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A Lesson Plan for coaches
-- Shooting!
(The practice of coaching shooting)
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(Print this page out for future
reference.)
This shows you exactly how to structure a shooting session (60-75 minutes) with one or a few kids or a clinic with a team or a collection of players. You might divide it up so it fits into two 30-40 minute sessions.
This is the first of several Lessons I'll be writing. This is the basic stuff, where great shooting starts to be learned.
The sections:
· SETTING UP A LESSON OR CLINIC
Thoughts about how to approach a clinic or private lesson.
· HOW DO THEY SHOOT NOW?
The first step is for them to "discover" how they shoot
now.
· DEMONSTRATE THE "SECRETS" OF GREAT SHOOTING
This introduces the Swish Method, the new possibility for them.
· THE FUNDAMENTALS
A brief look at the six basic fundamentals, a starting point.
· A SIMPLE PROGRESSION FOR LEARNING THE METHOD
This is the main stuff, a simple, powerful way to coach shooting.
· GIVE IT A GO!
I encourage you to give this a go. Do your best and observe what
happens.
I think you will be amazed at the learning that occurs in front
of your eyes!
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I. SETTING UP A LESSON OR CLINIC
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First, never forget that the genius is in the student, not in the coach or the words of the coach! The critical thing is to get the student open and curious to the learning process. She or he has to WANT to learn. With basketball shooting, that's pretty easy to get, the commitment to learning, because every basketball player wants to shoot better. As a coach, then, your main job is to set up an environment where learning is possible and, hopefully, accelerated.
Two things are paramount:
(1) Awareness of what is happening, and
(2) A goal to get to, in this case, the key "distinctions"
of shooting,
the things that really matter.
If you didn't have the second thing -- a clear idea of where you want to get -- awareness would still work to a high degree. With just awareness, a student will experiment with different strokes and different ways to use the body and eventually come up with a stroke that is similar to the great "pure" stroke we're talking about here. But it may take a long time and a lot of very careful awareness and experimentation to find it. Few of us have the time or the level of concentration and patience this approach requires.
If you know where to point the student, to a level of understanding and performance that flat-out works, then the learning can really be quickened.
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II. HOW DO THEY SHOOT NOW?
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I feel strongly that the first step in learning something new is to look to see and feel how you do it now. Learning is a choice between alternatives, sometimes a conscious choice and sometimes an unconscious choice. By being aware of too far left and too far right, you come to know "straight." Too long and too short lead to perfect "distance." If you don't know how you do things now before a lesson, then a new way to perform can be copied and (partially) learned, but you will almost surely slip back into the old patterns because you didn't know the differences. Habits are hard to break.
If you both "know" the old way and "know" the new way (to a deepening degree), then you have a choice. The old will dominate for some time, and it's debatable how long, but with commitment, dedication, practice and patience, eventually the old will disappear and the desired new will emerge.
Because of this belief, the first thing I do when coaching kids is help them to identify how they shoot now. Although you could look at many aspects, I've narrowed it down to these six:
SIX DISTINCTIONS:
1) POWER: Where does power come from?
--- Mostly from upper body? ...or whole body working together?
--- Ask them to give a ratio of upper body to lower body power,
for example
75-25 would be 75% of the power comes from the arm, wrist and
hand,
25% from the legs. 50-50 would be 50% for each.
2) ARCH: How high do you typically shoot?
--- Flat, medium high, high?
3) SPIN: What kind of spin do you impart to the ball?
--- Backspin, sidespin, dead ball?
--- If backspin, is it slow, medium or fast backspin?
4) SET POINT: Where is your Set Point?
--- Below the eyes or above the eyes?
--- In line with your shooting eye or over ear or shoulder?
--- If above the eyes, is the back of the ball even with the front
of the head?
--- Or do you take it overhead, halfway back, all the way back?
5) ARM: What happens with your shooting arm in the shot and follow
through?
--- Does it straighten fully?
--- Does it stay straight to target, or pull left or right or
lift up or drop?
--- Do you "short arm" your shots? (arm stops short
of full extension)
6) WRIST & HAND: What happens with the wrist and hand during
and after the shot?
--- Are they relaxed or tight? Does the hand move left or right
or up,
or does it hang straight forward?
Without going into the details, I first want a demonstration of these distinctions (either by me, if it's a one-on-one or a very small group, or with a couple volunteers if it's a larger group). I stress to the kids that their lesson is already starting as they watch someone else. You can learn a lot by watching others, once you know what to look for.
