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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2011, 09:12 

Posts: 8
Hello, I am an eighth-grade basketball player that is really finding shooting a basketball very hard. i can't shoot at all and can't even make it consistently under the rim. i don't know how i should position my arm and what is the best shooting form. i used to have a coach that was always saying like i have to have 3 right angles and elbow under the ball and not to shoot above the head and stuff. but i just feel that it's not comfortable shooting that way. i want to know how to shoot like NBA players such as Ray Allen or Kobe Bryant. but in general i just want your help on how to shoot the ball properly. Hope you can help me. also i am 6 feet and can't even touch the rim. my feet don't work well when i am playing the basketball, so i want to know how to improve my vertical. Thank you sooo much, hope you can help me.


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2011, 09:25 
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OK Clint,

First of all don't be too hard on yourself.. your 6 feet tall and probably grew pretty fast... give your body a chance to catch up.

Lets start with your form..... ( I used this in my shooting camps )
The form I taught started with BEEF - George Lehmans method of shooting and he was a great Pro shooter.

Beef is this:
B - Balance - pretty much a boxers stance... one foot slightly in front of the other.... make sure you are comfortable
E - Elbow under the ball..... this will help to keep your shot straight... and your elbow might not be exactly under the ball but as close to it as you can
E- Eye on the target.... keep your eye on the target all the way thgough your shot until the ball goes thru the net.
F- Follow through.... HOLD the follow thru until the ball goes thru the net.

We started our younger kids standing by a wall... take one dribble with your shooting hand and bring the ball up...the ball should be just above your eye so you have a window to see the rim... as you raise the ball up to shoot your elbow should be just above your eye as you release the ball... all this is done with ONE HAND.
Once you get the form down... you can go to a basket and do the same thing... block, middle of rim and other block.... Make 3 in a row from each spot and move back to 5-6 feet and do the same..
Once you get comfortable with this - you can add your guide hand... but by now you will see thats all it is... a GUIDE hand... it has nothing to do with your shot... just to make sure that you keep control of the ball as you bring it up.... you freeze your guide hand also -

Here is something for your shooting:
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/drills/basketball-drills-players.html#shootingdrills

But make sure you work on your form before doing any of these.


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2011, 09:35 
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http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/articles/jumpingform.html

Here is something that might help your jumping form.... you can also do some work with a jump rope to increase foot speed.... and you can try jumping over lines with both feet just to increase quickness..... maybe 8-10 seconds at a time.
Another thing you can do is to stand on one side of the free throw lane - get in a good defensive stance and shuffle across and touch the line on the other side... 6 times back and forth staying in that stance all the time.

You can try that jumping form by touching the net for 10 seconds at a time... keep working on that trying to increase your vertical.... first goal... touching the backboard... then the rim.


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PostPosted: 24 Feb 2011, 08:00 

Posts: 8
Thanks a lot, Coach Sar. I would start working on it now. also i wonder if it is important to be strong while playing basketball because i am kind of thin at my age and i would sometimes miss the passes from the teammates. why is that? can you answer that please? Thank you.
Clint


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PostPosted: 24 Feb 2011, 08:24 
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Tough call Clint since I'm not there to see you play....

Being strong is good for all sports...you are only 13 and just beginning your growth spurt.. so don't panic...... you will get bigger and stronger..... missing passing can come from lack of concentration, reacting to the pass, not watching the ball into your hands or just plain weak hands.

There are a few things that you can do to make your hands stronger... one is to slap the ball with both hands for a couple of minutes .... another is to pass the ball off the wall ( standing pretty close ) as you get comfortable and are getting better at catching it... pass it harder.... keep working on that until you are really passing the ball against the wall HARD. Use the over the head pass and chest passes.

One thing I used to do with some players that had weak hands was to have him face the wall and pass the ball to him, as I released it, I would yell ball and he would have to turn around and find the ball and catch it. (not hard, just give him enough time to find and catch.
Another thing you can do is to make some BAD passes off the wall so you have to react, find the ball and catch it.

I'm sure some of the other coaches willl have some ideas too... let us know how this gooes and good luck.


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PostPosted: 26 Feb 2011, 10:27 

Posts: 8
Thanks Coach Sar, these are really helpful. i am practicing on it now.
Also, do you think i need to buy any basketball shooting DVDs or stuff to help me with the shooting? if yes, then can you name some of those for me? i saw the breakthroughbasketball recommended swish2 what about swish 1?i am not sure the difference and i wonder which one i should choose?


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PostPosted: 26 Feb 2011, 12:52 
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Clint,

Take a look at this... there are a lot of good products out there and "Swish" by Tom Nordland is one of those.... Jeff and Joe talk a lot about shooting here and give you a lot of tips. IF you feel that a DVD can be helpful to you... go out and buy it... How about your library, maybe they will have a DVD about shooting a basketball... maybe the Swish one? That way you can take a look and see if that is something that can be beneficial to you.

http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/pr/btshooting.html?id=17

You can talk to several coaches and each one might have a little different take on what is the right way ... What I told you about BEEF was what I taught and worked for our players.....I got that technique from George Lehman... a great shooter in his own right. You know how he sold me? We had him for a couple of shooting clinics.. and honestly, once he started the clinic he didn't miss a shot.. he was amazing.

