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TESTIMONIALS -- BATCH #4
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"Hi
Tom, First off, please excuse the length of the email I am about to
write. In case it helps you out, I just wanted to let you know what
brought me to your site and sold me on trying out your system. It went
like this:
"I ran a search on google.com for "shoot basketball" or something like
that and found your site among many others. What intrigued me about
your site in particular though was the fact that it was more than just
ad copy. What I mean is that most similar web sites will mention
"become a better shooter in ten days" or offer some exciting
testimonials and you don't get to hear the rest until you pay up.
"Now this is certainly understandable but these sites all sound the
same and there is really nothing there to convince me to try their
method out. On your site however you actually give away a great deal of
information about your thoughts and views on shooting, what techniques
good shooters have in common, and most importantly what your program is
all about - UpForce and your other associate teaching principles. When
reading your article "A Lost Art Found!" I realized that what you said
was very intelligent and made sense.
"Yes Americans, or most people in general, seem to almost entirely
learn basketball by playing games and not actually practicing
fundamental aspects and thus spend their whole time reinforcing
whatever habits they have at the expense of learning how to improve or
do things correctly. This problem is compounded by the fact that when
any instruction or drilling does take place it is often done
incorrectly - squaring up, shooting with the wrist (or almost entirely
with the arm), shooting at the top of the jump, etc.
"Now it is just common sense, or physics anyway, that releasing the
ball quickly as you are still jumping up will impart more upward
momentum to the ball, thus increasing the arch of the shot and easing
the ability of the ball to drop straight down into the hole and thus
also easing your ability to shoot greater distance (as long as your
release is not too high) since legs are pretty powerful and can even
enable small girls to shoot three pointers if they do it right. And at
the same time shooting this way allows one to shoot with a more relaxed
and accurate arm motion since the arm no longer has to provide much of
the power for the shot - ideally this would be the same arm motion
every time, learned to the point that it is unconscious and perfect.
"However, it is one thing to "know" something and another completely to
apply it. The real genius in your system, and the reason why your video
is more valuable than just your newsletters alone, is that you are
teaching something that is basic and obviously true but is almost
universally overlooked and you are doing so in a step by step easy to
follow manner. Basically I think I understand exactly what you are
talking about and have even seen incredible results trying out shooting
what I believe is the way you are describing but I want your video for
the drills and just to make sure I have an adequate grasp of everything
you mention on your web site, and because I share in your enthusiasm
for basketball and feel that this is more of a contribution to a good
cause than anything :).
"I could go on forever about the thoughts I have had regarding shooting
and probably bore you completely but from what I have seen your method
of shooting is better than others for these reasons:
"1. It gives a quicker release
"2. It is a much more accurate way to shoot
"3. and one of the reasons for number 2. is that the power for the shot
comes from a stable base, your legs mostly, and enables you to relax
your arm and easily use the same confident semi-relaxed release time
and again.
"You are right in that this is something that can be learned almost
overnight, and that is the most amazing part. My shooting improved so
much in one afternoon after trying out what I believe your methods are
that it was almost funny. I was actually laughing while I was shooting
it was so absurd how much better my shot just became. The people in my
gym thought I was nuts because I was just laughing and nailing shots
from all over the place. I mean shooting used to be frustrating and
painful but this was fun, partly because when you use mostly your legs
in that springing type motion with the quick release, it is just a much
more relaxed and easier way to shoot. When I tried to tell my friends
the secret though they would agree and expressed the fact that they
"already knew that" and then they would go back to their old mostly
incorrect methods of flinging the ball up in the air with their arm.
The only drawback to shooting with your legs this way is that my legs
eventually get tired and my shot will then go flat and that the
quickness of the release sometimes makes it hard to maintain good form.
The first problem will be solved with better conditioning and the
second with some good drills.
"I also noticed that most good female shooters in my gym employ much
more of the principles that you discuss than the men do, and the best
shooters combine this with a shot that has obviously been practiced so
much that it is the same release every time.