If a larger group, I do three distinctions at a time and then have them pair up and go to a basket to look at them. Just a couple shots for each distinction. I invite them to make this a quick examination to save time, but they could spend a lot of time on their own doing this. To keep them more awake and aware, sometimes I tell them I'm going to ask them to report on their partner's stroke, as well as their own.
It's helpful to tell the kids not to worry about making their shots as they do this. In fact, tell them to expect to miss them all as they focus on different things. What's important right now is the "discovery" of how they shoot now so later learning will be enhanced, not how many shots they can make.
Do the above awareness exercise in whatever order you want and then get them together to discuss what they saw in themselves and others. Stress that this is very valuable. It's not to retain these motions, it's to "lose" them (if that's what they want), and awareness is the key tool.
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III. DEMONSTRATE THE "SECRETS" OF GREAT SHOOTING
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After you've gone through a process to have them sincerely look at how they do things now, it's time to introduce a more effective way to shoot. For this, I do a short demonstration of the Swish Method and what I call the "Secrets" of Great Shooting. This is where you start to reveal the Goal -- a stroke and use of body that gives them most effective control of ball flight and a simple, consistent and repeatable shot.
For you coaches, if you can't demonstrate these principles yourself just yet, be honest with the kids and tell them you'll explore and develop them together. In this case, if you have a player who pretty well exhibits the principles of the Method, ask her or him to demonstrate and then talk about it.
The three "secrets":
These are the three main Keys of the Swish Method. I call them "secrets" in quotes because they're not really secrets. It's just that most people don't see them. They see a fantastic shooter and a mediocre shooter and they don't see the differences. The great shooters, like Jeff Hornacek and Chris Mullin, shoot this way every time they put one up. So it can hardly be a secret!
All it takes for them, then, is to wake
up and see what's really happening, and that's what we coaches
are there for. After they see me shoot and become aware of the
key principles involved (or a student demonstrator whose shot
has these attributes), now the students have an idea of where
they want to get. Now to learn the method.
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IV. THE FUNDAMENTALS, BRIEFLY
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Next I go through a quick lesson on the fundamentals of Shooting. I don't spend a lot of time at this because, though they're important, they are not the end-all! Exactly how they stand, hold the ball, look, etc. is secondary to the flight of the ball. Great shooting happens on the way to the basket, not in how you catch the ball or in the position of the feet (though feet splayed or pigeon-toed can interfere with the shot, of course). In golf you see some weird swings, but if the shot flies long and true and is repeatable (somehow), that person will probably soon be sought out for lessons.
The six fundamentals I address are:
· Grip
· Stance
· Vision
· Set Point
· Release
· Follow Through
These are covered in the Swish video well. I'll just give a quick rundown on them.
GRIP: The grip is pretty standard. The shooting hand is held wide apart without tension, and a little "finger pad" pressure is exerted to hold the ball in the fingers and top of the palm. The pressure helps create the gap at the base of the palm every coach wants. The "Off" hand (balance hand, support hand, guide hand) is under and to the side and behind, supporting the strong hand but not involved in shooting. We're after a one-handed motion, as it has the fewest variables. If the Off hand is involved, find ways to get it out of the act. Awareness of what it's doing is the best way to learn NOT to use it.
STANCE: For Stance, I advocate that it be open rather than "squared" up. This is because this is a one-handed shot. Squaring up is appropriate for a two-handed shot but not a one-handed motion. The strong arm and shoulder want to move toward the target while the off hand hangs back. Also, it's easier to get aligned (less tension) if your body is turned. If you're open and bring the shooting hand in line with the shooting eye, there is no tension in the shoulder and arm. It's just more natural and comfortable to stand this way. Great shooters turn as much as 45 degree.
VISION: For Vision, I suggest seeing the whole basket at once, without staring at any one point. If you stare at the front or back rims, they're not the best targets since you don't want to hit what you're looking at. Seeing the whole thing gives the body the feedback it needs as to where the target is, in space. I can even shoot pretty well looking at the ground, I tell them, and then demonstrate it. I tell them also that, once you've sighted the basket, you can shoot pretty well with eyes closed with this Method.
