Testimonials 3

Testimonials from Oct. ‘08, Issue #112

(This is from a coach from British Columbia who loves my coaching - called it "Fantastic" even before seeing the videos.  This was probably in my testimonials page several years ago, but it’s worth reading again.)

 

“Hi Tom.  I just wanted to write to tell you how impressed I am with your teaching of shooting.  I have played basketball for over 30 years up to the University level.  I have coached at all levels and have never been exposed to such a simple yet effective method of shooting instruction.   

 

“To test it out I took to the courts.  My shooting improved dramatically.  I was a great shooter in High School, but in University I became a ‘defensive specialist’ and lost my shooting confidence as well as my technique.  I have struggled for years to get it back, mostly by fiddling around trying to alter something here or there.  

 

“Over two sessions using awareness and a few minor changes you suggest, I would almost declare it a miracle.  As you say, swish after swish.  It was amazing to get that "feeling" back.  I can't wait to play pick up to see how I do in a game situation.  This will forever alter how I teach shooting and I haven't even seen your video yet (which I will purchase).  

 

“The other great thing was that I taught the technique to 2 young kids who were shooting at the same courts as me.  Their improvement was both sudden and also dramatic in a very short time.  I found it hard to be "neutral" though (with my reactions), but I did my best.  As you can tell I am amazed.  What a paradigm shift in teaching shooting! 

 

“If I could set it up would you be interested in coming to Vancouver (Canada) to do a shooting clinic.  I'm sure we could get a huge turnout.  Please let me know your schedule and if you would be interested.  I would love to learn your methods in person.”

 

-- Todd Kozinka

Planet Hoops, Sooke, British Columbia

"Hoop Hype" Webpage

 

---------------------------------------

(NOTE:  The following is an old testimonial from a coach and player from Seattle, sent to me in Aug. 2002.  I probably published it on my Testimonials page back then, but like the above one, it’s worth publishing again.  It’s a bit long, but it encapsulates beautifully the power and advantages of the Swish approach to shooting.  Coach Nichols had only read my stuff at this time, not even seeing Swish 1 OR Swish 2.  The videos later just deepened his understandings of shooting.)

 

“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 methods 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, they would agree and express 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 biomechanically-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.”

 

Best regards,

-- P.  Nichols, Seattle