Better Shooting 2

Hey. I saw your guys review on better shooting 2, and it encouraged me to buy it. I just watched it today, and I have a few questions about some things. It looks like the drills in the workout are mainly just for form and footwork, and they are done basically only shooting from the top of the key. These aren\'t really traditional shooting workouts, and they require on studying your form after the shot. Would you find these effective to do to become a great shooter, or should I stick with traditional shooting workouts? My form is already pretty good, but it is not as precisely perfect as the lessons that Rick Torbett gives. Do you think I should stick with these workouts, or the regular, high-repetition workouts? that is for when I recover. Now I am injured,but I still want to do shot training. In the section called \"Specific Training\", it shows ways to train shooting stroke, controlling the ball in a straight line, and training vision. Would you recommend doing these, speciffically the shot line training? would it help me, or it only helps beginners? I am a high school freshman JV bball player and I already have a pretty good shot, but I want to make it nearly automatic this offseason. would it be a waste of time to dedicate a good amount of time to shot line training? since my leg injury, I have only been doing stationary ball handling and I have been doing 50 form shots and 50 free throws every day. Would it be beneficial if I used the methods in \"specific training\"? I want to improve my shot even while I am injured. Thank you in advance.

Can someone please answer this? Better yet, can Jeff or Joe answer this because I know they reviewed the product. anyways, I am thinking about ignoring this dvd and just paying attention to the Swish Method, because the shooters in the video preview look remarkable. Will the swish method help me become a great shooter in games? I have heard great things about it., so I might purchase swish 2 if it is worth it.

Sorry, we didn't mean to leave you hanging.

As for the videos, I certainly enjoy them both. Personally, I like Swish 2's view on the shooting stance. Better Shooting 2 has lots of great information as well. That's why we recommend them both.

As for your injury, it's difficult to tell you what to do. It's also difficult to tell you what to work on, because we don't see you shoot.

Here's a basic outline of what you should work on throughout the week.

Form Shooting
- Wall
- 1 Handed
- Stationary Jump Shots
- Step-In Shots

Footwork Shooting
- Front Pivot
- Inside (Reverse Pivot)
- Drop Step

Counter Shooting
- Front Pivot & Crossover Step
- Inside Pivot & Sweep
- Drop STep, Inside Pivot

1 & 2 Dribble Jump Shots if you are ready.

Position Shots (Guard & Post)
- Off of Ball Screens
- Flare Screen Shots
- Jump Hooks, Power Lay Ups, etc.

Hopefully, this will give you an idea of how to organize your workouts when you are healthy.

Don Kelbick also has some helpful articles about creating your own workouts:

http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/blog/index.php/developing-a-basketball-workout-for-high-school-college-tryouts/

http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/blog/index.php/raja-bell-summer-workouts/

http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/blog/index.php/nba-player-offseason-workouts-part-2/

here is a video of me shooting. I think my elbow is too far out. http://www.viddler.com/explore/kozbo32/videos/1
and what did you think of the workout on better shooting 2? It didn't seem like a traditional shooting workout with high repetition, and it seems like the workout has to be done on the top of the key. Would you find this workout efficient, or is it better to do regular, high repetition shooting workouts? I am thinking about pretty much ignoring better shooting 2 and getting swish 2 and getting the correct technique that Tom Nordland's shooters have, and then do a lot of repetion with that technique. Swish 2 looks very convincing and all the shooters "swish" the basketball so perfectly and it seems that shooting like that isn't very hard and anyone can do it.

Mikko.... as for your elbow being too far out.... while it is a little out as you bring the ball up.. it seems to be right under the ball as you are releasing it, you have great follow through and concentration. Looks pretty good to me. Try this with your flip drill.... go from L to L (side to side) and plant your inside foot and go into your shot.. see how that works for you.

I think Joe has given you a pretty good workout.... keep working on your form too. What grade are you going into next year? And what was last year like for you?

By the way, once you get your form right.... and you learn the moves.... then start doing them at game speed.

I am in 9th, going to 10th grade. I was a bench player on the freshman team this year and shooting is my strength but I want to be a much much better shooter next year so I can be more consistent, in addition to working on other areas of my game. Freshman ball didn't go too well. I was thinking that I could use the swish method to develop my technique, so I can swish shot after shot like the shooters in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC6xGbsAPjs,
and then I can repeat this technique over and over again at game speed to keep improving at shooting.