SET POINT: The Set Point (and hand position) is one of the key things that matter. It is either above the eyes (for stronger kids) or below the eyes. Above the eyes is preferable as it's much harder to block, but younger kids have to start with it below. To me it's paramount that the center of the hand be aimed directly in line with the basket and the shooting eye. It can be off by about an inch either way and still work well, but if you move it off line several inches (like over the ear or shoulder) you introduce a calculation factor to get the ball back to the target that interferes with great, consistent shooting. When you get the hand in direct alignment with eye and target, you'll find your elbow is a little to the side. That's normal.
RELEASE: For the Release I advocate an upward pushing action of the arm with a totally relaxed wrist and hand. This gives you a simple, repeatable stroke. This is contrary to the idea of wrist flipping, driving with the wrist and hand, or throwing. "Repeatable" is the key word here. This is the stuff of Great Shooters. The arm is extended at the same speed and force. The elbow locks, the hand flops forward, relaxed. The hand actually bounces a couple of times if the wrist is totally relaxed. The ball goes wherever the arm is pointed.
FOLLOW THROUGH: For the Follow Through, I strongly encourage that the shooter hold the Follow Through for an extra 1/2 second or more, enough to "complete" the connection with the target. If you pull it back too quickly, you will probably lose the powerful effect of a solid, focused finish to the shot.
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V. A SIMPLE PROGRESSION FOR LEARNING THE METHOD
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Now to give you a simple progression of exercises that lead to learning the Swish Method for jump shots and free throws. So this article isn't 25 pages long, I won't go into the details of the Swish Method too deeply, but the principles will be understandable and coachable.
1) POWER OF THE LOWER/MIDDLE BODY MUSCLES -- SHOOT FROM IT!
First I introduce the kids to the power and stability of the leg drive or UpForce (as I call it). In a group setting, I have them jump up and down with different sizes of jump to feel the power of their largest muscles, those of the lower and middle body. Then I have them start to shoot back and forth with a partner, learning to connect totally to that energy. Be just 6 feet apart to start with and use a little leg drive. I will first ask for a volunteer and s/he and I will shoot back and forth to demonstrate shooting FROM the leg drive energy. Then, for the group, I like to do this in two concentric circles, with me in the center so I can see everyone just by rotating. A good place to do this is at the jump circle in the middle of the court. The "A" partners stand on the big circle facing outward, and the "B" partners stand in an outer circle facing inward.
As they shoot back and forth, they start to see that the more they shoot from the legs the higher the shot and the more effortless it feels. (Don't tell them that; ask them what they notice!) Starting with a small amount of leg action, ask them to shoot back and forth, making sure they shoot FROM the leg power. Then you can ask the B's to move back a bit and ask both partners to "up" the energy. They should be about 12-15 feet apart now. Then ask them to jump very strongly off the ground and shoot back and forth. Avoid separating too far, as it starts to flatten the shot, especially for the younger kids.
Ask them what happens to the trajectory as they add more and more leg energy. They will almost all say that the ball went higher with less effort.
I then help them see that the use of this energy is not yes or no, black or white, on or off, but it's a percentage, a shade of gray. I demonstrate for them with a student what 100% looks like, and zero %, and 50%. 100% just means shooting early and quick, wasting or missing none of the energy. Zero % means shooting at the top of the jump or not doing any up/down motion with the legs (not practical except as an exercise). For 50%, ask them to jump fairly strongly so there is something to catch only 50% of. Then I ask them to do different percentages, calling out to their partner what they're going to do first.
Finally I encourage them to go for 100% for most shots, as it's the most reliable, most stable. The exceptions are shots where you need to jump over people and close-in shots. Shots where you need to shoot at or near the top of the jump are a small minority of shots, left to the superb athletes who have great vertical leap. It's a strong weapon, that shot, but few people can do it consistently, as it's so unstable. The positions 4 and 5 sometimes get turnaround jumpers, when what I call "hangtime" is advisable, but do not wait until the very top of the jump. You can also raise the Set Point for these inside shots so you can shoot more quickly and strongly without holding back.
2) LEARN THE SIMPLE, REPEATABLE RELEASE (MOST IMPORTANT "KEY")
Secondly I address the Release. I'll take one student to set up the exercise.