"One other thing I wanted to add was that what I am most interested in
would be some real empirical data comparing different shooting methods
and an actual physics based and bio-mechanical based breakdown of
everything that is occurring in the shot and why this way of shooting
is therefore better than another and so on. What would be ideal would
be to have two groups of adults that have never shot a ball before
(women maybe since they are less likely to have played ball and are
probably easier to teach since they don't have the whole manly pride
thing that so often interferes with learning) and have them taught your
method and the "traditional method" whatever that may be - squaring up,
shooting mostly with the arm and wrist, and see which group ends up
shooting better and then analyze the results in a controlled scientific
fashion. Maybe even have the results reported in a scientific journal,
that would be great. In addition to this you would of course want to
determine the ideal way to teach the correct method which is what I
assume you spend most of your time trying to figure out since teaching
can always be improved and is probably incredibly difficult when trying
to overcome very old learned behaviors.
"Well, I think I should stop writing now. I can't believe how much time
I have spent analyzing this stuff, it's crazy. I can only imagine what
you could write. You could probably turn something as simple as
shooting a ball into a 400 page book if you were so inclined, but then
that would go against your methods I believe.
"I look forward to that video and to destroying the competition with
the most overlooked and powerful of basketball abilities - good
shooting."
-- P. Nichols, Seattle
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"Hello, I purchased your video about 5 weeks ago. I must say that it is
hands down the best money I have ever spent. The enjoyment i have in
Basketball has rocketed. I think you know why =)
"I don't play for any school team, to tell ya the truth I just began
playing basketball two years ago. I play mainly pick-up game and
various intramural leagues in the area. I might not play on an official
team, but I am well versed in many aspects of basketball fundamentals
and plays. In one of my 3 on 3 leagues, I play with two of my best
friends. We have 13 set plays, which basically is a combination of
post-up plays, backdoors, pick & rolls (a lot of these). I
basically took elements of a 3 man game, and strung them together so if
one option does not work, it can easily flow into the next, most plays
have 4 options, and most of them are very dependent on the defense's
reaction and such. We aren't the most talented bunch, but we hardly
ever lose do to good execution.
"In any case, I watched your video, followed it step by step, and I
practice some of the 'drills' every time before I play. I am shocked by
how great it has changed my game. Before you my game was basically
low-post, high-post turn and face, or pick and roll. I felt very
confident of most of my game except shooting from any considerable
distance. I could drive good enough to get my man to play off me. After
that my effectiveness dropped because opponents would play far off me
on any pick and rolls, or screens to free me for shots.
"After your video it has all changed. I now get the ball of the screen,
jab step toward baseline and pop a jumper, SWISH. I will drive right,
step back and pop. I find myself taking jumpers more then anything now.
And making them with great success. And since I have proven my shot in
game situation, my game to the basket has exploded. In a recent game I
got the ball with my man playing off, I faked the shot, he respected,
and jumped. With a wide open lane to the basket, probably forcing the
man to come off my teammate and allowing a pass. I instinctively took a
step dribble to my right and drained the jumper.
"As you suggested I kept track of how i shot on the floor before the
video. And then i just recorded myself earlier this week. I transfered
it into percentages, and I am hitting uncontested 3 pointers and just
inside the arc an amazing 48% percent better. From 32%, to 80%.
I've hit jumpers with guys all over me, with hands in my face.
"You know what, I give up, I CANT explain in words how happy i am over
this video, it has changed everything and I enjoy basketball so much,
no longer am i ashamed to shoot around. Thank you, this style is just
amazing. The wierd part is, there was nothing to it. Just shoot early,
same arm motion, and get that ball high.
"It's amazing the look on my opponents face, when i fling a jumper high
over their outstretched hand. I personally don't even know how these
things go in, they just come down and swish like i have never before."
-- B. Miller, Lino Lakes, MN
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"Tom, I am just writing to tell you what an impact your teaching
methods did for my H.S. freshmen girls team this year. I apologize for
not writing sooner, but I have been very busy.
"To give you a little background on myself; I coached girls basketball
for 9 years at the high school level and then retired, so to speak. I
coached my whole career at the same school, which was small in
enrollment. I always had some good athletes, but never very good
basketball players. Most of my girls played other sports and basketball
was not their first love. Most of the girls were terrible shooters and
I always struggled to make them better. I basically relied on a lot of
discipline and a good defense and we won quite a few games. Our motto
was "We're not going to out score you, we are just going to make sure
you don't score more points than we do". We were not very fun to watch,
but we got the job done. Two of my seasons (as head coach) we went to
the regionals. It was a nice coaching career and the only regret I had
is that I was unable to get the girls to shoot better. I sort of took
the attitude that their lack of shooting capability was because they
never worked on it during the off season and it was too difficult and
time consuming to do it during the season.
