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ATTENTION: You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to it. If you'd like to remove yourself from this mailing list, please see the instructions at the end of this newsletter. Our subscriber list is NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. PLEASE excuse the advertisement paragraph
you'll see at the top of this Newsletter. Because I have a "free"
service with the Mail List company (Topica), they insert that
ad to help them pay for the service. Sorry for the little commercialism. 1. Welcome from the Coach There were the usual two different styles of shooting throughout the competitions, either the upper body style (all or mostly arm and wrist/hand), or the whole body driven by the leg power. The women all basically used variations of the latter, using their whole bodies to shoot from, as they needed the power of the legs to make these long shots. The men, meanwhile, were a mixed bag. Because of superior upper body strength, men are strong enough to use just those muscles to shoot from. As those of you know who read my articles, I feel relying on upper body muscles is less stable and less predictable. My favorite shooter was Luke Jackson from Oregon. He shot early in the jumping motion and had a relaxed wrist and hand, a wonderful shooter. He lost just barely to Woods in the semi's for the men, probably losing concentration at the end. Matt Freije, from Vanderbilt, also had a nice stroke, as did Matt Lottich from Stanford. Both Luke and Matt shoot from what I call 90-100% of the leg energy, while Lottich hesitated more and used only about 50%. Woods hardly uses his legs at all. In my opinion, that leg energy stabilizes and gives an advantage. Woods is an upper body shooter. It resulted in a lot more variation, with him making a good number but also missing badly on a lot. Because the method is not based on the strong foundation of the bigger lower body muscles, it's a more complicated motion and takes more concentration. Some arrogance probably helps, and Terrence had some of that. He told the interviewer that, "Yes" he was going to beat the women's champ and also that he would "go easy on her." In this instance it worked and he won. Last year the men's champ, Darnell Archey, from Butler, made a similar remark and lost. One of the commentators surprised me by saying he favored shooters in this competition who shot with upper body because those who shoot from the legs will get tired from all the effort. Most of the winners from the past that I remember were shooting from their whole bodies, not just the upper body. This year's winner was an exception. Usually the bigger muscles stabilize so much that, even though there may be more effort and strength required and it could lead to fatigue, the results usually justify the effort. (Also, the jumping action doesn't have to be huge, just strong and solid.) I wish I could have coached Amber on those last 10 shots, especially the last two. I would have urged her to make a little more effort. "Just a couple more to go, Amber! Drive harder with the legs, catch the energy, direct it at and high above the basket! You can do it!" I'm sure she could have come up with a little more energy and won the championship. She had the better stroke. It was unfair for the women's competition
to be last and then have the winner, with little rest time, have
to shoot against the more rested men's winner. Women are not
as strong physically and it puts their winner at an unfair disadvantage.
Please next year, "Women first!" At least alternate
from year to year. As far as shooting skill, the thing I always focus on, I'd say the shooting was a mixed bag in all the games, both men's and women's. These are the best teams in the college game, so the shooting should be better than with most teams. But they were still missing easy shots. I did a little charting to see if I could see a pattern. For the first half in one of the games, I counted only open shots and only those from ~6 feet away or further (excluding layups, tip-ins, short jump hooks, etc. and also excluding desperate, time running out, last-second shots). In this one example, the percentages were only 37% total for the two teams (14 for 38), including one player's totals who was unusually hot and made 5 for 8 three's in that half. If you take his shots out of the mix, his team shot only 3 for 11 with these short- and mid-range shots and 3's, 27%! What I saw happen is that at the end of
these games, the prime time players for one team or the other
were able to raise their games a notch and make the necessary
baskets to win. These all being great teams, it was a guess who
would prevail. What great entertainment it was and what great
coaching! Thanks to all the wonderful athletes for the hard work,
