself only getting better. I've been playing half court pickup ball with complete strangers, and I'm having so much confidence in my shot from 18 ft in. The only thing I've been working on is learning how to harness the energy in my legs so I'm releasing my shot on the way up rather than at the peak of my jump. My scoring average in my church league has increased tremendously compared with the previous 2 seasons, and I'm now the designated "pure shooter" on my team. "Back to your comment about being able to coach myself. Because you simplified everything for me, each time I'd miss a shot, I'd know EXACTLY what I had done wrong. That's probably the most important thing I learned during our session. In the past, I'd have absolutely no clue why my shot went awry. The ability to make adjustments on the fly (especially during a game) are just invaluable. I was 4 for 7 from 3 point range in one league game, and after each of my 3 misses, I was able to make an in-game correction, so that the next shot fell in. "I've been able to show my friends what you taught me, and they're so intrigued, a number of them have asked me to help them with their shot. "Thank you again, Tom. I have a whole new love for the art of shooting. I know it sounds ridiculous for a thirty year old engineer living in the Silicon Valley to spend so much time working on his shot, but it's something I've been wanting to do for years now. Please feel free to reproduce any part of this e-mail for your newsletter if it helps or encourages future shooters out there. And with the weather staying clear for the next couple of months, I can't wait to be on the courts for hours and hours on end working on my shot!" - - Best Regards, B. Lau, Sunnyvale, CA (June '06) --------------------------------------- "On another note ... my high school team last season (this is my third year coaching here) was ranked 7th in our Zone (equivalent to your district?) at the seasons beginning ... we slowly moved up the rankings as the year went on and were #1 in the zone by the time playoffs started ... we won our zone and ended up #6 in the provincial tournament (equivalent to state championship) ... bottom line - we had some kids that could shoot the ball. Getting the up-force arc on the ball produced "instant and dramatic" improvements ... within 30 minutes of introducing your techniques." - -
Thanks again, R. Campbell, Alberta, Canada - -
Cole L., Tacoma, WA "We're surrounded with a bunch of nazi-soup-kitchen basketball coaches. Sounds funny but I have actually witnessed the "get off this court... no court for you." I wonder if they know they look just-like the Seinfeld episode. Your Swish 2 really will help. "I think you have this figured out. You have a genius mind and thank God the perseverance to follow your dream. "I found out this week that every single player on our high school team is from the Catholic School Athletic league (CSAL). That's interesting since the league in 3-5th grades are worse than any rec league you've ever seen. After helping Laura, I am going to see if I can't help the younger kids in this league. There are about 15 catholic elementary schools in Denver that feed into 3-4 high schools. "I am going to video Laura before we move into this. It's interesting that she was publicly humiliated for naturally dipping the ball when she was in 7th grade. Presently, her shot is too far above her head (too far back) so she is flipping and throwing the ball. It's surprising she hits as many as she does. "Thanks for the help. I'll report how it goes." - -
Best regards, Doc P., Colorado "At first it was hard to adjust to your shooting method because I used to shoot from around my chest and powered the ball mostly with my arms. After I watched your video I went over to shoot at my church building. I moved my set point to just above my shooting eye and practiced the constant release. It seemed to work very well, so I moved a little further out to try and combine the up force with the constant release. That worked well too. "I kept
practicing, and about a month later, I went to shoot. I shot 500 shots.
I didn't keep track of the first 400, but for the last 100 I kept track
of my makes and misses. I made 89 of those 100 shots. That made me a
believer in your system. I haven't had much time to practice since
then, but I'm hoping that open gym at my school will help me improve
more so I can make my school's basketball team. I do have 1 question
though. In this month's newsletter I didn't totally under stand the arm
angle thing could you help me with that?" "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. Best Regards," - - C.
Romberger, Valley View, PA "I have
only you to thank for that. To share with you what i found REALLY impt
when shooting(not in order of importance): "Another
point to note... In your video, you mentioned that bank shots should
include a 'wrist flip' motion. 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 answr 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 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. (2/16/06) |