5 of the Biggest Basketball Shooting Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

This Tip has helped me imprve my shot greatly and now i am my team captain thx Breakthrough Basketball

Thanks this is great and am going to work on my shot using these tips. However i dont understand which part of mistake number 3 we shouldn't practice unless we are eighteen. Can anyone clear this up for me?

Hi Hadi,

There are a couple of reasons I do not advise players to shoot fade-aways before the age of 18.

1. It's likely that there are other areas that you should concentrate on before practicing a fade-away. Only extremely talented players could practice this shot before going to college. JJ Redick one of the best shooters to ever play did not practice a fade-away until he was in college. First, he perfected his shot. Then, he progressed to more difficult shots when he was in college.

2. Most players are not strong enough and lack the proper coordination. This can lead to bad mechanics. so, practicing a fade-away can mess up your normal shot.

If you are a high school player, do not mess with it. There is too many aspects of the game to work on to become a better player. Only if you have perfected your shot and have proper strength, would I suggest to shoot a fade-away.

this is a very useful video.. check out

Thanks
i will take you advice

Your*

the best drill ever. thanks for this mail, "Breakthrough Basketball"

Ammazing....your tips really solve the problems......i am really impressed with your service

thanks a lot man..................!it helps

I coach grade school children. My second-grade son is moving from an 8-foot to 10-foot goal. He does not seem to have much power in his shot, so his distance is limited. If you get beyond 6 feet from the basket with a 10-foot goal, he has a problem. I do not think the problem is strength. Is it form? What are you tips?

Hi Coach Steve,

I would suggest making sure sits his hips back to use his legs to develop more power for the shot. I would also suggest dipping the elbow slightly to give him more power.

That problem is very common for 2nd graders. I don't know too many 2nd graders that can shoot with good form at 10-foot hoop. They are just too small and too weak. I would usually have 1st & 2nd graders shoot at a 8 foot hoop with a mini ball. I would have 3rd & 4th graders shoot with a junior ball at a 9 foot hoop. Then, I would progress to a 10 foot hoop once players start entering the 5th grade.

That is part of the reason that you don't see too many GREAT shooters anymore. They develop poor shooting mechanics, because they start shooting at a 10 foot hoop with a big ball when they are young, less-coordinated, and weak. They have to find other ways to get the ball to the hoop, so they develop bad mechanics like twisting and slinging the ball up there.

Basketball needs some sort of progression like the current system that baseball has. You don't see us throwing youth kids onto a major league field and tell them to play baseball. They start on smaller fields with closer mounds and closer bases. That’s part of the reason that the rest of world is catching up with the US in basketball. They have better progressive systems.

You can also check out our shooting mechanics page at this link: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/shooting-technique.html

Steve - Bending the knees and using the legs will help with power. Have him try shooting the ball over the 9-10 foot back board. He'll have to use all legs to do that. This little trick helps develop distance. Once he figures out how to utilize the legs for power, that will help.

With that said, 2nd grade is really young. Probably just need to wait to get older or use lower hoops. I don't suggest 10 ft rims at that age! Not to mention, things like soccer and martial arts are great ways to develop athletes at this age. Basketball will come with time and other sports are better to focus on at this young age.

Hi, I am an 11 year old who loved to play basketball. I have played AAU for three years now. I have traveled all over the US already to play in big tournaments. I do struggle with my shot when I get tired. This article I think will help me a lot with keeping my hands correct and my thumb out of the way.

Thanks so much and I look forward to reading more articles.

Sean Kuck

Hi,
I am a decent shooter but a month ago, my shot was really off for about 2-3 weeks.
I am glad to say that now my shot is "back" but i was wondering if you had any tips on what to do if my shot is off in the future.

Thanks

Hi Hadi,

Keep shooting. Basketball is a percentage game. You're going to have some days where you don't make as many as normal and you're going to have some days where you make way more than normal.

Try not to think about things and keep your head clear.

