Contradiction in information (shooting content)

I'm reading some content that seems to be contradictory and would like to hear some opinions. I've read one article that says I shouldn't focus too much on shooting form (8-9yr-olds) and another that says teaching proper technique at that age is paramount to building a solid foundation.

I tend to believe that it is important for kids to get lessons on proper form, but that's based on how my son (9 years old) responds.

This is a tough age to work with... IF they are using the smaller ball and a shorter basket... it would be a lot easier.... If it were me... I would teach the correct form. This is just my opinion.

I had a shooting camp for kids of all ages... and we taught the proper form... the smaller the kid the closer we had them shooting. You would be surprised what they will learn if you work with them.

Patience is the key (I'm sure you are aware of that already)

Ken

I guess I should have included that we are using a regulation ball and 10ft rim. Ouch.

So did I in our summer camps... the kids will adjust... I was just saying that it would be easier for them using the smaller ball and shorter rim.

So, teach the proper form... its one less habit they will have to break later on.

Ken

Coach Hootch, that contradiction could have came from me. To be honest, my opinion has wavered back and forth over the last few years and I still go back and forth.

I think the contradiction isn't whether you should teach proper shooting form. You should.

The question is, how much time should you spend doing it?

Depending on the amount of time allotted, I would spend 5 to 10 minutes each day working on form. I would have them shoot at a wall and not at the basket, so they do not get discouraged when using proper form.

From a long-term perspective, I believe kids at thage age will benefit more from working on ball handling, lay ups, passing, and bunch of athletic development stuff. Tag, Red-light Green-light, and other fun games. So many kids skip the necessary athletic development games and they become extremely skilled players, but so so athletes. Kids should be squatting, jumping, lunging, hopping, bounding, skipping, running, shuffling, climbing, crawling, pulling, pushing. They should be doing this movements in all directions. Forwards, backwards, side-to-side, diagonally, rotationally, etc.

I think by doing this, you get the biggest bang for your buck.

Another thing, if you are going to shoot at the hoops, I would let the kids drop their elbow a little bit so they can get enough power to get the ball up there. It would look very similar to what Steve Nash does on 3-point shots.

That's good feedback, and thanks Joe for the clarification, I do believe it may have been an article of yours that confused me. I tend to agree with you that kids this age need to work on things that help with athleticizm. The issue is that, at this age, practice is also severly limited and while I do want to push them in the right direction I also want them to be somewhat competative. I've read up on a few drills that I think would accomplish both ends, such as the Jump Stop drill and Pivot 21's...

Regular balls and 10 ft. hoops are stupid for that age group (8-9).

I am considering using the real small balls (ie; mini sized logo balls) for form shooting. They will fit the kids hands better and are lighter. My thought is it will allow them to focus on form rather than holding on to the ball.

I would agree if those items are available for you... at our camps I couldnt lower the basket and I did have some girls balls that I let the young kids use at times. (if they couldn't handle the big ball)

I'm a believer in teaching correct shooting form early to minimize poor shooting habits("chicken wings"-elbows out) as they get older.

I keep it basic and continue to reinforce these fundamentals as they get older. I do recommend a smaller ball and 8 1/2' foot rim for beginners.
I use one hand form shooting at a short distance looking at form, rotation and "elbow to ear" extension and follow thru.
I still have my players spend the first 5 minutes of every practice doing one hand form shooting(8th grade girls). I've even seen at high school
and college practices that use form shooting just to keep their technique consistent.

We did that at the high school level boys varsity also.... its a great reminder and is good for muscle memory. When our players were having a problem with their shots dropping I encouraged them to get to the free throw line... that way they could think about their form without being rushed. That had a way of getting them back on track.

Ken

I coach professional basketball in China and the one thing I notice here is that many of the young players are influenced by the shooters in the NBA. Further, they all want to make the three pointer and this, in my opinion, throws off all form as they are not shooting naturally. Don't allow young players to shoot or even practice the three until their form is right and they are fairly adept closer to the basket. Trying to emulate Kobe is a mistake, Kobe is Kobe and has been taking a thousand shots a day all of his career but if you break down his shot, according to purists, his technique is not how the book describes it. However, watch his finish, his shoulders are always square to the hoop, and his fingers are always inside the rim and he holds it till the ball drops.

Coach Mac

This is going to be more challenging than I thought.

I've got ten kids, of those ten 4 kids are strong enough to get the ball to the rim, 1 kid will not reach the rim this year, and it requires every ounce of strength the rest of the kids have to get the ball to the rim (heaving it up there), never mind shooting with proper form. I honestly don't know what to do with the kids who require more development in terms of strength to even hit the rim.

Joe,

After having my first practice on a ten foot rim with this age group I gotta tell you, I think your article was spot on! I read it again this morning and will be looking to apply it's principals in practice.

Thanks.

Every kid wants to shoot the three... in our summer camps before we started.. there were all the little kids HEAVING the ball up from the ARC..... always had to stop that because I didn't want that to ruin what I was trying to teach.

Amazing thing.. the younger kids worked very hard on their form once we got started... I could walk around and make a comment about how good they were doing or you need to hold the follow through longer.... almost all of them were doing the first 3 parts of BEEF well... it was the follow through that I had to remind them about. We started close to the basket and worked our way out... both the kids and I found out what there range was and I encouraged them to stay within their range when practicing... it will pay off later if you do.

Be patient with them... its a tough gig... the younger and smaller they are the harder it is.

I got similar advice from our league director. I'm going to stay at it and stay positive. Thanks.