Shooting

Basic basketball shot - Set shot


The basic basketball shot is simple and beautiful but by no means simplistic. As pointed out previously, everyone shoots the basketball differently.  Yet, there is a general procedure that all good basketball shooters more or less follow.

1. Half-bent your knees before shooting a basketball for more potential power
2. Your dominant hand should have its fingers spread out
3. Only the fingertips should be gripping onto the ball
4. Your other hand should support the ball on the side
5. The ball should be brought above the head in one motion
6. At this point, the angles at your armpit, elbow, and wrist is  at 90 degrees
7. While extending your knees, extend your forearm and snap your wrist
8. Make sure you follow through with your wrist movement.If it feels natural to jump upon release,do so.

In sum, you are shooting a basketball with the kinetic energy transferred from your legs to your hands.  The most optimal case is that the snap of wrist only directs the basketball and adds backspin to it.  You should also shoot the basketball as naturally as possible.  In the event that the power from your legs is not enough to shoot the basketball, (for example, you are doing a fade-away and a portion of the leg power is directed towards the back.) you are forced to use your wrist in a controlled manner.  In particular, do not forcefully use your wrist or jerk your wrist for extra power.  This will greatly reduce your shot accuracy. 

Tips on perfecting the basketball Set Shot

I interviewed seasoned basketball team players and coaches to reflect on their basketball shooting experience and came up with the following tips on shooting a basketball

1. Always keep track of the distance between you and the hoop
2. Tuck your elbows inward towards each other when shooting
3. Shoot the basketball at an arc.  It increases accuracy
4. Aim at the part inside the rim farthest from your standpoint
5. Use screens and offensive-plays to get open
6. Square up your shooting hand with the basketball hoop
7. grip the basketball tightly with only your thumb and little finger
8. Aim with your index finger or middle finger only
9. Never hesitate due to the fear of a block shot.

Basketball moves derived from the basketball set shot

Jump Shot: when given space, this is the most popular way to shoot the basketball in this era.

Fade Away: Michael Jordan own this basketball move, know it even if you don't know how to do it.

Leaner: A dominant basketball move when you have the height advantage over your opponent.

Bank Shot: Duncan's signature basketball move, efficient, effective and easy to execute.

Free Throw: Theoretically the easiest shot.

Basketball Fundamentals

The fundamentals of basketball are the MOST important thing to master because they will make you and your team better no matter what age level or team you play for.

There's a good reason that the best college and NBA basketball coaches in the world spend the majority of their practices on fundamentals.

A basketball player will be faced with a variety of different situations:

• You'll see different opponents that use different tactics (pressing, fast breaks, switching defenses, banging in the post, etc)
  
• You'll face opponents that have heavily scouted you and know your offense inside and out. And you'll also face other opponents that have never seen you before.
  
• You'll see a different levels of competition from youth recreation leagues and possibly all the way to professional basketball.
  
• You'll play for different coaches that have very different coaching styles. Your middle school coach might like to press -- and your high school coach might have a completely different style and like to slow things down. You could literally see a dozen different offenses through your basketball career!
  

There are SO many different situations that coaches and players face. And the only thing that works against ALL situations, no matter what age level or team are the FUNDAMENTALS!


It's those little things that make the best teams and players. If you can master those little fundamentals, they work no matter what!


For example, by working on the fundamentals of shooting, you will get better no matter what team you play for. The fundamentals of shooting include proper foot alignment, leg bend, hand position, arm angle, follow through, and so on. Those are some of the little things that make a difference. Learn them!

The same goes for lays ups, foot work, post play, passing, jab steps, jump stops, pivoting, blocking out, and so on.

That's why we emphasize the fundamentals and highly recommend that ALL coaches and players learn and practice them!

If you're a coach, we suggest that you spend at least half of your practice time working on fundamentals. In the long run and towards the end of the season, that's the best thing for your players.

In fact, most of the teams that win championships work on the fundamentals from day one, instead of gimmicks and things that work against mediocre teams. So when they get to those final rounds, they are effective no matter how much the other team has scouted them.

Basketball Drills for Players

Do you want to take your game to the next level?


Check out these basketball drills given to us directly by NBA Player Development Coach Don Kelbick. If these are the basketball drills that the PRO guys do, don't you think this is where you want to be? I'd hope you would say, "Yes!"

We create this page for you, THE PLAYER, so you don't have to search and sort through all of the drills to find what basketball drills will work for you. Most of the basketball drills can be done by yourself, but there are a few that you need a partner to perform the basketball drill.


Running Basketball Drills the Right Way

The first thing to realize is that the great players focus on the little things.

Too many players make the mistake of starting the basketball drill and just running through the motions.

To get better, each basketball drill needs to have a purpose and you really need to focus and work hard to improve.

Practicing drills is when players get better. In fact, the most important aspect of getting better as a player, is how you run those basketball drills.

In order to get better, you need to practice over and over to develop good habits and muscle memory. If you don't practice the RIGHT way, you're just developing bad habits and training yourself to play the wrong way.


So I urge you to take the time to learn the detailed fundamentals of basketball. And then run the drills to train your body to perform those fundamentals without even thinking about it.


You'll notice that we tried to categorize the drills for you, but many of the drills here are mullti-purpose which means they work on they work on other skills as well. For example, Chair Curl which is located in the ball handling section works on shooting, ball handling, and footwork.