First, be just about 4 feet apart without a ball. Ask the student get into what I call the "Ready" position, with body open, strong foot forward, strong shoulder forward, Set Point above or below the eyes, hand with imaginary ball in line with the shooting eye and target, and feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly flexed. Then I ask the student to fire off the Release, aimed high, with little or no leg action! (A little bit is okay, especially for young kids, as it's awkward for them. But don't make it a variable motion.) The arm straightens fully and the hand will flop forward if the wrist and hand are relaxed. I ask the group to start watching now for these elements:
a) Arm straightening fully, arm staying pointed in line with the target
b) Speed and force about 65-75% of max. It's quick and strong,
.......but not so quick it could hurt the elbow. We'll call this "FULL OUT,"
.......meaning the 65-75%, the same every time.
c) Hand flopping forward, actually bouncing if done with some force
Note that this may be contrary to how they've been coached, so be patient with them and ask them to be patient with themselves. Ask that they "consider" this different method to shoot and let their experience tell them if it's a superior way to shoot.
As soon as the Release starts to get comfortable
and they've figured out what kind of leg action they need or don't
need, I ask them to say "Yes" or "No" with
each stroke. If all three of the above elements are performed,
that's called a "Yes" Release, otherwise it's a "No."
What I'm looking at now is how the action proceeds and if the
student is aware of what is happening. I tell him or her that
the Yes/No is to see if s/he is awake. Being awake means awareness
of reality. If the student is aware, learning will happen. The
goal is a simple, accurate and repeatable Release action.
Once she or he can do it without the ball consistently (a lot of Yes's), then I add the ball and ask for the same thing. Now is the challenge. Can it be done with the ball? Sometimes the transition is easy, sometimes difficult. Keep the rest of the group involved by asking them to watch and identify what's happening. Ask them if they see Yes or No with each shot.
Once we get a lot of Yes's with the ball, then I ask the player to move back a little and add some (more) leg energy. If the Release changes back to a lot of No's, then we might return to the first position and maybe even back to no ball and start over.
After the individual demo, I then have the group form the A-B circles again and do this exercise in pairs. With practice and time and some individual coaching, they all start to get it. Shots start to fly high and consistent; spins start to be medium backspin every time without trying for spin. Make sure they spend time shooting with no ball, as that's where the motion is most easily observable. After they move back and start to add more and more leg power, they're ready for the next step.
3) PUTTING IT TOGETHER
A) FIRST AT A WALL
It's powerful next to work with a wall to consolidate the learning
of the Release. Do this if you have wall space clean of overhangs,
wires, pipes, etc. A wall is a great place to practice integrating
all of this at an imagined target without the judgment of a real
basket. Once we go to a basket, the judgment of good and bad ("good"
if you make it, "bad" if you miss) becomes very strong
and it's helpful to work on the Release without that.
At the wall I show them how to shoot upward such that the ball strikes the wall on the way down. I demonstrate that a wrist-flipping or throwing motion will have the ball striking the wall on the way up or at the top of the arch. The "pushing" action I recommend is best learned with high arch and it's powerful to train yourself to shoot upward and glance on the way down. Start with minimal leg action and then slowly add legs and shoot higher and higher. It can all be done from the same spot, about 5-6 feet from the wall.
This is a GREAT place to work on the Release because you can see what's happening with hand, wrist, arm and body so easily. Keep returning there from time to time to perfect the Release.
B) FINALLY AT A BASKET
Tell them, "Finally we get to the basket. Now is the 'fun'
stuff you came for --- how to develop a great basketball shot
with a basket, net and backboard."
I demonstrate with one player to show the sequence. It takes some time but it sets up the work in pairs to follow. I encourage them to observe and listen very carefully, and to watch the player experiment and learn. As breakthroughs happen, I'm sure to point them out to the group.
FIRST FIND THE "PURE" RELEASE
DISTANCE
The first step is to find the distance from which the student
can fire off his or her Release at a high angle and it only goes
to dead center, Swish! It's like "To the end of the arm,"
no further, no shorter. The key is to "do" the Release
and then adjust your distance, instead of going to a particular
distance and then adjusting the Release or the leg action to fit
it. This way is much more Universal. Once you get a constant,
automatic and trusted Release, then by adding leg power and adjusting
height you can shoot effectively from anywhere in your range.
(PLEASE NOTE THIS IS THE MASTER KEY!!! ONCE YOUR RELEASE IS AUTOMATIC AND CONSTANT IN TERMS OF SPEED AND FORCE, YOUR SHOOTING WILL START TO SOAR.)
Invite a volunteer (let's assume it's a girl) to find her perfect, pure Release distance. It's a semi-circle, from any spot of which she can fire off her Release and the ball will fly high and true, over and over. A tiny bit of leg action is okay, if needed, just so it's the same every time.
