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and respect your privacy. This Newsletter is a vehicle for communicating what I know about shooting. I see the game in deep trouble because there are very few great shooters any more, and few people know how to coach great shooting. There are also fewer and fewer coaches who know how to coach the skill. Coaches and players everywhere lament the decline in this master skill. Wonderfully designed plays are run to perfection, a player is opened up for a 10-15' shot or a 3, and then the shot is missed. It even happens so often that coaches and players aren't surprised when the shot is botched. Failure is kind of expected, but it's still disappointing. Articles are written about this dilemma, and people are looking for an answer. I believe I have an answer, a method based on discoveries I made as a high school star over 40 years ago. It can help every player, from young beginners up to and including the best players in the world. My Method is both simple and Universal.
The principles are so easy to understand and apply that anyone
and everyone can become a good to great shooter, and mastery
is possible for those with high discipline and commitment. It's
even quite easy to learn to coach this great skill, once you
"get" the principles, both intellectually and physically.
Stay tuned for different views and discussions of shooting. The Camp was all about footwork and movement, setting screens and passing. Pete and his terrific staff took the approx. 24 NBA players and 30 collegiate players through awesome workouts to drill in the kinds of things big men can do to establish position and then move or pass to set up layups, dunks and short jump shots. The average guy was 6'10" to 6' 11", about 240 lbs., and their height ranged from 6'7" to 7'6". Seeing these guys bang into each other over and over and over for 2 1/2 hours a day was incredible. Basketball has become a "contact" sport. It's amazing what physical strength and conditioning is required just to get position in the game played at this level. Pete's coaches were unbelievably patient and caring. There was no yelling, just patient demonstrations, explanations and numerous repetitions to give the players many many chances to learn. And learn they did. Participants were surely changed forever in their ability to get and use position under the basket. Skills like shooting, dribbling, passing, blocking out, etc. were not addressed officially at the Camp, though at times coaches would take players aside to give some personal coaching in the movement and foot- work they wanted. There was generally not time for individual skill work. I was especially aware of the shooting performance, and it was not very good. Uncontested open jump shots were missed with great regularity. It seemed to me the NBA players were making only about 20%. The College players seemed to be making a slightly higher percentage. Shooting is a "Lost Art," as everyone knows, though it's not really lost. It's just been misplaced. The few great shooters have always been there, but few people seem to see what they're doing. Though I was just an observer, Pete invited me to introduce myself to the players during off times and offer my coaching. Thus I was able to do some coaching each day with a few players. More importantly, I made important connections with the players and with coaches, scouts and agents who came to watch. I'll be offering my coaching to them all as the season progresses. The main thing I learned is that people are skeptical that shooting can be taught. The level of coaching has declined so much that there is now doubt in the coaching itself. I am taking a stand that shooting CAN be taught, and that it's much simpler than most people believe. My video shows how to learn and coach the skill. At more and more Shooting Clinics I see people of all ages make tremen- dous strides in shooting in a short time. My success coaching NBA players Dale Davis and Adam Keefe proves that players at that level can also learn. I will go anywhere to prove what I say is true. And, if I have to, I'm willing to base most of my pay with NBA players on a Performance Basis, as I did with Dale. I want to dispel this notion that shooting cannot be taught, or that it has to be learned at an early age or it's "too late." We humans can learn anything at any time! Sure, we may have less interference when we're young and maybe we learn more quickly or remember better then, but we can have more focus and determination when we're older. The master skill needed is Awareness, the physical experiencing of what you do. When that is high, then learning is high. If you catch yourself saying "I can't feel it, tell me what I am doing," you're just sabotaging yourself. Don't buy into that. You can learn to feel any and every thing you do. It may require that you stop judging yourself every time you shoot; it may require you to stop being totally "Performance" oriented and spend more attention feeling what you did and observing where the ball landed rather than hoping shots go in. It may require that you learn it's okay to miss shots, and realize that missing shots is part of the process of learning. If you're unwilling to fail, unwilling to let go of what you already know, you'll have a hard time learning something new. My experience at the Big Man Camp made
me realize more than ever how important my mission is of shifting
