Testimonials 1
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Players and Coaches:
WNBA
NBA, College, High School
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Compilations from Newsletters:
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# 109 (May '08)
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Travis got Swish in April, ‘05, and Swish 2 in Dec., ‘05]
“Hi Tom, G'day from down under again. It's been a while since I've contacted you but I have been shooting so well lately I had to send you another update.
“As you know, I got immediate improvement by implementing the SWISH method but this season it's now at a whole new level. Quite frankly, I can't believe how well I am shooting at the moment and it's all thanks to the SWISH method.
“The main purpose of this e-mail is to emphasize that ANYONE can learn the SWISH method and I am living proof of it. At 34, and by my own admission, seriously unathletic and average at most aspects of basketball, I have taken my shooting to a level I didn't think I could achieve.
“I have been averaging over 20 points a game 7 games into the season and I have also hit shots down the stretch in 3 games to get us over the line. The best of them was last Monday. We were down by 5 points with 1 minute to go and I got a good look at the 3 point line and drilled it.
“I was heavily guarded for the next possession, got double teamed, so I passed to a wide open team mate who just missed the game winning 3. We were lucky enough to get the rebound, the ball got passed to me about 1 metre outside the 3 point line. I had to shoot with defenders closing and with 5 seconds left on the clock. I just got it off and it was even a swish.
“A first for me, I have never hit a game winning 3 point shot.
“I ended up scoring 30 points on 15 shots in this game. And they were all mid-range and 3 point jump shots. No layups or free throws. The entire team scored 45 points. Never have I been so pumped after winning a basketball game, we stole that one.
“Also just this season, I had my top score of all time which was 35 points as well as hitting the most 3 pointers I have ever hit in one game. That was 10, I seriously just couldn't believe it. Even the ref was looking at me by about the 7th 3 pointer with a ‘I can't believe you hit another one’ look on his face. It was priceless.
“And just today, a teammate sent me the following e-mail: ‘i would like to know what your 3 pt percentage is this season - it’s got to be between 40-50% !! Lucky we have one player on the team that can knock them down !!!’
“But without a doubt, the number one biggest improvement is WHEN I am hitting the shots. Not only has my consistency improved drastically, my accuracy towards the end of games and when defenders are closing in on me has increased incredibly. I can't explain how much more I am in tune with my shot and how much more of an understanding of why I miss when I do.
“In fact I went through a time where I thought I might be doing something wrong as the trajectory on nearly all of my shots is the same. But I realized that I was just using more UPFORCE for further out shots then close shots and hence the trajectory was the same for most shots.
“That realization came when I noticed that I would put extra arc on the shots when a defender was closing quickly. I had to get it off even quicker than normal and sure enough, the shot has quite a bit more arc when this happens. This also leads me to believe I can shoot even earlier which should lead me to even further improvement. Just incredible.
“Again, I want to emphasize, this isn't an e-mail about ‘Look at what I can do.’ It's 100% a testament to the SWISH method and how incredibly powerful it is. As I said above, at 34 and a most unathletic basketball player, I am the definition of average when it comes to most aspects of the game. But I just spent the time learning the SWISH method and it just flat out works.
“If I can do it, ANYONE can do it.
“In fact, I had to unlearn my old shoot of 15 years, so nearly everyone is at an advantage compared to where I started. And if anyone says the SWISH method is too slow to get off in a game or it doesn't work, just hasn't learned it fully yet.
“I implore anyone to stick with it, IT WORKS!!!!!”
Kindest regards
- - Travis M, Wembley, WA, Australia
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# 110 (June '08)
“Hello from Connecticut and thank you, Tom, for continuing to include my daughter, Jessica , in your email list. I printed out your Trouble Shooting Guide and have given it to her. Jess attended your clinic when she was nine years old and in the 4th grade at our CT Wave Ultimate Wave Challenge at the University of Connecticut. My father also purchased your DVD at that time.
“Jess is now 13 years old and in the 7th grade. She continues to play AAU basketball and recently scored 15 points at our first game this past Sunday morning. She continues to have a high percentage on assists and at the foul line and a low percentage on turnovers. She is a stellar athlete playing very well on offense along with being a very strong defensive player. Her coach states she is her most aggressive player. Your Swish shooting clinic was Jess's first clinic and it was a great start in her future years of training.”
Sincerely,
- - Diane K., Windsor Locks, CT
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“Tom, Your trouble shooting guide in the recent newsletter is outstanding (maybe too long for the young learner) but extremely helpful. You end your guide with how incredible the human body is. I have been working with high school athletes this spring on shooting and individual skill development workouts and I have been saying the same thing to them. I use the idea that their brains and bodies have been incredibly designed by God, and the more awareness of what is happening with their bodies and the flight of the ball, then the greater chance they have of actually learning and improving.
“I have taught many clinics on developing a Culture of Shooters in Your Program and I use many of your ideas. All 3 of my sons have been outstanding shooters (each shooting above 45% from 3 point range in high school and one in college ball).
Thank you for all your thoughts on shooting that you share with us coaches.”