For more mental tips, you could look at these articles: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/shooting.html#mental

thanks for the info but im already the captain of my team and my friend tried the steps but still sucks at shooting and he practiced for 3 months so i dont think your tips work

thanx mob 4 all wat u guys are doing especially 4 me 4rom a country where yo dreams of becoming a proffesional player are no where to b seen wit you guys am so grateful coz slowly by slowly my dreams are being realised is there a way may b u could help me get somebody to sponsor my basketball otherwise all to say thanx the drills are real

I recently stoppd using my guide hand thumb to shoot and thats all good from every where from three I have to go extremely slow and can't get it to the hoop even then. I have decided to use my thumb past the three line. Any advice on how to increas range without thumb? I'm 13 and can't afford to stop shooting 3s as I make about 4 a game and our team needs the points.

Hi John,

Would you rather have some success now or more success in the future? I know it's difficult, but who cares how many games you win when you are 13 years old. Look at the big picture. Wouldn't you rather be a great player when you're 16, 17, or 18 rather than make a few more 3-pointers when you're 13?

By consistently using your thumb on your guide hand on your thumb, you are never going to be consistent shooter. It's naturally going to push the ball left and right and you'll never reach your potential as a shooter.

It also sounds like you may be having problems generating power to get the ball there. Try pushing your hips and getting your butt down in order to generate more power from your legs. Practice by not shooting at the hoop at first.

If you don't fix it now, your shot will not be as good as it could have been when you're older.

Also, your teaching yourself two different shots. One where you use your thumb and one where you don't. This will make it extremely difficult to have any consistentcy with your shot.

My advice would be to stop shooting 3's until you've perfected the form. Who cares if you can't shoot 3's until your 14, 15, or 16. Try to look at the long-term and be the best you can be.

Great tips on the physical aspects of shooting.
What can I do to develop the mental/confidence aspect? I have a daughter who is a good ball handler at point guard, very strong defender, but she will rarely shoot, even when wide open, and she has a pretty good shot. Its almost like the fear of missing keeps her from taking the chance. In defense of her coaches, I don''t recall them yelling at her for taking a shot she has missed, however, the message is pretty strong to "run the offense" to the nth option.

thanx it helped alot

WWH,

Confidence is a very important aspect of shooting. Actually you have to be confident to be a good shooter. Confidence comes from practice, success, knowledge, and praise.

Of course practice is important. But for players I think a big thing is for them to realize that you're going to miss!! It's no big deal. Don't worry or even think about it.

The greatest shooters in the world shoot around 50%. That means they fail around half of the time!!!

You're going to miss shots. So what? How many times have you seen Michael Jordan start the game cold and miss 6 or 7 shots in a row -- yet still end up scoring 40 points in the game? Just because you miss a few shots doesn't mean you won't catch fire any minute. That's the mentality. You just can't worry about it.

With that said, you need to practice and practice smart. I like grooving about 50 shots nice and close the the basket. This is a great confidence builder because you see that shot going in over and over again. Groove shots every day.

If interested in more tips, we have an entire ebook filled with shooting tips and plenty of mentality building techniques.
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/pr/btshooting.html

Hope this helps.

Hi WWH,

If your daughter has a coach that instills fear in the players, it's going to be difficult for her. I prefer to coach players and let them play. If they make a mistake repeatedly, I teach them an alternate option.

If you want, check out this page and listen to this audio: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/audio/news7kelbick.html

It has a section on How Stress Retards Growth.

After your daughter has taken thousands of shots from stationary position and showed proper form, move onto practicing shots off of the move.

Once, she has taken enough repetitions, she should start to practice those shots in game-like situations.

We also have some mental tips on shooting at this page: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/shooting.html#mental

Thanks Joe. Interview audio was very good, beyond just the topic we were discussing. As a coach, its amazing how easy it is to repeat the mistakes of others rather than learn from them.

these are the only tips that put some arc and backspin on my shot thanks a lot !!!!!!!!

love these tips thanks!!!

I'm 21 and in a small private college. I also am a head coach at a private Jr. High and assistant at a varsity. I've had a good shot since my 11th grade year in high school from practice but the biggest problem I've had is inconsistency. I think I've figured out the problem and all I need is practice to fix it, but I have a question still. I think I've always had the ball sitting a little too far up on my fingertips, espescially my thumb. but now that I'm practicing moving it down, I feel like I'm palming it. Where EXACTLY is the ball supposed to sit on the fingers, espescially the thumb? And how long do you think it will take to fix this problem?