"After 3 years I got back into coaching this year as a freshmen coach
... at the same school. The school was kind of desperate because their
present freshmen coach had to quit right before the season started. So,
as a favor I decided to get back into it. As you may have guessed, not
much had changed. Good athletes, poor shooters. At first I thought
"What did I get myself into?" My freshmen girls had played together
since the fifth grade. They told me they never won many games. Their
parents told me that the girls always tried hard but could never score
much. Oh, and besides being poor shooters, they were small, too. The
tallest girl was 5'8".
"I remember the first night of practice. I keep a log every practice of
misses and makes for free throws and free shooting. The girls were 17%
as team in FT's and 13% shooting practice shots. And it was not like
this was the girls' first time in a while to pick up a ball. Most of
them were coming to open gyms for two weeks before the season started.
I thought, "Here we go again, I better get my defensive book dusted
off."
"Then I remembered seeing one of your advertisements a couple of years
ago and I was intrigued by your approach of how to teach good shooting.
Fortunately, I remembered it was "swish" something and eventually found
you on the web. I bought your tape and even talked to you on the phone.
You gave me some good advice too.
"Inspired by all this I decided to focus more on shooting this season.
It was an easy decision anyway because the girls were only freshmen.
The toughest part was getting the girls to buy into your methods. They
did and man did it pay off! We still worked a lot on fundamentals and
defense, but we worked a lot of hours on shooting. I even video taped
the girls shooting to help them see what they should or shouldn't be
doing.
"We play a very competitive schedule too. Like I said before, we are a
small school and we compete against mostly bigger schools. We were, by
far, the smallest team in the league. If we were to score it had to be
from the outside.
"We struggled at the beginning, but each game the girls shooting got
stronger. Their form was coming together and their confidence was
building. After seven games we had only three wins but then went on to
win the next fifteen out of sixteen games finishing second in the
league and we won the freshmen tournament.
"The girls were so good and for me, well, I looked like a damn genius.
We had nine games where the girls scored over 40 points and one game
the girls scored 32 points in the first half and went on to score 24
more in the second half. That is awesome at freshmen level. The girls
were so exciting to watch. We got a nice following of fans, too.
"For the season we shot 39% from the field and 47% from the free-throw
line. Not one of my girls could make a three pointer at the beginning
of the season. They finished 18 for 45 from trifeccta land. My motto
became, "Just let it fly!" It was amazing. The parents of the girls
were so proud and they couldn't believe it either. They even called me
a damn genius. I have been called a lot of things in my coaching career
but never that. Thanks again Tom. Your help made my coaching season
fun. I just wish I knew what I know now when I first started coaching."
--Sincerely, Mike (the Damn Genius) S., Middletown, Ohio
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"Tom, I received your video and I love the SWISH method! I have coached
for 8 years at the collegiate, AAU, and high school levels, and I
always try to find a better approach to teaching shooting that is easy
for my players to understand. Obviously, I also want one that works. I
have definitely found it in the SWISH method. The approach is so common
sense, and it has been simple for the kids to retain. I am already
seeing improvements in the players' shooting. In fact, my own shooting
has improved, too!
"Shooting, especially in the U.S., is a joke. As coaches, we are all
trying to figure out from where the problems stem. It seems to come
from poor coaching. I have been guilty of that. In the past, I thought
I was explaining things in a manner that was easy to understand, but
the players would have these confused looks on their faces. Now I see
how complicated I was making it for them. I had them trying to remember
so many things. Players at any level have a very tough time trying to
remember a lot of principles, especially while playing the game. Your
shooting approach focuses on a few major components, and then lets the
players simply REACT, and PLAY THE GAME. That's huge.
"I appreciate your work, and will continue to teach the SWISH method to
my players for many years to come."
