I posted the "square in the air" question here: viewtopic.php?f=68&t=271

Thanks

Those are great goals Ben.... and IF you keep working at it, you will have a good chance of achieving them.

Its nice that your dad works with you... and that you have a friend to shoot around with also.

Keep up the good work... and you didn't answer my question about what positions you play in little league... I guessed Shortstop and Pitcher.

Ken

oh, sorry, In baseball i play all the positions but usually center and pitcher. Not short because im a lefty.

Right now i am having a problem with backspin. My dad has told me to put my index finger on the middle of the ball for hand placement.

He is a really good shooter. He has experimented with hand placement and found that index finger in the middle works the best.

I have also experimented but nothin has gotten good backspin. Have you heard of a problem with backspin if youre hand is to small.

I still make most of my shots but i know you need good backspin.

I'm certainly not saying that your dad is wrong.. because it works for him... and you can adjust the ball wherever you want it from the free throw line - but during games we don't have the luxury of looking for finger placement...... We look the ball into our hands and bring the ball to the triple threat after catching a pass. We are now looking to shoot, pass or drive.
I was a decent shooter and I don't remember having a great deal of backspin... some one told me that I had a lazy wrist. Do you have too much OFF hand on the ball? Are you flipping your wrist down on the follow through? (although I heard George Lehman talk a several clinics and he never emphasized back spin)
Certainly the size of your hand has a lot to do with what you can do with the ball... as a kid I always wanted to palm the ball... sure, I was 4'11' at 13 years old and a freshman... that wasn't going to happen.
I'm going to do a search on this for you and see what I come up with... here is the first thing I found:

In adjusting his/her hands preparatory to shooting, the shooter should space the fingers comfortably to hold the ball firmly in his/her fingertips and on the heels of both hands. The palms are held slightly clear and the three middle fingers aligned perpendicular to the seams. Players should practice their feel of this until this adjustment becomes instinctive as soon as they catch a ball.

Ken

Ok, Well I have thought maybe my off hand was a probllem but Ive been working on making sure it comes off during the shot but I am going to do some research too.

Also, where do you find your articles on basketball?

Here are some more tips Ben,

4. The Shot - Your shooting action begins the moment you are in set position. Shooting is a one-piece action in which you quickly jump and uncock the wrist. This quick jumping action generates most of the power for the shot. The feet barely leave the floor. As the hand comes forward as the wrist is uncocked, the ball immediately begins to rise up on the fingertips. Quick wrist action and fingertip control give a crisp back spin to the ball. For maximum control of the ball, it should come off the tips of the forefinger and middle finger. To transfer power from the legs to the ball, release the ball just as, or just before, you complete your jumping action. Make sure the ball leaves the fingertips before the arm straightens in follow through. As the shooting arm straightens in follow through, the wrist should end up only slightly ahead of the elbow, which should not be tightly locked. The hand will have completed its full range of motion from being cocked back to being crisply snapped forward. Throughout the entire shooting action, keep your eyes focussed on a spot on the back of the rim directly opposite you; stay relaxed so that all the joints, particularly the wrist of the shooting hand, move very easily. Key Basketball Shooting Tip: The stronger your legs, the better your jump shot.

There is a picture on this site for proper hand placement:
Click here: The Shooting Coach (Fundamentals Basketball Academy)

There is a video on You tube for hand placement:
Click here: YouTube - Basketball Shooting Surfaces - How to Shoot Video Blog (Watch in HD)

NOW, this seems like a lot of information which could just confuse you.... so get your self comfortable with your shot.... as long as it is fundamentally sound..... it seems like you just need to flip your wrist more. Again, I am not there to see it....so look at this hand placement.... read this suff and move on..... I sure don't want to mess your shot up. Let me know what you think.

Ken

maybe i have a lazy wrist like you. But i watched the swish video that says that you should have a relaxed wrist. Does that still mean you should still have some wrist action. I have my elbow under the ball and i use a little bit open stance. My finger placement on free throws is the index finger in the middle. I heard that Pete Maravich also had his index finger in the middle of the ball.