One more question. Also, I've been told that the index finger is supposed to be in the center of the ball. Is this true or should the center of the ball be in between the index and middle finger?

You definitely don't want to have the ball on your finger tips. You want it to rest on your finger pads. Look at the second picture from the top. It should look similar to that. Notice, the ball is resting on the side of your thumb, on the finger pads, and you can see my palm.

As for index and middle finger, shoot one way and be consistent with it. I prefer to have the middle of the ball between the index finger and middle finger, but as long as you have your hand behind the ball I wouldn't worry about it too much. Don Kelbick recently sent me a response to an email where he says that you want to have the basics of shooting down, but if you pay too much detail to the little details, it can cause "paralysis analysis" which means you over analyze your shot and end up thinking too much. This causes you to always change things which can lead to lost confidence and we know that is the last thing you want.

Just make sure you have good basic form and practice, practice, practice.

Wow thanks, this really improved my shot and I now don't have to worry about by guide hand thumb otherwise I always had to take into account that the ball was going just a bit to the right. And that is quite hard when you're in a basketball game and in mid-air.

Mr. Haefner,
I'm 18 and I have played basketball my whole life. I grew up watching greats such as Jordan, Stockton, Hornachek, Malone. I have always had a pretty decent shot until I reached highschool. I had days where I shot amazing and other days where I was all over the place. I have always been able to help others critique their shots, but unable to fix my own, even though I knew what was wrong. The big thing I noticed was that every shot was different, I never shoot the same way. I've done drills, I've shot looking at mirrors, I've filmed my shot, I've had other people look at it. I just have not seemed to be albe to fix it completely so that it's consistent. I do agree with your tips, they will help people fix their shots and make them better shooters, but do you have any advice for me to help fix my own shot.

Vern,

You may be thinking too much while you shoot. Groove your shot thousands and thousands of times with good form and just let it fly. Not every shot is going to be perfect.

Another thought.. does your shot change on certain type of shots? Do you shoot well on all catch-and-shoot shots? Does your shooting form fall apart when you are moving to your right, but is great when you move to the left? Are all of your shots within 15 feet taken with good form? Does your form become inconsistent when shooting off the dribble? Those are just a few different ideas to consider. Maybe you just need to fine-tune your shot in one or more of these situations.

Is the flick of the wrist supposed to be natural or is it intentional? I really need to know in order to improve my shooter's touch.

Hey im 21 years old and a pretty good player. I've always prided myself on defense because I was never really a good scorer. As a teen I always had troubles with my technique and release. Even now I still struggle with shooting the same every time. But as I got older from the age of 18 on I've noticed a HUGE difference in my game. I absolutely love the mid range game because there are many ways to get your shot off. I don't like the three point shot because it takes a lot more for me to set up and pull the trigger. Now the way I shoot would be more of a sling shot type shot with the ball behind my head but I've always been told that my shot looks very pure. I do have a lot of confidence issues especially around big crowds and that's when I become a non threat. I need help with my confidence big time because I can get my shots off on anyone its just a matter of me making them. How should I change my shot? How do I find better ways of releasing my shot perfectly every time?

How come during my shooting practices i have a higher % of shots going in rather than
actual games?

Is it because i'm nervous during actual games? is it because i rush my shots during game time? How do i correct this?

Hey im 13 and i just started playing basketball in the fourth grade. i have always been very athletic and strong. the past year i have been great at all parts of the game. i averaged about 15 points and 15 rebounds with a pair of blocks a game. before the end of my AAU season i broke my wrist in multiple places on a late hit on a shot during a tournament. it ended my season now im back to playing basketball after pt. problem is now i dont have a jump shot. before the injury i followed all your rules and had great form. now i cant shoot and feel like im back in the fourth grade just touching a basketball. what are your ideas on what i should do to get my shot back? right now practicing 3 hours a day in my driveway my shot is all over the place. where should i start?

I am trying to fix my shot. Somewhere along the line it got messed up. I seem to bring the ball behind my head and it seems to be a flat shot. No matter what i do i cant seem to fix my shot. I am going to be playing d2 college lvl ball and if my shot doesn't improve i will be in trouble. Can anyone help with just throwing my shot out and starting from scratch?