Basketball Shooting

It has been my observation through the years, watching many of the great shooters, that 99% of them have one thing in common–they are fundamentally sound. What do I mean by fundamentally sound?

1. They shoot from a solid base and have good balance.

2. They put the ball in proper position.

3. They have a consistent rhythm to their stroke.

4. They have consistent release and follow through, leading to a good trajectory off the shot, and a good rotation on the ball.

How does one achieve this “fundamentally sound” form? Through the years, I have read many articles and talked to many people about shooting. Quite frankly, I believe many people get too complicated, and too mechanical, some almost treat the art of shooting like a physics problem. Remember, this is an athletic endeavor, where coordination and rhythm cannot be replaced by mechanical movements.

Shooting is just not that complicated.

1. You have to have good balance and balance starts with your feet. Feet should be approximately shoulder width apart with weight evenly distributed. The foot on the shooting hand’s side should be slightly forward of the other foot, and ideally turned in a little bit. This helps locking in your balance. The knees are flexed in a basketball ready position and the hips and shoulders are naturally in line with the feet, resulting in a free movement in the shooting side of the body.

2. The shooter wants to get the ball in proper shooting position. Proper shooting position results from having the upper arm parallel to the floor, the forearm perpendicular to the floor (straight up and down), and the wrist cocked back, where ideally, it is parallel to the upper arm. The ball rests on the fingertips with a space between the shooter’s palm and the ball. The fingers are spread, but relaxed.

Shooting Position

An easy way to learn how to get the ball into good shooting position, or to teach players (especially young players) how to get the ball into position, is to use a trick shown to me by Bill Blair, a former college and NBA head coach, and longtime assistant coach in the NBA. He showed me how to scoop the ball up with one hand and hold it with the palm up, fingers pointing forward. Still using one hand, rotate the ball 180 degrees, so that the hand is underneath the ball and fingers are pointing backward. To have the ball rest comfortably on the fingertips, the upper arm must be parallel to the floor, this will keep the ball from rolling off the hand. If the forearm is not straight up and down, the ball will roll off the hand to the side. If the wrist is not cocked back in the proper position (parallel to the upper arm), the ball will roll forward. This position of the ball is the same for jump shots and set shots. After getting the ball into proper position with one hand, then place the off hand on the side of the ball to add stability.

At the beginning of the shot, which will be one continuous motion, the knees bend slightly creating a dipping action which will help create a natural, rhythmic beginning. Do not start from a static position, for that would spoil the necessary rhythm of the shot.

As the shot is started, the motion of the hands and arms are back and upward in a vertical movement, not an outward, away from the body movement. The knees fully extend and the arm fully straightens with the uncocking of the wrist and fingers to a full extension. The off hand stays on the ball to act as a stabilizer. It does not get involved in the actual release of the ball, but it comes off the ball just as the ball is released. The last thing to touch the ball as it is released is the tip of the index finger.

Focusing on the index finger can be very helpful as you want the index finger to mimic the action of the ball. The ball should go up in the air, then arc toward the basket, followed by descending down and through the basket. The index finger should do the same. The fingers go up in the air, arcs toward the basket, and then descends down and through the basket, assuring a good follow through.

Focus Your Eyes on the Whole Basket

All the while when shooting, the player’s eyes should be focused on the target, the basket. The eyes should not follow the flight of the ball. Through the years, I have talked to hundreds of players about where they focused their eyes. I have also had the honor of coaching some of the all time greatest shooters, including Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, BJ Armstrong and Byron Scott. Some said they focused just over the front rim, some at the whole rim and the majority at the back rim.

I personally focused on the whole basket. If I started to struggle, then in practice, I would focus on the back of the rim. When I started to hit the back of the rim consistently, then I knew my rhythm and technique was back, and I would start focusing on the whole basket again. I learned that technique from Bill Sharman, a Boston Celtic guard in the 50’s, a Hall of Famer, who is recognized as one of the greatest shooters to have ever played the game. He was also a highly recognized coach in the ABA and the NBA, and was coach of the LA Lakers when they set the NBA record win streak of 33 consecutive games and went on that season to win the World Championship. Coach Sharman is also recognized as the coach who first started the “shoot-around” practice, the game day morning practice. His advice to me helped me a great deal through the years, both when I was playing and coaching.

Another key thing to remember is that the power of the shot comes from the legs and a balanced base. The longer the shot, the more the legs are used. A shooter does not want to use his upper body, arms, wrist and fingers for the extra power needed when taking longer shots. In attempting longer shots, trying to get that needed extra power by using the smaller muscle groups, will disrupt the natural rhythm of the shot.

It is so surprising to me how many players today do not align their fingertips with the seams on the basketball. One great benefit of the old ABA red, white and blue ball was that we could readily see the rotation of the ball. One could see the rate of rotation or the direction of the rotation easily. .

Of course, to achieve an accurate reading, the shooter has to start with the ball seams aligned properly. After a short amount of time, one can learn to quickly, almost simultaneously, get the ball, upon catching it, with the seams aligned correctly. Not only does it help to see the rotation of the ball when practicing, but I do believe one gets a better feel for the ball.

by George Irvine