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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. 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. ROOKIE/SOPHOMORE GAME Two of them stood out to me as great shooters: Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Michael Dickerson of the Vancouver Grizzlies. They shot the ball more on the way up than the others. Their shots were more of the rainbow variety and they were better and more consistent shooters because of it. What was neat about the event was that I had time to watch just about everybody take a lot of shots and see how they do things. Most were using what I feel is too much upper body action to shoot with, rather than using the powerful upward leg drive (what I call UpForce). I felt Dirk and Michael were the only two who fully used that energy consistently that evening. In the Rookie game I watched on TV the next day, some of the other 12 players shot with more leg power in their "game" shots, and they shot better than they had Friday night. I saw Mike Bibby shoot effectively when he shot earlier in the jump, and also Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley. Most of the others still shot mostly with their follarms and hands. I've seen this phenomenon before. At a Laker game a few years ago, I watched Eddie Jones and Eddie Johnson warm up. They were relaxed and shot mostly without using much leg power and they were missing most of the warmup shots. In the games, they used that power and their percentage went up considerably. In the 3 Pt championship that year I really noticed Dan Majerle shoot. He's a very good 3-Pt shooter, but in this contest he performed very poorly and dropped out quickly. What I saw was he isolated the shot just to his upper body and was slinging the ball up there with no leg power. The result was great variation in his Release and a flat arch. He missed just about every shot. The next day, in the All Star game, for his "game" shot he had to shoot more quickly and used plenty of the upward leg drive and shot very well. It's an example of a player, even at that high a level, not really being aware of what he does, and what works. TWO-BALL COMPETITION What I saw is that the players who shoot more from the leg drive were more consistent. Shooters like Jason Kidd and Jason Williams had more variable motions coming from the arm and hand, and were not able to sustain good shooting, although Kidd came through with some terrific clutch shots. Players like Jennifer Azzi of Detroit, Becky Hammon of New York, Cynthia Cooper of Houston and Jennifer Gillom shot more from the legs (as does Jeff Hornacek), and that, to me, is why they shot well. THREE-POINT CHAMPIONSHIP I could see more arm and hand action, tight
wrists and motions to the side with many of the other players
who performed less well. The other six players were: Ray Allen
of Milwaukee, Terry Porter of San Antonio, Allen Iverson of Philadelphia,
Bobby Sura from Cleveland, Hubert Davis of Dallas and Mike Bibby
of Vancouver. As the players tired from so many long shots, and
three of them doing two sessions in a row, it was the ones coming
from the more stable leg force who prevailed. I agree with one
of the announcers who said Jeff has to be considered one of the
best NBA shooters ever. And Dirk, a 7 footer from Germany and
considered probably the best European players in the league,
is one of the best big men shooters ever. However, this time he followed that up with 11 for 12 against the Bulls on Feb. 15, then 6 for 9 against the Hornets, and 9 for 13 against Orlando. For the four games, he shot 76%, 41 for 54!!! A newspaper article from the L.A. Times I read on the Internet said he had achieved this through being more serious about free throws and concentrating more. The article did not mention any coaching. He was then saying he felt that "Hack a Shaq" was no longer a valid option. In watching him shoot I didn't see much different physically, except he took more time, was more deliberate, and his shots had a slightly higher arch (maybe the bottom of the ball got a foot above the rim rather than just 6-8 inches). 11 for 12 in one game (91.6%) is a tremendous accomplishment! It even looked like the other teams were not fouling him so much at the end of the next game or two. The question: Would it last? Well, I don't think so though he could,
of course, have another breakthrough. In the last four games,
here's what he's done: Because of the nice 4-game stretch he had, he raised his season percentage to 51% on Feb. 18th, but it's now dropped a percentage back to 50.2%. I'd love to work with Shaq. I'm sure he's
doing the best he can from what he knows about shooting and the
coaching he's getting. If he would be open to my coaching, I'd
show him how to control the Flight of the Ball with a consistent,
repeatable motion that can go on automatic, even under the greatest
pressure. My approach would be more physical and less mental.
I know the mental is very important, but I feel his primary needs
are physical. Fear and doubt will diminish and his confidence
and self trust will rise when what he does physically becomes
reliable and trustworthy. "My 5th grader has been very open to trying (your) methods. Jury is still out and patience is the key. He has better arc, better distance, faster release. Results take time. Faster release is the concern that he might be rushing. The distance is a concern as well. I encourage him to shoot if he has a good look and can get somewhat square. His 5th grade coach has restrictions and only certain areas of the court that they are allowed to shoot from (inside 15 feet all around). They get benched or even threats of game suspensions if they violate the rule. Not FUN! You should consider adding something in your video for youth coaches that encourages shooting from everyone on the floor, encourages taking the risk at shooting, encourages failure as a learning tool, understands that taking an ill-advised shot is a learning tool as well. "The video seems to add confidence to his shooting. It was always something he believed he could do well. This has helped even more. Unfortunately, the restrictions on shooting prevent him from learning where and when to shoot as the game moves. Too much thinking as to where I am on the floor and am I allowed to shoot from here. Over the spring and summer we will be spending more time with him and my Freshman daughter on shooting. I will let you know how it goes." - G.Z., Chicago This is an example of where the rules of
the coach can greatly interfere with enjoyment of the game for
these young kids. Especially at this age (5th grade up to high
school), I'd hope coaches would not put winning above development.