Have her start ~4 feet away and fire off the Release at a fairly high angle. The lower part of the ball will get to 11 or 12 feet or slightly more, not just over the rim and not 5-10 feet above it. Shoot and see where the ball lands. You're aiming for dead center, swish. If it is consistently short, then move closer. If it's consistently long, move back. Do this until she finds the perfect distance where she can fire off her constant Release at the same angle each time (high) and it comes down dead center, swish!
"YES" AND "NO" ON THE
RELEASE
As soon as the distance is found, then ask her to start to saying
to you (or her partner) "Yes" or "No" each
time. Yes is the simple, relaxed, full out release motion we're
after. Tell her to expect a lot of No's in the beginning. Once
Yes's start to happen, the No's will start to disappear as she
starts to discriminate (learn) and choose the Yes release. And
tell her not to say "Yes" just to please her partner
or you, and don't say "Yes" if the ball goes in "No"
if it doesn't. Tell her just to be honest and keep paying attention.
When she gets a lot of Yes's, then have her take some shots with her eyes closed and keep reporting Yes or No. Get aligned as usual and then, just before shooting, close the eyes. You as the partner now have to be alert and protect her in case the ball comes right back at her head. Position yourself alongside and be ready to catch the ball. That allows her to relax and report the Yes/No before opening the eyes. This is a valuable exercise because with eyes closed feel is enhanced. It may take a few shots to relax and feel the shot. You might have her shoot a couple to you this way to get the idea, then aim at the basket.
SHORT ON PURPOSE
Next have her move back about 3 feet and see if she can fire off
the same Release, same minimal leg action (if any), same angle,
everything the same. If done right, the shot will fly the normal
height but be short by about 3 feet. Have her do it and report
if the Release was a Yes or No. Typically kids will hold back
and shoot with less speed and force at first (or, conversely,
add power and try to make the shot), but once the exercise is
understood, the Yes Release will re-appear. It's just a nice way
to discipline yourself to re-learn the Release without the basket
interfering.
THEN GO FOR THE BASKET
Finally free the player to "go" for the basket by adding
sufficient leg power (UpForce) to get it there with fairly high
arch. Instruct her now to start varying arch to control distance.
Have her keep saying the Yes/No on the Release. If she feels she's
added a high amount of leg drive, then she can simply aim higher
at the last instant to allow for it. If less leg drive, then lower
the arch. If the Release is constant and she adds enough leg power
to get the ball to the basket with some arch, she should start
to drain a lot of shots,. A high number of swishes will start
to appear.
NOW THE GROUP CAN DO IT
Now ask the pairs to go to a basket and follow the same sequence:
1) Find the Pure Release Distance
2) Say "Yes/No" on the Release
3) When a lot of Yes's, close the eyes and do it
4) Then move back about 3 feet and be short on purpose, still
saying Yes/No
5) Finally go for the basket, adding at least enough leg power
and being ready to vary arch. Keep saying Yes/No.
Then switch roles with your partner.
Tell the pairs to pick any basket as they'll be rotated each time a different exercise is done. Hopefully you don't have more than two pairs at a basket, as it starts to get busy. Remind them this is the "Key" exercise. Once the Release is mastered to some degree, shooting will start to improve quickly. But if they can't stand there and make shot after shot after shot -- the same, dead-center, Swish -- then the shot is not consistent and great, repeatable shooting will probably elude them.
KEEP THEM FOCUSED
If you have a clinic, now you let them go to do their own learning,
but many will not know exactly what to do. Keep telling them the
five simple steps. If you have other coaches or parents who can
help, ask them to keep the kids focused on these simple things.
The "honest" Yes/No is very important as it forces them
to be awake and aware, and that's when learning happens.
DO THIS PURE RELEASE PROGRESSION A SECOND
TIME
After the group has had 10-15 minutes with this and you've coached
as much as you can, bring them together and ask what's been happening,
what are they noticing. Ask if anyone is seeing that good shooting
is starting to develop. Has anyone made 10, 15 in a row? How many
can see how they can become Great Shooters? A lot of hands should
go up.
You'll start to get reports (and see) some great shooting performance. They are learning that all they have to do is start their leg action, bring the ball to an aligned Set Point, fire off the constant, automatic Release they're learning,vary the arch and hold the Follow Through and the ball is starting to find the net more and more.
Reiterate that this progression to learn
the pure Release is the most important exercise in this Method.
Every time they go to a court to practice shooting, return to
this exercise and re-discover the Pure Release Distance. When
they start to get it and trust it, their shooting will start to
soar.
