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and respect your privacy. Articles are written about this dilemma,
and people are looking for an answer. I feel I can provide that
answer. If you agree with what I'm saying, please help me get
my coaching methods out there. Refer people to my Website and
be in communication with me. Thanks. There are an infinite number of ways to use your muscles to shoot a basketball, from underhand to overhead, one handed, two handed, one-and-a-half handed, a throw, a flip, a push, tight wrist, loose wrist, use of hand and fingers or no use of hand and fingers. Most players these days have evolved the one-handed shot, but how exactly different players shoot can vary widely. From what I see, great shooters have developed a repeatable motion, and that makes all the difference. Look to see in your players (or yourself) if the shot motion is that. Watch how the player (or yourself) uses the big muscles of the lower and middle body. Does the player shoot on the way up or at the top? Where does the power come from? Observe height and spin. Watch the Release arm and hand. What do they do? Is the arm motion smooth and relaxed, a simple straightening of the arm, or it is tense or jerky? Is the arm motion "short-armed," where it stops short of being fully straightened? Observe the wrist and hand in the Follow Through. Are they tight or relaxed? You can see a lot this way. Ask yourself if the motion could be executed the same over and over. If not, the player is probably not a great shooter and never will be. He or she is probably guessing how many muscles to use each time. If the motion looks kind of automatic -- something that could be recreated pretty much the same multiple times -- that's a clue that the person is probably a "shooter." Here's a parallel in golf. When I was growing up, I took up golf because my brother played and he got me going and gave me a little instruction. I swung freely with a lot of confidence in my athletic ability, and I could play fairly well at times due to great eye-hand coordination. But in looking back I can see I wasn't what you would call a great golfer. I can see my stroke was not repeatable. I used a lot of wrist and arm power to hit the ball. In fact, though I rotated my body some, I can see my stroke was almost entirely from the upper body. I "hit" the ball, rather than let the clubhead swing through the ball. I was what is called a "Hitter" rather than a "Swinger." In recent years I've become more a swinger of the club. I use my larger body muscles much more now, and am learning to minimize wrist and arm power. The result is the beginning of what can be called a "repeatable golf swing." It's like now I have enough self control of the golf club and clubface that I can start to go more on "automatic." My shots are more consistent, and I can now spend most (if not all) of my attention on the target, forgetting and trusting the swing to be there. This is the way great golfers play the game. In basketball it's the same thing. If a player is thinking about how many muscles to use, or has a stroke that varies all over the place, or a Release and Follow Through where the arm jerks to the side or back and the wrist and hand are very tense, chances are very slim for a repetitive motion. This extra attention on mechanics reduces the player's connection with the target and her or his trust in the stroke. A good athlete can make some shots with a jerky, variable motion, but eventually the motion will break down, especially under pressure. The slightest extra motion can send the ball long, and less-than-required motion can easily cause the dreaded "air ball." I call such motions "Guesses." I feel many players at all levels, and even at the highest levels, are guessing when it comes to their shots. It's most visible with free throws, but it's there for all shots. That's why one time a top player may swish one or even several shots in a row, and the next time miss by a foot or more long and to the side or air ball it. Great shooters don't have that kind of variability. Learn to observe the shot motions of players,
all the way through the Follow Through. Resist the temptation
to follow the flight of the ball. Instead observe the action
that produced it, and you'll probably start to see this quality
