I have a strong 9 year old player whose shooting form is causing him some problems.
When I watch the ball fly to the hoop, it seems like there is way too much backspin. The shots keep coming up short. He's the strongest kid on the team and is getting very frustrated. I've tried every adjustment I can think of. I've had him doing one handed shooting while I watch his arm motion and I can't figure it out.
Has anybody run into this odd problem?
Does anybody have a solution?
I'm baffled.
-Jim

First thoughts that come to mind are more legs and hold the follow through until the ball is in net.

Jim -

Its hard to say since we cant see the shot... but typically a lot of 9 year old kids don't have great shooting success..... its a strenght thing.

My suggestion for him would be to start close to the basket.... you can start with one handed shooting and the proceed to both hands as he see some success. 3 -4 feet from the basklet and work on form exclusively... as his shot gets better you can move back a few feet at a time.

IF you could show us a video of his shot we might have an easier time of helping him. Above all, HE needs to be patient with himself. I had some Varsity players that needed a lot of work on thier form before they became good shooters.

I agree with Rob too, have him get more of his legs into his shot.

Thinking about the shot this morning..... coming up short..... shot is flat? As your son brings the ball up into his shot... his elbow on the shooting arm should be around his eye / ear. That should give him the proper lift. Give this a try and see how it goes.

Thanks guys. The one thing I'm noticing is that the ball seems to be rolling off the back of his hand, as though his hand is sliding under the ball without the ball moving forward with the same force. The shots aren't flat, they have decent arc, but they are spinning backwards very fast. It strikes me that all of his shooting energy is sliding across the bottom of the ball causing the backspin.
It can't be a lack of strength, it has to be technique. Last year, he played on a 9 foot basket and did great. This year, they moved the hoops up to 10 feet and everything went wrong. I think he's changed something in his mechanics because he thinks he has to use more muscle since the hoop is higher. I might be able to take some video of him and pass it on to you guys.
I appreciate the help. He's frustrated and so am I.
- Jim

Seeing video would help a lot.

Keep things fun. Basketball should be fun, not frustrating. Make the process fun, not work. I know it's easy to forget. but remind yourself that 9 is incredibly young. Steve Nash didn't even play basketball until he was 13. The two best players ever to play the game -- Michael Jordan and Bill Russell were both no good when sophomores in high school (15 years old). Jordan was cut and Russell's coach was going to cut him but decided to keep him on the team only because of his height.

If you look at all three of those guys... they all developed a love and passion for the game. That love is critical to be successful.

Try separating, section of shooting at a bucket, section on shooting without a basket, invent a game! shooting with a basket can be a distraction...maybe he is concentrating on the score not the form.

Joe Riley

http://joebloggsmadrid.wordpress.com/