talent and courage they displayed!!! A way to look at shooting strokes, be you a player or a coach, is to see if you can tell if the shot motion is "repeatable." A repeatable motion is one that can be made over and over and over with little or no variation. To me in shooting, it has the qualities of being uncomplicated, natural, automatic and predictable. 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 mostly swayed back and forth and 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. (There's a real parallel here to the basketball shot, big muscles vs. smaller muscles.) 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 power 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'm reminded of how golfers can play a golf course over and over but can't tell you the color of the flags, maybe even at their home course. I know because I was like that, too. It's a matter of "being awake." Do you really see what you see? Or you always thinking so much that your awareness of the reality of things is mediocre? I'm surely as bad as most people when it comes to seeing things around me (my wife will "Amen" that) ... except in basketball shooting. In this one area of my life, I'm wide awake. Apparently it's my "Gift" or my "Calling," so seeing things is natural and automatic. It's something I'm super aware of. A quick story about seeing and remembering details: If you play golf a lot, you've probably noticed that you can play a round of golf and then, for a few hours or days, you can recall every shot you took on each hole. I can do that with some success on my home course. The memories may last a week or more, if I don't play again and get all that new input. If it's at a strange course, my memory isn't as sharp. I can recall many of the shots but not all. One of my great coaching mentors is a golf teaching professional who played hundreds of amateur tournament rounds in his past. His life is golf and he's amazing. He told me a year or two ago something that really blew my mind. He had just come back from Ireland where he and a group of 20-25 people played 10-11 courses in 12 days, mixing foursomes many different ways. I would have had trouble recalling all of those shots on all of those strange courses. A month or so after the trip he told me he could remember every shot he took on every course on that trip. Then, to blow my mind even more, he said he could remember every shot of every member of his foursomes on every one of the courses!!!!! Now that's "awareness!" That's being alive! Golf is his passion and calling, so I guess it's easy for him compared to us, but that's a level of physical awareness that I'm only barely familiar with. See if you notice the action of the net
the next time you watch a game, either in person or on TV. Did
you ever notice that before? I had a realization when I watched a game a few weeks ago involving a team with a few players I had coached earlier in the year. One player in particular, one of the leaders on the team, seemed to really be "getting" what I teach. I watched him warm up and we talked a little and I told him how impressed I was with his shooting. He had his Set Point out front and was shooting quick and high and very well. He played and shot well that night. But then when I came to a game 10 days later, he wasn't doing the same stuff. He was taking the ball way overhead and throwing it with arm and wrist, very different. He had reverted to his old style. I worked with him a little to remind him of what I coach, but it was just before a game and it wasn't the best time. I let him be and he shot poorly in the game and they almost lost. A couple of the other guys I had worked with were back to their same old habits, too. It then hit me what was missing. They just hadn't truly "GOTTEN" what it is I teach, they hadn't gotten what I'm going to call the "Key Understandings" of shooting. They physically "got" it, but not mentally, not conceptually. You need both in order to sustain the development. When I was with them in the clinic, they could do what I asked and they shot better. Some, I know, become forever changed. But for others, unless they really worked at it to keep it going, they could easily return to old ways. Reverting back to old, familiar patterns is very common behavior. But if these boys had gotten the "Understandings" behind what I teach, then it would have been much easier for them to coach themselves and sustain the new learning. So I've spent a little time trying to condense it down to a few simple things. These are the four main understandings I've come up with: KEY UNDERSTANDINGS 2. A RELEASE THAT'S A CONSTANT "PUSH
& FLOP" TO THE 3. ACCURACY COMES FROM THE HAND, EYE AND
BASKET BEING 4. VARYING HEIGHT IS THE EASY WAY TO CONTROL DISTANCE! Once players understand these truths, then
they can practice them and make them physically "real"
and trustworthy. The learning will come more from inside them
rather from outside (me). The understandings will fuel the practice
which builds the technique. I'll address this subject by a question and a response that occurred recently with a girl. Pressure is something we all encounter. It can drive us crazy and it can challenge us to new heights of performance. I was lucky growing up. For some unknown reason, I always responded well to pressure. I didn't know how I did it, I just did. Now, with the perspective of age and some coaching I've received from amazing mentors, I know a little bit about how to coach it. See if this helps you when that old pressure meter starts to rise. Q: Dear Tom. Please help me! I LOVE BASKETBALL!!