Now ask them to do this Progression again, and this time see if
they can approach it fresh, like they didn't do it the first time.
Ask them to find their Pure Release Distance by trial and error
again. Then start saying the Yes/No. This time they can skip the
eyes closed part and the short on purpose part and just move back
and add leg power. Then move back again and add even more leg
power. Keep saying the Yes/No so your partner knows if you're
awake or not. Then switch.
With a second go-around and a second group sharing, you'll start to see smiles on more and more faces as they see they're developing a powerful shot. They are learning how to control distance and direction, how to control the Flight of the Ball!
REVIEW AND HOMEWORK
As you end the session, remind the kids of what has transpired. Go through the sequence, from learning how they shoot now to shooting with more and more range as they start to "get" the Method. Before your next session with them, IT'S UP TO THEM TO COACH THEMSELVES!
The key always awareness!!! Tell them you know they're going to forget some of what they've learned. What's valuable is to go out and "re-discover" it. Go to the Pure Release Distance and "re-create" the learning they just did, over and over. Keep returning there.
This will only work to the extent that they are awake and aware. Breakthroughs have happened and will keep happening, but the inevitable breakdowns will come, too. Don't give up! Now they "have a clue." They KNOW what to practice and how to practice! They can start to see it in others, especially the absence of these principles. Invite them to watch the better shooters and see if they can tell now what they're doing that allows them to shoot so well and so consistently.
If they have access to the Swish video, ask them to watch it at least once, maybe several times. It will review and refresh this stuff. With practice and commitment and awareness, they CAN get this! You're available to continue the process and keep getting them back on track, but it's really helpful if they can nudge themselves back onto the track, too.
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GIVE IT A GO!
I'll stop this lesson here. It will take a good hour or more,
maybe two hours or two sessions. I've described Free Throws below,
to save for the second session, but they could be done or at least
introduced at the end of the above segment if there's time.
Go out and try this learning structure with a child or two or a group of kids or a team. Have fun with it. Don't worry about screwing it up. You can't screw it up if you increase awareness in the kids! Awareness always leads to learning, and learning is enjoyable. And you'll find this is powerful stuff, even if you don't know exactly how to shoot this way yourself yet.
This sequence of awareness exercises teaches the kids the key things about this Method. From there they can start to apply the same stuff and learn the other shots, shots with movement, catching and shooting, shooting off the dribble, 3's, etc. Once you know the simple, basic shot motion, any shooting practice or drill will be enhanced because you know what works, you know what to practice, and you know how to self-correct.
A NOTE ABOUT FREE THROWS
Free Throws are like Jump Shots without the jump, and the only differences are that you don't jump off the ground (though you could), and this shot doesn't need a Set Point. The Set Point, a brief stopping point before the Release, is needed for Jump Shots because of all the body motion and chaos to those shots, moving left and right, up and down, turning, twisting, etc. The "setting" of the ball gives you a stable starting point for the shot.
With a free throw or set shot, the body is already stable so you don't have to stop at the Set Point. The ball can be brought up from below the chest (from the Triple Threat Position) up and through the Set Point area without stopping, thus it has one fewer variable. That's why the Free Throw can be, in a season, 95-98%, maybe even 100%. But Jump Shots will never be that high.
When I coach Free Throws, I feel it's important to learn the stroke from in close and then add distance. Start just beyond the Pure Release Distance, maybe 6 or 7 feet, so the player needs a little leg action. Call it a "Micro" Free Throw. The shot starts with a Down-Up leg action which triggers the motion. Keep working on and reporting on the Release, the Yes/No. Then move back some more and do a "Mini" Free Throw. Then move all the way back for the full Free Throw. Leg Drive + Release + Constant Height = 13'9", dead center! Remember to let the Down-Up action trigger the shot. With this kind of progressive practice, the kids will come to realize the Free Throw can become a "sure thing," not a guessing game!
OTHER SHOTS
Other shots -- shots off the dribble, working off picks and screens, 3's -- are all just variations on the same theme. I'll address them in the next lesson.
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It'll make things clearer and clearer. If you don't have the video, please consider getting it. It will make this Method even more understandable and doable.
LET ME KNOW HOW THIS WORKS FOR YOU
I'm committed to training coaches to coach shooting more effectively, both with my Method and in general by knowing what to look for. If you use this, let me know what the results are. Let me know what it teaches you. Thanks.
Cheers and best (s)wishes,
Tom Nordland