Hey Sir,

My name is Ole Melelek , I love Basketball alot play every day, my questions to you is? How can i improve my shooting Skill in my Game? What makes a good Basketball Point Guard and Defensive Player? I love Playing on Defense aggressive and I hate the fact that I am 6-3 and cannot jump well ..how can I improve my Jumping Power and Dribbling especially my Left Hand. I am looking forward to join College Next year as a freshman what is the advice can u tell me about getting a Basketball Scholarship or contact a Network that I may be able to get support and some Colleges you can suggest for me Please.how can i balance between my Studies..and sport? I want to Progress on my Game what can u advice me sir?

Ole,

You have a lot of questions here.... but it all boils down to hard work and a lot of practice, PERFECT PRACTICE.

Tell us about your current basketball experiences..... are you playing now and at what level? Do you have any statistics? Its not easy to get a scholarship but it does happen, but the better players usually get them.

Are you playing at the high school level right now? You should sit down with the high school coach who has seen you play for some of these answers.... especially scholarships.

First of all lets talk about the shooting... there are several subjects here already that deal with shooting.. take some time to look at those and then come back and lets talk again.

Ken

Shooting #1

1. Good Shooters spend time each day on proper shooting technique. Good Shooters use a chair to "form shoot" for 10 minutes before taking their first shot at the basket.
Poor Shooters spend time on their shooting technique when they "have time." Poor Shooters grab a ball and go the the three point line to begin launching shots.

2. Good Shooters work on moving without the ball and "prepare" the shoot the ball before ever catching it.
Poor Shooters watch for the ball to be passed to them, then think about getting a shot off.

3. Good Shooters start close to the basket and make 5 straight before moving back.
Poor shooters shoot from all areas of the floor "hoping to make it."

4. Good Shooters study other good shooters and follow their habits
Poor Shooters shoot the ball the same way without any help from others.

5. Good Shooters study the path of the ball and where the ball hits the rim. They make adjustments based on where the ball hits the rim; long/short, right/ left.
Poor Shooters judge their shooting accuracy solely on whether the ball goes in or not.

6. Good Shooters square up to the basket before shooing, called "Ten Toes."
Poor Shooters are not concerned with alignment they just want to quickly get their shot off.

7. Good Shooters shoot from an athletic position known as Triple Threat position. One quick movement from triple threat produces a solid shot.
Poor Shooters catch the ball in an upright position then take time to bend their knees before shooting. Poor Shooters do not play in triple threat.

8. Good Shooters use their whole body to shoot the shot. They know that their LEGS make shots with good form.
Poor shooters shoot the ball with their upper body only and throw the ball at the basket instead of shooting it.

9. Good Shooters follow through consistently by "throwing their hand into the basket."
Poor Shooters are inconsistent in their follow through resulting in inconsistent results.

10. Good Shooters understand the importance of BALANCE before, during and after the shot! The feet are always under their head.
Poor Shooters shoot off balance from all different kinds of angles. Their feet are rarely under their head.


How many of these describe YOU as a shooter?

Your goal is to accomplish all 10 of the "Good Shooter" characteristics as you grow and develop as a basketball player.

What is your score out of 10 and how badly do you want to be a Good Shooter?
(See #1)

Shooting #2

Here is something that I had sent earlier that I think can help you. I did this with my Varsity Boys and all the shooting camps we ran, even with very young kids.. 4-5th graders.

We started with BEEF and BEEF Check every day...
-Balance -
-Elbow under the ball
- Eye on the target
- and Follow through.

We had our players take one dribble (with their non shooting hand behind their backs) and bring the ball up to the shooting position... this forces the hand and elbow to be under the ball. Then they would focus on the target, bring the ball up and shoot holding the follow through. We did this from the left - middle and right.... and moved their way out a little bit... THEN we did the same thing allowing the guide hand to be along side the ball WITHOUT touching it... (same procedure) after that we allowed them to have the guide hand on the ball.
By the way, kids can practice this against a wall to correct flaws in their shots.