of repeatability or, more often, the absence of it. I got to see a game this weekend (Dec. 2) between the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks are a talented, dangerous team to play. They have size, speed and good shooters. The game was basically won in the first quarter. The Mav's came out hot, while the Warriors came out cold, shooting only 3 for 17 at the start and found themselves down 30-12 very quickly. The rest of the game was fairly even, but that big 18 point gap was too much to overcome. Dallas has 4 very good to excellent shooters in the starting lineup: Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley, and Howard Eisley. Nowitzki is one of the best shooters in the NBA, especially now that Jeff Hornacek (my all-time favorite) and Detlef Schrempf have retired. In my opinion, the Warriors had only two dangerous shooters for this game, Chris Mills and Bobby Sura (Chris Mullin, the guy I'd describe as the best shooter, is injured). Other main players, Larry Hughes, Antawn Jamison, and Mookie Blalock are streaky. Vinnie Del Negro is a good shooter at times and has a great will to score, but he's prone to being a little streaky, too. Both centers, Shawn Bradley for Dallas and Erick Dampier for Golden State, are poor shooters. Dallas had the advantage in the shooting category. They also seemed to move quicker, at least at the beginning when they got the big lead. Their fast break was awesome, and they got a lot of steals with their smothering defense. But it was their shooting that gave them the edge and allowed them to keep it. ALAN HOUSTON -- A GREAT SHOOTER I read that Allan Houston had a great shooting night against the Timberwolves in New York on Dec. 2nd. He made 37 points on 16 of 20 shots (80%), 2 for 2 from the 3 Pt. line, and 3 for 3 free throws. As I said in an earlier Newsletter, I observed him in warmups for a Jazz-Knicks game last season and he was incredible. In a half hour or so of shooting, I saw him miss only one shot. He made, I would guess, 29 of 30 during that time, and most of them were dead center swishes. And he was taking a lot of 3's and many shots were in simulated game situations, working off picks, etc. with an assistant coach putting pressure on him. Alternatively, that evening, I observed Latrell Sprewell warm up. He missed his first 16 shots. Latrell is an great "scorer," especially under pressure, but there's no way he qualifies as a great "shooter." RANDOM SHOOTING STATS IN THE NBA Every day you can read the stats in the paper or on the nba.com website and see how your favorite players performed the previous evening. The results continue to be pretty bleak for these incredible athletes, though on some evenings any team can get it together and light it up. On the down side:I just happened to see the stats for Cleveland for their game against the 76ers, Dec. 2nd. They shot only 33% field goals, 30 for 90! And that includes dunks and layups, remember! The individual stats were these, anonymously: 2 for 8, 3 for 8, 4 for 12, 5 for 17, 3 for 11, 6 for 11, 4 for 6, 1 for 4, 0 for 3, 1 for 5 and 1 for 5. If you take out the 6 for 11 and the 4 for 6, the other 9 guys shot only 27%, 20 for 73!!! No wonder the Cavaliers lost by 34 points. It was not a cavalier (definition: "free and easy, casual, arrogant") evening on the hardcourt for them. The Washington Wizards also shot only 33% for their game against Atlanta on Nov. 28th, 27 for 82 from the field. They lost by 27 points, deservedly. And I noticed that the Charlotte Hornets shot even worse, 27 for 84 (32%), on Dec. 1st versus the 76ers, losing by 20. The 76ers shot 45%, making 6 more field goals with 11 fewer shots (33 for 73). The winners also shot 89% from the line versus 76% for the losers. On the plus side: And on Nov. 4th, the Pacers and Bulls played a game in which they shot a combined and remarkable 87.5% from the free throw line, 49 of 56! Sometimes these great athletes shoot extremely well. Most of them are streaky, at best, and when the streaks match up as a team, they are difficult to beat. I feel Dallas will easily make the playoffs this year and give fits to the elite teams because they have a number of good shooters, unlike most teams which may have only one or two, at best. COLLEGE GAME -- POOR SHOOTING LOSES A GAME I read that on Nov. 9th, St. Johns upset
12th-ranked Kentucky in a very close, low scoring (poor shooting?)
game, 62 - 61. A 3-pointer by Anthony Glover made the difference
at the end, but before that shot, both teams performed miserably.
