Finishing and getting fouled like Monta Ellis

My target was just over the front of the rim.... the hole? That worked for me, what is your target?

That I can remember... but as for the arc.... its been awhile since I shot a ball.... I was small when I was younger too.... and I had to shoot with a fairly high arc to get it over the defenders.

My target is the whole basket

Sorry for all the questions but if youre going straight to the basket inthe middle of the lane for layup should you bank straight on or go without the bank like a finger roll.

No problem with the questions Ben..... the reason I used just over the front of the rim was it forced me to be more focused.... we were never crazy about a finger roll... and the middle lay up is the toughest to execute... it gets easier as you get taller but we always told our kids to get to one side or the other IF you could. That way they could put it off the glass making the shot easier... JMO

Ken

Thats what my dad also said try to get to the side of the rim.

GREAT minds think alike huh? :-)

Ya :-)

Do you have any good shooting drills that are good to use with 2 people or 1.

One of the drills we used that was good for you alone (or your friend) is what we called a flip drill.... player goes from elbow to elbow along the free throw line..... starts at one L and flips the ball out in front of him... goes to the ball and plants the inside foot and pivots to face the basket and goes into the shot... gets the ball out of the net :-) and then does the same thing the other way.

OR... your partner can rebound for you and you take 5 shots going both ways, then you rebound for him and he does the same. ALWAYS planting the inside foot regardless of which way you are going.

Another drill we ran was one rebounds while the other shoots and you do spot shooting... baseline, tunnel (the lane where you can see the backboard) top of key, tunnel on the other side and baseline on the other side. 5 shots going from left to right and then from right to left. The rebounder has to make sure he gives the shooter a good pass...

Start inside the arc first from 12' TWICE then 16-17' TWICE and then outside the arc TWICE. Thats only 60 shots so you might want to do this several times IF you have enough time.

These ok?

yea these are great i will definately try them tomorrow we want to get a lot of shots up.

On the flip drill can i try the square in the air and the inside pivot.

Good luck, let me know how these work out.

With the flip drill can i use the square in the air and the inside pivot maybe see which way is better for me.

Do you recomend a open stance, a two foot parallel stance or a front foot straight back foot open stance.

As for the flip drill question... I would say go ahead and try it.. and then go with the one that is best for you..... everbody is different..

As for the stance - all sports are about having good balance (you can try this with your dad or friend) have your feet together or parallel .... have them give you a gentle nudge and see how easy it is for them to knock you off balance of even knock you over.
Now stand like a boxer, one foot in front of the other and your butt lowered ... have them give you a little harder push and you will find out that you have better balance and can control your body.

Isn't that why we tell you to stay low on defense - keeping your knees bent? AND of course don't reach.... when you reach your feet have a tendency to stop..... and then you are in trouble as you watch them go by you.

I am a believe in the inside pivot so my front foot would be ahead slightly. That keeps me balanced which will help me control my body and the shot. (think of a boxer and how he stands ) Thats why I like the 1-2 step on the perimiter.

I'm not telling you that you have to do everything exactly the way I am telling you ... I am just saying that is what worked for us and my program... I think I taught a pretty fundamentally sound program.

Ken

okay so you go for more of a open stance, thats what ive been using and its worked well

Ben,

I was thinking about the backspin this morning... why don't you try this.....

Stand by a wall.....
One dribble and bring the ball to the shooting position
Go into the shot and hold the follow thru... (forget the ball at first - look at how your hand ends up)

Now do it again and concentrate on your form and watch the back spin....

IF your ball does not spin much and your hand finishes up kind of flat... THEN try the other way with the flipping your wrist technique.
See what kind of spin you have and then decide which way is going to work for you.

I've seen some pretty ugly shooters in the NBA, especially from the free throw line.... these are Pros and some cant throw the ball in the ocean from the shore.

Anyway, this is a good way of checking your form.... working on the back spin WITHOUT worrying about the ball going in the basket.

Let me know how this works out for you.
(by the way - do you keep your eye on the targe until the ball goes thru the net?)

Ken

I like that stance because it helps you to keep balanced.... I'm glad that works for you.

Ken

ill try that.

And I dont really know if i watch the rim the whole way i look at it more closely today

When they say keep your eye on the target... well, you are a smart boy... :-)

Its all about paying attention to details.... IF you take care of all the little things... the big things will take care of themselves.

Think of it this way,.... if you don't keep your eye on the target all the way thru the shot.. the next thing might be not holding the follow thru... and then your shot goes South.

ok its kind of like keeping a conection to the basket with your follow through and keeping youre eye on the target right?

Yes, one of the terms we used was putting your hand in the cookie jar. See, I told you that you were smart! Shooting is all about concentration, perfect practice and then practice some more... Taking shots at game speed once you have the form down pat.

By the way Ben, did I tell you that a Red Ferrari Enzo is at the top of my Christmas list? Hint hint :-) j/k

Ken