the way shooting is taught in this country. As summer winds down and school starts, basketball players and coaches are now getting "serious" about their basketball. The kids who really took advantage of their summer and focused on learning and conditioning will be better prepared than those who goofed off all summer. There is some time yet to get focused and work very hard in these last few weeks before the official basketball season starts. I urge you to do so, but hope- fully you were practicing hard and well all summer. When I say it could be a problem if you "goofed off" during the summer, I'm talking about myself, too. I remember not really being focused after my freshman year in college and wasting a summer. I wish now that my college coaches had been more strict with me, giving me specific things to work on that summer ... like my vertical leap, shooting off the dribble, working with picks and screens, driving to the basket, etc. It would have served me well if I had progressed in those areas. Instead I had a lot of fun... and I didn't play as much as a sophomore as I might have. THE VALUE OF KEEPING THINGS SMALL AND SLOW! Whenever you're learning something new, it's very very important to practice it at a speed and a range of motion where you can really feel and learn it. In my video you will see that shooting practice starts right under and near the basket, in a region I call the "Learning Zone." Practice your shot first where, with no lower body action (no leg action), you can put the ball high and soft into the basket with just your Release motion. Spend a lot of time there, perfecting what I call your "Pure Release." When that is learned and consistent, then move back and slowly add the leg drive or leg lift (what I call UpForce) needed to get the ball high and soft to the basket. Shooting in this Learning Zone, the area from the Pure Release Point back maybe to the free throw line, permits you to feel and see better what you're doing. Keep the Jump Shots short, and practice them almost in slow motion. For Free Throws, position yourself at 7-8' and do "mini" Free Throws first to learn the motion. Then move back to 9-10' and shoot there, making the mini Free Throw a little bigger by simply adding more leg power. Maybe even stop back further, still short of the full 15' line. That way you're doing things at a smaller, slower pace, so your awareness can be enhanced. That will lead to enhanced learning. If you can't resist the temptation to go
for the 3 every time you start to shoot, you're probably developing
bad habits. Spend more time in the Learning Zone and I'll bet
you'll soon realize why coaches everywhere say to start in close
and avoid the temptation of the 3 pt. line too soon. "Pete has seen the legends of the game come and go and in the process has become one himself. A brilliant teacher of the game, his teams have won on every level. Over twenty-one years, his teams won 66% of their games and captured NCAA and NIT Championships. "He coached the 1960 men's basketball team that included Oscar Robertson and Jerry West to the gold medal in the Olympics. He has spread his basket- ball principles across the globe with clinics in Europe, Central and South America, and Japan, receiving "The Order of the Sacred Treasure" in 1987 from the Emperor of Japan. Newell's Big Man Camp has helped hone the skills of many of the NBA's top players, including: Hakeem Olajawon, Bill Walton, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal, and Shawn Kemp." (Thanks to Merv Lopes and the Sports Management Group of Honolulu and their Big Man Camp Guide for this biography on Coach Newell.) After viewing my video and reading my background and articles and the newspaper articles written about my coaching of NBA players, Pete gave the following endorsement and invited me to observe his Camp: "Your tape is something every NBA
player should have. I would be glad to endorse your film for
you as I know it would help NBA or college players to realize
the necessary mechanics for successful shooting. Obviously the
NBA is aware of the failing skill as shooting percentages continue
to drop. What you offer is something sorely needed." Q: I've heard you should "Square Up" when you shoot. What does that mean and do you agree? ...B. Thelander, North Branch, MN A: Square Up means to stand such that a line across your shoulders is perpendicular to a line from your chest to the basket. To me that instruction is antiquated and I do not agree with it. It probably comes from the old "two handed" days when players shot set shots using both hands and free throws were underhand. For such shot you need to be square to your target. However, today most people shoot jump shots and free throws with a one-handed motion. This modern motion ends with the shooting arm extended toward the basket and the guide or support hand held back. Thus the body turns to the side, away from the basket and the shoulders are "open" to the basket. Why force a "square" stance when the body naturally wants to turn and open? HOME EXERCISE: To test this out, square
up to a target and bring your hand up above your head to where
you would bring a ball to shoot. Notice where your shooting elbow
naturally goes. It's to the side, like with a salute, isn't it?
If you shoot this way, your motion will be angled to the side
and it will be hard to be accurate. It's preferable to have the
forearm of your shooting arm basically vertical so the shot can
be just a straightening of the arm upward in the direction of
the target. You can stand square and "jam" the elbow
in to create a vertical forearm, but this increases tension.
Note that the more you open the body by moving the left foot
back and turning left (for right-handers), the more naturally
your elbow drops and the forearm becomes vertical. Also the head
and eyes come more "under and behind" the ball, thus
improving your "Alignment" with the basket and simplifying
the shot. Try it both ways and find what is most effective and
comfortable for you. I suggest opening the body at least 30°
to 40° or more. OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY: I'm available to come to your city to do clinics. The rate will depend on the number of clinics and students and the travel time involved. Call for details and to set up such a clinic or a series of clinics. Keep checking my Website at http://www.swish22.com or call or Email me if you'd like more details. I'll update the schedule on my Website when it changes. PRIVATE COACHING: VIDEO ANALYSIS: Go to the Swish Website, find the section about the "Shooting Newsletter," key in your Email address and click on the "JoinList"graphic. An Email will be sent automatically back to you asking that you confirm that you want to be on the List. Reply in the affirmative and you will be added to the list and receive a password. There is no need to save or record the password because ListBot will always quickly Email it back to you when asked. It's needed only to change your Email address or to Unsubscribe. You can also just Email me back that you want to Subscribe and I'll take care of it. To UNSUBSCRIBE from this Newsletter: If you ever want to Unsubscribe, please
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