Well, a little while ago I was in a game. I got fouled and had
to make a free throw. It wasn't a big deal to me because I made
them all the time. Though, this time we were down by one and
there was no time left on the clock. When I stepped up to the
line and the got the ball, it hit me. I felt like everyone was
counting on me to make it and I felt like I had to tie it up.
With all the pressure I was feeling, I messed up and missed.
I was so disappointed in myself I wanted to quit right there.
I loved the sport so much I didn't. So I decided to go and practice
my free throws. Ever since that game, I can't get my technique
back. I've tried everything I can think of. I keep on messing
up. Could u send me some information about good form and how
you should shoot free throws the right way? I would really enjoy
reading your comments. Thank you so much for your time! A: Chynna, you just had a "Pressure" attack, which everybody has. Don't worry. You just interfered with yourself that time and your failure affected your confidence for awhile. Next time could be no problem. You just have to learn to handle pressure. It's not easy, but when you see such a situation coming up, here's one way to approach it. It will take some practice and thinking, but take the time and effort and you'll have a tool in your toolkit that will help you in the future. If it's a free throw, you'll have to do this fast as you only have 10-20 seconds, so a little experience with it will help. Ask yourself three questions: Secondly ask yourself, From seeing that the worst isn't THAT bad
and the best isn't THAT great, then you can ask yourself, Being young you just haven't had the experience that older people have. Be patient. Realize that your ego always is wanting to look good, and when you don't shine, it'll get upset for awhile. No one else really cares about your ego needs, only YOUR ego. (By the way, ego is, to me, a totally false self identity. It's what causes separation from others. Who you really are is your heart, your soul, and they doesn't rise and fall by mere worldly successes or failures.) As to how to practice free throws, Chynna, so you have total confidence and know how to do your best, read my January 2004 Newsletter, Item #4: http://www.swish22.com/Nltr_601.html A POWERFUL WAY TO COPE WITH FAILURE Here's a powerful method and image to handle failure that a group called the Positive Coaching Alliance teaches. Of course it's best if a coach adopts this idea and works with her/his team to implement it, but in the absence of that you can adopt it yourself and make it work. When you make a mistake, just FLUSH it!!! Forgive yourself immediately! You can do this yourself for your own mistakes as well as for others' mistakes: Flush it down the toilet! Let it go! You have to, or it's going to interfere with future performance. If the whole team could adopt this attitude for each other's failures, it would help the team dramatically. The image is yanking on an imaginary chain. For your own mistakes, just imagine it. For others, once they know the sign, actually lift up your arm and make the pull-down motion. It defuses the heavy "guilt and shame" that a mistake can generate. It will make the mistake lighter and allow you to go on with the game and your lives. Mistakes are inevitable. We all make them. It's part of the learning process. This is a way to make them not such a big deal. For more information about the Positive
Coaching Alliance, go to their website: http://www.positivecoach.org.
Elite coaches Phil Jackson, Larry Brown and Doc Rivers are on
their Board of Directors. I invite you to bookmark my Website so you can go there easily to catch my latest comments on shooting. You can read about my video there (including endorsements, testimonials, reviews and an overview of the video), my coaching, and the many articles on shooting I've written. You can see video clips and archived back issues of this Newsletter and, of course, subscribe, if you're not already getting this on a regular basis. Please tell others about this newsletter,
my site, and my video. Forward the newsletter to them and suggest
they read it and the many archived issues. Send them the URL
(http://www.swish22.com) and let them know there's a proven method
for powerful shooting. ------------------------------ Two 4-hour shooting Clinics are planned
for Eastside Preparatory School in East Palo Alto. Open to ages
11 and above (younger with special permission). For the details, prices and how to enroll, go to this page: Clinics and Camps ------------------------------ A Coaches' Training and Two 2-day Camps at Matilija Jr. High School in Ojai Friday night, May 7 Saturday and Sunday, May 8-9 For the details, prices and how to enroll, plus latest news about all Clinics, Camps and Coaches' Trainings across the country, go to this page: Clinics and Camps If you'd like to organize some shooting
clinics or camps, contact me. I'll be doing some sessions around
the country this year. I'll also be scheduling Coaches' Trainings
at each stop as much as possible, too. Stay in touch for them. To SUBSCRIBE to this Newsletter, click
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