Threats of being taken out or suspended for a game for taking
certain shots are out of place at this level. Kids need to know
they can take shots and not be punished for it. They need to
make mistakes in order to learn. Every shot can be a learning
experience. But if they become afraid to shoot, learning will
stop. You can talk about the importance of passing off and taking
so-called "good" shots, shots that have a higher chance
of going in, shots that come from team effort rather than from
one player trying to be the hero. But don't come down too hard
on them for doing whatever they do. They're just kids! From experience, I know it's hard to learn physical things from non-physical experiences (books, lectures, demontrations, clinics, videos, etc.). Though videos, for example, are much superior to just words because of their graphic nature, it's still difficult to get hard, tangible learning from them. I've looked at a large number of shooting videos, and I was always left with the feeling that it would be hard for most viewers to apply the lessons. I set out to make my video different. I keep it very simple and give a small number of coaching ideas, with many examples. I show a specific progres- sion of how to learn or coach shooting. The video gives an "understanding" of shooting that transcends a lot of demon- strating and modeling. These testimonials please me very much because they show the video is "working." Perhaps they'll inspire you to read more about the video on my Website and consider purchasing it if you haven't already. If you have, share the experience you've had from it with other coaches, parents and players. Thanks. -------------------- I knew this system would work. While in
the service (Is it 20 years ago already?), I injured my ankle
playing hoops. On the road to recovery, I would shoot using mostly
leg power without a jump and release on the way up. I had to
shoot with more arc to reach the basket. I found that when I
returned to playing and added jumping to this technique I was
hitting significantly more with less effort. This went against
the grain of what I had been doing through high school and college
basketball. -------------------- Concerning my daughter, I believe she has shown the most improvement. She is our best shooter on the team. She is on average making 8 of 10 from the line, and shooting about 40% from the field. Where she struggles is shooting on the go. I've tried to teach the jump stop when she is moving fast and this is starting to click. Do you have any suggestions ? Sorry for the lengthy note but your video
is tremendous, I believe If had this video when I was young I
would have been a great scorer, not just average. To prove the
value of the video to the team, I've gone to the 3 point circle
and made 10 of 10. This is making a statement. Keep up the good
work. I'm also getting lots of coaches asking me to instruct
their kids. I believe it's because of your instruction. Thanks
again. -------------------- Well, the other coach saw the girl I subbed in and immediately fouled her with 11 seconds to go. She stood calmly at the line and proceeded to SWISH the free throws to ice the game. Again pure net, no rim. Talk about a high. One of the girls who doesn't play a lot but stuck with us on the basics. Of the 11 points we scored in the 4th quarter, 7 were from free throws. I cannot express how glad I am to have come across your video, and to see a girl of average ability apply the lessons is just unbelievable. This is something she will never forget. The coach from the other team said he never saw girls, let alone boys, at this level shoot free throws that well under pressure. We're in the championship on Thursday of one tournament and off to the Cities on Saturday. If I don't win another game it made my heart warm to see one girl be successful, and it's because of your video. It made clear to me on how to shoot. Keep up the good work. Thanks again. I'm a disciple. - Rich -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- Call or Email me for dates and times. They'll also be put on my Website and in this Newsletter as they become firm. BAY AREA COACHES/PARENTS: I'm available to coach half day shooting clinics in the Bay Area of northern California. If you have 10 or more kids and a gym, contact me and we'll design a clinic. The cost is $35/player* for a 3 1/2 hour experience in becoming a Great Shooter ($50 including a Swish video, a $30 value). OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY: I'd love to come to your city to put on Clinics. My rate for 2-3 days of coaching is $2,000 plus expenses. If we do 5 Clinics of about 18-20 players at a cost of $35/player*, that would pay for the visit. The Clinics would be 3 1/2 hours each, giving enough time for lots of individual coaching in addition to the powerful group exercises. Call for details and to set up such coaching. (*Price includes an administration fee for the organizer(s).) 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. TRAINING COACHES: 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. To UNSUBSCRIBE from this Newsletter: If you ever want to Unsubscribe, please
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