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Questions From Subscribers...
Topic: Shooting - Correcting Form with Elbows Pointing Out
Question from Star:
Hi,I coach a 7 to 11 year olds, and the court are stationary and can't be
adjusted. Most of our kids has the strength to put the ball in the basket,
but they shoot with their elbows out with a leaning forward pushing motion.
Do I continue to allow them to shoot like this for now or teach them the
proper techniques? When trying to teach them the proper way of shooting,
they complain by saying they can't shoot like that, because they're ball in
not going in the basket. If it works for them and they are making more
baskets than missing, do I need to correct their form?
Answers and Comments
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Joe (Co-founder of Breakthrough Basketball) says:
1/25/2008 at 11:20:12 AM
Hi Star,
One of the most important aspects in shooting is to shoot the basketball straight. If you have your elbow pointing out, it's almost impossible to shoot the ball straight on consistent basis. Once, they develop this habit, it's even more difficult to change. So, it’s very important to make sure that players are using proper form FROM THE START.
If you are shooting with your elbow out, shots will go the left and to the right with no accuracy. This creates two places that a shooter can go wrong (Assuming that the player’s feet and torso are aligned properly):
1. To the right or the left
2. Too far or too short
If you shoot with your elbow in, almost all shots will go straight. Then, all you have to worry about is the distance you shoot the ball which is fairly easy to adjust to.
There are a few things you want to do in order to fix this.
1. Don’t have them do form shooting at a basket. Have them form 2 lines across from each other. Have the kids shoot with proper form back and forth to each other. That way, the kids are not adjusting their form to get it to the basket.
2. When the kids shoot at a basket, have them dip their elbows. This will help them generate enough power to get the ball up to the hoop. You do not want them to lean forward too much. You want them to keep a fairly erect torso. Some slight forward lean is okay.
I’ve seen this technique used at shooting camps and I’ve seen an 8 year old knock down three pointers on a 10 foot hoop with the correct form. You can also watch Steve Nash. He shoots with his elbow a little bit lower to generate more power from 3-point range.
PROGRESSION: It is very important to track the progression for each child so they can see the improvement. Shooting with their elbows out, let’s say they make 4 out of 10. At first, shooting with their elbows in, they may only make 2 out of 10. The next week, they make 3 out of 10. Two weeks later, they make 4 out of 10. A month later, they make 5 out of 10. Let them know that you understand that they won’t make as many at first, but in the long run, this will help them make more shots.
For more on information, you can visit this link on shooting form:
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/shooting.html
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