-- T. Dartt, Olmsted Falls, OH (High school coach)
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"Dear Coach Nordland, I want to take this opportunity to thank you and
let you know what a great and powerful system you have developed. Your
program has not only helped me personally, but I can take my experience
and be better able to coach the best shooting method around for my
players.
"Growing up and going through programs, I became known as a shooter. I
practiced day and night on my shooting skills but never really felt
very confident. My shots seemed to be sometimes on sometimes off
without any real notion as to why. I always felt it was a matter of
practice before and focus during a game. Coaches tried to assist by
making the usual comments = square up, point at the rim, etc. But these
comments did not mean anything to me and I did not feel they made a
difference in my shot.
"I expanded my love of the game by becoming a coach (at many levels
both boys and girls). When I first began coaching, I would teach
shooting by lengthy shooting drills especially from the foul line.
Based on my past experience I felt it was a matter of practice and
focus. I used some of the gimmicks such as BEEF (Bend the knees, Elbow
in, Eyes on the target, and Follow through), but I never really felt
this was particularly helpful. I would instruct my team to "think it
in" in hopes that they would focus on putting the shot in.
"As I was still playing in men's leagues and coaching, I kept up with
anything I could on drills. In my search I discovered the Basketball
Highway and read some articles from a shooting Coach named Tom Nordland
(you). It was like a revelation. Everything I read was like an answer
to my prayers. The articles explained what exactly makes a good shot
and how to improve your shot, not some silly notion like "BEEF" with no
further explanation. I waited in anticipation for each new article to
come out to learn more. I incorporated all of the techniques as best I
could into my own shot and had immediate great results. Not only did my
feeling towards my shot improve, but I could also measure directly an
increase in my free throw shooting. I would say I went from a 75
percent shooter to a better than 90 percent shooter from the line. The
method also made intellectual sense. The physics of launching a ball
had never crossed my mind until these articles. But think about it, the
size of the target and the angle of approach are very much related. I
will never forget the best notion for shot correction = "Shoot through
the sun roof, not the windshield." After the last article, I was
hooked. I immediately called Coach Nordland and asked for the tape on
the SWISH method. This method is THE most powerful tool for developing
great shooting habits. I had been using the method on my own shots from
the articles, but the video made the method even clearer.
"I used all the techniques in the video and began to share my new
knowledge. I have held a number of clinics with my own teams and
younger teams in our program (I coach at the High School level).
Players really get a good sense of this method because they are
required (and allowed) to figure out the concepts on their own. They
make the changes and see the results as we conduct the clinic. I know
this is a powerful coaching method because of the kids who ask me to
help them with their shots. Also, an even better indication are when
players tell other players that "I shoot so good because Coach Thomas
taught me".
"So once again - thank you so much Coach Nordland for providing the
secrets to great shooting."
-- Coach J. Thomas, Rochester, NH (High school coach)
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(After having the video for awhile and then taking a clinic with me in
Victorville, Calif.)
"Hi, I am really improving, i was playing a game of "21" and I got the
ball and scored with a lay-up. I then made almost the rest of my points
with free throws. U don't how much of a relief it is to have a pure
shot that always works. It doesn't choke even when your almost certain
that you will. I almost consider shooting therapudic. when I was
little, and i would have a problem, I would just go outside and shoot.
I had lots of problems.
"Family/School basketball has always been a way for me to escape the
constant "Do it this way!" "No, you're so stupid!" "Use your brain!"
"You're not gonna be an NBA star!" I look back at those comments that
were said to me and now I just laugh. Thanks to you I can laugh alot
more.
"U and my parents really help sometimes when I don't even know it. It
has been a long time since I could say this" I love this GAME!" You da
man!"
-- Rougie, Louisiana
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"Tom, Here's a pretty good story for you. We were playing some 3 on 3
in Ashland, Oregon several weeks ago and while we shot around for one
of the games, I hit five shots in a row with my eyes closed from about
15 feet. Then, when we started the game, I immediately got open for a
jumper at the free throw line. I received the ball, sighted on the
basket, SHUT MY EYES, and let it fly--- swish! My sons, brother, and
brother-in-law saw me shut my eyes and stood in disbelief as the ball
swished through the net. That kind of shoots the theory of where to
sight on the basket as you shoot!"
-- D. Hayden, Evansville, Ind. (High school coach)
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