The Red Storm of St. Johns was 9 of 20 from the free throw line
over the closing seven minutes (45%), and the Wildcats of Kentucky
made only one field goal in the final five minutes and shot only
4 of 11 (36%) from the line!!! Those figures are astounding! Here's an example of a guy who's learning my shooting method so he can coach young girls. His self image of being a poor shooter in the past kept him from shooting much in his friendly competition with friends, even though he knew he was learning to shoot better. Finally he got the idea of "letting go" a little and taking a chance. Read of the interesting results... From J. Schoenfield, Cincinnati, Ohio: "Tom, since mid-September I've read and re-read the material, watched the tape several times, and have practiced the method when possible, which has been infrequently. I hope to be able to master the method well enough to teach it to the 7th and 8th grade girls that I'll be coaching starting in February. "At age 50, having been a decent player but a pretty bad shooter, I didn't pick up your method very quickly. While my shooting has definitely improved in practice sessions, it's still a work in progress. I play a once-a-week noontime game with some other past-prime co-workers that is somewhat competitive but essentially friendly. Having been conditioned through the years not to look for my outside shot and still lacking some confidence that I actually "get" your method, I haven't really attempted many outside shots in our games. "Until today. I decided to look for my shot and just let 'em fly. As no one bothered to guard me way outside, I took every open look and swished most of them. My buddies were amazed. They started to guard me a little closer but the shots still kept falling - three's and long two's. I didn't make every shot but hit a very high percentage and I shamelessly (and uncharacteristically) took a lot of shots. It was the most fun I've had playing ball in years. Some of my buddies probably think it was a flukey day but I think I may be becoming a good shooter. Thanks, Tom." This is a great example of what's called
a Breakthrough! He broke through the barriers that he had put
on himself, the barriers that told him he was not a good shooter.
Now that he's disproven that myth and he sees that he "gets"
this new shooting method, he has a whole new future. There is a kind of democracy going on, where each kid has a chance to retrieve a missed shot and then go out and create her or his own shot ... until s/he misses. I imagine these little kids dream of being bigger kids and performing well in games. The basket is a tremendous "possibility" of success. A long swish shot is a valued thing. What was most memorable this particular evening was a small, slender and very pretty girl of 7 or 8 who came humbly out to have her chance to shoot some shots. She was sweet and patient. It appeared no one was noticing her, except me from my vantage point under the basket. When she did get a ball, she cradled it in her arms and carefully approached the basket to about 3-4 feet away where she would have a chance to get the big ball (regulation size) up to 10 feet. She did so beautifully, swishing most of her shots. If she made it, she was right there to claim the prize, back out carefully so as not to get hit by other players or balls, and then move in again for another shot. If she missed, she was alert to get another chance. In that little montage of moments I saw
the beauty of the game. Anyone can participate. There is sharing,
usually, and once players have a ball, the others let them shoot.
They get their chance to go for the brass ring, to go for a "Swish."
And the reward of a made shot is instantaneous. Make it and you
get another chance. Miss it and you have to fight for the ball
(or wait for a lucky bounce). Everyone understands those rules.
I can only imagine what these young kids were thinking, but I'll
bet it was much like my own dreams of success when I was their
age. "Hello, I purchased your video about 5 weeks ago. I must say that it is hands down the best money I have ever spent. The enjoyment i have in Basketball has rocketed. I think you know why =) "I don't play for any school team, to tell ya the truth I just began playing basketball two years ago. I play mainly pick-up game and various intramural leagues in the area. I might not play on an official team, but I am well versed in many aspects of basketball fundamentals and plays. In one of my 3 on 3 leagues, I play with two of my best friends. We have 13 set plays, which basically is a combination of post-up plays, backdoors, pick & rolls (a lot of these). I basically took elements of a 3 man game, and strung them together so if one option does not work, it can easily flow into the next, most plays have 4 options, and most of them are very dependent on defense reaction and such. We aren't the most talented bunch, but we hardly ever lose due to good execution. "In any case, I watched your video, followed it step by step, and I practice some of the "drills" every time before I play. I am shocked by how great it has changed my game. Before you my game was basically low-post, high-post turn and face, or pick and roll. I felt very confident of most of my game except shooting from any considerable distance. I could drive good enough to get my man to play off me. After that my effectiveness dropped because