Having the proper form is very important... more important is consistency... and you get that through a lot of shooting practice and creating muscle memory.

Find something that is comfortable for you and is successful - hopefully it will be because you mastered the proper form... then go out and practice... A LOT.

Keep us informed as to how you are progressing.... and good luck.


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PostPosted: 26 Feb 2011, 13:04 
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Our library has a lot of DVDs about basketball and only one that discusses shooting... maybe your libray will have one.

Here is something that Joe wrote... pretty interesting reading..

My Personal Experience With Tom Nordland’s Swish Method
By Joe Haefner

When I was in 9th grade, I developed into a pretty good shooter. Every shooting session, I would hit a hot streak and bury 10 to 15 three’s in a row. I think I made as many as 25 during one session.

My shot was quick, but I had a very low release. My varsity coach then asked me if I wanted to play college ball and I said, “Yes!” From that point forward, he worked with me to develop a higher release point. For some reason, things didn’t click, and I developed a hitch in my shot. I lacked the coordination between my lower body and upper body that was required to shoot a jump shot. Looking back, I wasn’t using my legs to get my shot there, I was straining too much with my upper body, and I tried to shoot at the peak of my jump rather than shooting as I was going up.

I lost my shooting touch..

By senior year, I was a total head case. I was always thinking about my shot mechanics instead of letting the shot fly. I shot 33% from the field which had dropped from 42% the previous year and 50% my sophomore year.

Now, let’s fast forward to this last year. As I was reviewing and watching some great shooting DVDs, I came across Swish 2.

I started toying with the shooting methods Tom Nordland uses in Swish 2. I hadn’t practiced or played with any consistency for about 2 years, so I was quite rusty. My girlfriend also took some interest in shooting with me and I tested out the shooting methods on her.

Here is a quick summary of what I did:

1. I developed my “Pure” shooting stroke. I practiced shooting to a partner, not at the hoop.

Swish 2 goes into great detail about the “Pure” shooting stroke and how to develop it.

2. Next, I started to incorporate my legs into the shot. I still did not shoot at a hoop.

3. I started to toy with adjusting my shooting distance with my legs while using the same stroke. Still did not shoot at a hoop. All I was trying to do is get a feel for the shot.

4. I started shooting very close (about 5 feet away) to the hoop. I gradually moved out.

Instantly, I noticed I was shooting with TOUCH! It felt good. Granted, I was shooting from 5 feet away, but it still felt great. Gradually, I started moving out. The same thing happened. I was consistently hitting nothing, but net. The shot felt good. It looked good.

After a few months of shooting with the Swish Method, I really started stroking the basketball with a nice touch. Not to mention, my girlfriend (who never played high school basketball) was becoming a pretty good shooter.

Want to know the crazy thing about it? We were only shooting once a week.

Now, remember when teaching or making shooting adjustments, it isn’t all gravy. I struggled and still struggle at times when practicing as will anybody else when first changing a shot. Most players will often miss more before they start making more. This applies to the whole “Take 2 steps backwards to take 3 steps forward” analogy meaning that you may miss more at first with your new shooting technique (2 steps backwards), but you will make more in the long-run (3 steps forward).

I’m still working on my 3-point shot after 5 to 6 months. If I had time to practice like I did in high school, this could’ve been done in a few weeks. This is just to put in perspective that you do not want to learn a new shooting method and jump straight out to 3-point land. Things just won’t work and you’ll get frustrated.

Here is what I learned from the Swish Method:

1. At any age, you could develop a GREAT shot using the Swish method with some persistence and patience. And you truly develop that “Pure” shooting touch that all of the great shooters have. When I used to miss shots, I would MISS. The ball would clang off the rim and come flying back at me or somewhere else. Now, I get a lot of shots that go in with those “shooter’s touch” bounces.

2. Now, my girlfriend shoots better than me, so I’m never teaching her anything basketball-related again.

If you like to learn more about the Swish Method, check out our review on Swish 2 or visit their website here Swish 2.


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PostPosted: 26 Feb 2011, 13:06 
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Here is the site for Swish 22

http://www.swish22.com/


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PostPosted: 06 Mar 2011, 09:25 

Posts: 8
Thanks Coach Sar. So perhaps I don't need a DVD yet.

Is it really that this George Lehman didn't miss a shot since the clinic started? That's cool! I hope I can be like that one day:)

But I still have a few questions on shooting. Is the rotation of the ball really important? I can't make enough rotations on the ball even though I can make some of my shots now.

And you told me a form practicing way with standing by a wall and lift the ball with one hand. But my hands are kind of small and I can't always bring the ball up one-handily. How should I do that then?

Thanks again for your help!

Clint


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