Sincerely,
- - Mike D., Bellevue, Washington
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“Tom - I purchased your Swish video's a few months back and since that time I have been working with my now 9 year old son. He has been a fairly inconsistent shooter, particularly in his release (as any kid can be). Over this period of time we have been working on his release a few times a week, teaching Up-force and stance. As you can imagine this is no easy task, but a lot patience goes a long way (something I have had to learn). The great thing about young kids is that muscle memory comes fast and they don't have a lot of bad habits ingrained. I have to give him a lot of credit as he worked on implementing your method even on his own, learning what works and doesn't.
“Recently he attended a basketball camp in which he placed 3rd in one shooting competition and 1st in another, this was out of 50 fourth and fifth grade boys (he will be in fourth grade next year), needless to say he was pumped and and it was a great lesson to him on what hard work will get you. He obviously has a long way to go, but is really becoming a impressive shooter, the other night we were out and he was shooting around and hardly paying attention to his shot as we talked, I counted and he made 13 out of 15 shots in a row, with near perfect release. It is really amazing to watch the growth.
“I greatly appreciate your videos. Thanks for the help.”
- - Rob P., Bismarck, ND
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“Hello Tom, First I would like to express my appreciation to you for taking the time in a very busy schedule to email me with a response to my concerns regarding my daughter. I did as you suggested having Katy do the squared up shooting while under her AAU coach and then at home on our gravel driveway doing the Swish method (with an open stance).
“I know you said that a squared-up stance would still work [Ed’s note: ... to a degree it will work] and that is the way my daughter shot the ball during the AAU season. But she constantly kept telling me, ‘Dad, I feel so much better with that open stance like in the video you showed me.’ It was obvious her confidence was another level higher when she shot with that open stance. Plus a college coach was brought in to do a clinic on ball handling drills and shooting. Thankfully he did not spend a great deal of time on the shooting as he kept insisting that the girls should be shooting like they were picking a cookie from a cookie jar up on a shelf.
“Well let me get to the real point of this email. Katy's last AAU game for the season (March to early June) was this past Saturday. And now the story book ending. Katy did not shoot much during the season, never looking for the shot and not taking one when she had a wide open shot. I attribute that to her lack of confidence when her coach insisted she was shooting the wrong way and needed to square up and form that goose neck with her shooting arm/hand.
“Well, since it was the last game of the season I told Katy that if it was all right with her she should shoot ‘just like in the video’ for her last game. Well I will never forget this last game. Katy did not score a ton of points. What was most significant for me was that when the game was on the line, she looked for the shot and took the shot using the Swish method. Playing against a team that handily beat her team three previous times, Katy twice tied the game in the last two minutes of play and then with 20 seconds to play she actually took a three point shot and swished it. (No pun intended). That put her team up by two. The other team tied the game with just a few seconds to go and the game went into overtime.
“In the overtime Katy hit two baskets. One about fifteen feet away and the second, ten feet away - off the dribble - with nine seconds left in the overtime to give her team a one point overtime victory. The thrill of victory and being a big part of it created a look of ecstasy on her happy face I will never forget. Thank you for giving her the opportunity and the confidence to be successful. We will continue to work on the Swish Method during the summer and into the Fall.”
- - John C., Pennsylvania
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[Below is a Follow Up email from John.]
“I just took Katy to a week-long basketball camp yesterday. Hopefully the shooting instruction will not play games with her again. But now I think she realizes what many instructors try to teach in opposition to the Swish Method and that it may even help her to better understand the benefits of the Swish Method.
“When we watch college or pro basketball, whether it be the men or the women teams, Katy is always looking at the way players shoot, whether it be a foul shot, three pointer, or pull up jumper. I find it reinforces her take on the Swish Method. Upforce and being relaxed are the keys for Katy. I think the confidence she gains with the use of the upforce in her shot has led to her being more relaxed in her shooting and that carries out to being more consistent and successful in her shooting.
“Recently a basketball practice of Katy's ended and I let Katy shoot around for twenty minutes in the gym while her teammates got ready to go home. Katy started shooting from different points on the court starting at five feet from the basket and working her way out to fifteen feet. And she would hit shot after shot after shot. It was like watching some of the girls in your video. The players on Katy's team (all older by one or two years) actually sat down on court side to watch her shoot. ‘Wow’ after ‘wow’ was heard from her teammates and their parents. Katy was just beaming and hitting shot after shot. Seven out of ten from just about anywhere within the fifteen foot range were falling in.
“The ‘Upforce’ is a code word now in use in our household.”
Thanks again. John
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“Hey Mr. Nordland, I recently went to your session in the Woodlands at Legends Sports Complex to learn your shooting method. This weekend I went to a tournament in San Antonio. We played five games and I scored 26, 10, 29, 22, and 17 points! They were all against very good teams in which most of them had a majority of older players. I have never in aau scored that many points and it was mostly all of my shooting. I also went 24 for 25 in free throws. I am very excited to work with your program this summer and come back next year to my school team. My coach told me that I had to put emphasis on my shot this summer and I think this will really help. I will stay in touch like you said.”
- - Rafael M., Houston area
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[Examples below of Rafael coaching himself...]
“Hey Mr. Nordland, Seeing people shoot on video gave me the idea of filming myself and comparing it to what I saw. I saw I still had the problem of making my shot like a slingshot like we went over at the clinic and sometimes my release when I flicked my wrist was still funny looking. Watching the videos over again helped me fix both of those things. I still think I have a little glitch with making my shot like a slingshot but I will fix it and either way my shot is still on the money so I'm excited to see the results.”
- - Rafael M.