opponents would play far off me on any pick and rolls, or screens to free me for shots. "After your video it has all changed. I now get the ball of the screen, jab step toward baseline and pop a jumper, SWISH. I will drive right, step back and pop. I find myself taking jumpers more then anything now. And making them with great success. And since I have proven my shot in game situation, my game to the basket has exploded. In a recent game I got the ball with my man playing off, I faked the shot, he respected, and jumped. With a wide open lane to the basket, probably forcing the man to come off my teammate and allowing a pass. I instinctively took a step dribble to my right and drained the jumper. "As you suggested I kept track of how i shot on the floor before the video. And then i just recorded myself earlier this week. I transferred it into percentages, and I am hitting uncontested 3 pointers and just inside the arc in amazing 48% percent better. From 32%, to 80%. I've hit jumpers with men all over me, with hands in my face. "You know what, I give up, I CANT explain in words how happy i am over this video, it has changed everything and I enjoy basketball so much, no longer am i ashamed to shoot around. Thank you, this style is just amazing. The weird part is, there was nothing to it. Just shoot early, same arm motion, and get that ball high. "It's amazing the look on my opponents face, when i fling a jumper high over there outstretched hand. I personally don't even know how these things go in, they just come down and swish like i have never before." -- B. Miller, Lino Lakes, Minnesota Please bookmark the site so you can return easily. I'll be adding stuff all the time, especially now that it's more modular. And please tell your basketball friends about the site. My mission is to change the way Shooting is taught in this country. I want to shift the culture of basketball and bring back good shooting at all levels. The game has suffered for over 20 years with declining shooting percentages. Whatever has been going on in the arena of shooting coaching hasn't been working. We can blame the players, the kids and young men and women. We can say they're not practicing enough, they're spending too much time at the 3 pt. line and too much time developing their spin moves to the basket and, for the boys, their jamming. We could say there are too many games, too much attention on "performance" and statistics, too little time to just have fun with the game and develop skills. And that all may be true. But, in addition, I say the coaching of shooting has been suspect for a long time. Instructions like "Square Up," "Shoot at the top of the jump," and "Wrist flip" just don't produce great, sustained shooting, from my experience. If something isn't natural and comfortable, and if it doesn't result in quick success, kids today are going to turn off to it. I read a book a few years ago written in 1966 by Bob Cousy, the great Boston Celtic legend. In that book, he said the player should wait until the top of the jump to shoot, using no leg drive in the shot. It should be all arm, wrist and hand. In my opinion, that's completely backward. (Note Bob Cousy hardly ever shot jump shots. He was famous for his set shot and his driving layups and runners. It's kind of interesting that he would try to tell others how to shoot the "J.") Although lack of practice is always stated as one of the big problems, more practice alone isn't the answer! Practicing ineffective technique over and over won't get you what you want. You may get a little stronger, but that's about all, plus you're reinforcing "bad" habits. Practicing "effective" technique, as offered in my Swish Method, is the answer. Then practice really makes sense and is fun and leads to development. It's hard enough to learn something when you have great technique and great coaching, but if what you're practicing doesn't work all that well, then it's very frustrating. I can see how kids might say to themselves, "Why spend the time?" Please (re-) read my Article #4 written for the Basketball Highway Website called "Taking the Lid Off the Basket -- Challenging Conventional Shooting Wisdom." Click on it for a direct link to it. You'll see there my arguments against these common instructions. Many people have written me saying they agree with the article and always thought those instructions weren't natural or, ultimately, effective. I'd appreciate your comments on what I
say. Shooting is the master skill in the game, yet it's the least understood! If a young girl or boy can learn how to shoot, it is a major boost to her or his future in the game. Other skills are vital, of course -- dribbling, passing, defense, conditioning, etc. -- but to become a good shooter gives you an edge. With it, the other skills can lead to great success. Without it, your game is lacking. Please call me if you have any questions about the video (1-888/SWISH-22). My Website should answer most questions, but I'd love to talk to you in person. Here is a direct link to the Video page on my Site. Thanks, Tom Please tell others about my site and my
video. Send them the URL (http://www.swish22.com) and let them
know there's hope for better shooting. (More than "hope,"
it's a proven Method.) To UNSUBSCRIBE from this Newsletter: If you ever want to Unsubscribe, please
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