Thanks for showing us the Video..... this looks a lot like the way George Lehman taught shooting... the BEEF method. Nice form and follow through. I looked at your form and other than the elbow out a little at the beginning of the shot..... ( AND YOU GET IT UNDER AS YOU ARE RELEASING IT WHICH IS GOOD ) everything else seems to be pretty good.
Practice, practice and more practice will make you a better shooter.... a lot of shooting plain and simple. BUT, thats not all there is to the game..... Basketball is all about quickness, while you want to improve your shooting you will have to get quicker too..... be able to handle the ball well, read the defense and pass well too.
Take the time to write down all the areas that you need to improve on..... Ball handling, passing, screening, DEFENSE, rebounding etc. Look at the guys that were playing in front of you and ask yourself.... " What areas to I have to improve upon to crack the line up. "
Did you see much playing time? If not, then work your way up to the 6-8th man so you can get some playing time next year.
What are your thoughts about the areas you need to improve upon Mikko?

well, we have been over this, but its been awhile. In brief, I didn't get much playing time at all. I really need to get stronger, faster, play MUCH better defense, and get quicker. being better at ball handling also would help and I really want to make my shot automatic. I do not have the Swish 2 dvd, but I have read articles by Tom Nordland and his approach he teaches is an open stance to shooting, and also he teaches that the wrist does not supply power for the shot. He says Flicking the wrist will cause inconsistent shooting. He teaches a relaxed wrist that flops. And he doesn't believe in the "elbow-in" principle. He says that when the ball is at the set point, before the shot, the ball should be in line with the shooting eye, and the hand should be in line with the basket. With this position, it is only natural that the elbow is out 4-6 inches and there is nothing we can do about that. The website is www.swish22.com if you wanted to see some of his articles. His teaches shooting differently than any other coach teaches it. and based on the video I showed, he teaches it well, and that is why I was thinking about using the Swish method to develop my form, so the ball goes consistently straight, instead of using the basic rules that everyone teaches, like elbow-in, flick your wrist, squaring up, etc.

My question to you is..... IS your shooting keeping you from getting playing time? While every coach wants great shooters there is a lot more to the game than that.

Like I said before, I don't think your form is bad.... your elbow gets under the ball as you are shooting it... I think you have pretty good form. IF you want to shoot better.... go back to Joe's reply and work on that. He gave you great advice.

Then work on the other parts of your game. Go to summer camp this year at your school... maybe get some personal training also.

Well, the things that are keeping me from playing time are that I am weak, I am pretty slow, I need to play better defense and that I have trouble when the defense is super tight on me. In those situations, I get the ball taken away, I make bad passes, and my passes are tipped away. This doesn't happen all the time, but it happens often. But I believe that if I make my shot automatic, I will make more of my shots in games and get more playing time, in addition to working on the things I just mentioned. I know you said my form is prettty good but I want to make shots like in that video I showed you. I want to get that technique down perfectly so I can swish shot after shot. Joe even used the Swish method: http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/blog/index.php/my-personal-experience-with-tom-nordlands-swish-method
That is why I want to get this. I want to get my stroke ingrained into my body while I am injured, so when I come back, all I have to do is reps, reps, and more reps, all at game speed, so I can make my shot automatic, in addition to working on those other areas

First thing... for good shooters its all about Muscle Memory.... and that comes from repititions.... a lot of shooting and then more shooting.... BUT, its about PERFECT PRACTICE... not just practice. You can make your shot automatic (almost) by doing the things Joe suggested - use the 5 in a row goal too.

I hope you take this the right way.... but IF you can shoot lights out and cant do the other things necessary to play, you wont get much, if any, playing time. You are young and in a growth spurt I am sure.... that can make you a little slower.

Once you get healthier, you need to work on your qucikness, (this will help your D as long as you understand the fundamentals of m2m defense)
Work out with weights
Be stronger with the ball, protect it like it was your last piece of pizza. :-) Get in a triple threat position and WHEN they try to steal if from you, RIP it through, do NOT let them get a good look at it.
When passing, make pass fakes, the D doesn't know if you are faking or passing, they have to react.... get them to move their hands away from the area that you want to pass the ball to.
Learn how to read he defenses too.

Let me give you an idea of what it takes to be a great shooter.
One summer one of my players came in EVERY day and shot 1,000 Free throws. 16 weeks X 5 days X 1,000 shots = 80,000 free throws.... not to mention the other shooting he did and working on the rest of his game. He was a Mid 80s% free throw shooter that seaon.... here is the amazing stat.... MID 90S IN THE 4TH QUARTER.

Thats the kind of commitment you will have to make IF You want to be automatic - IF you are willing to pay that price, then you can be a good shooter too.

He wasn't slow but he sure wasn't the quickest kid on the floor.... what he had as a burning desire to succeed and be the best he could be. When he was a freshman (like you) he came to me one day in the hallway with tears in his eyes, complaining that his shot sucked. I told him that there was nothing wrong with his shot.... its you and your attitude where you think that you HAVE to MAKE EVERY SHOT. It doesn't work that way... we all miss, Michael Jordon misssed and so does Lebron ( doesn't seem that way sometimes - but they miss too )

So, go to work on your game.... NOT just shooting, you have to be able to do all those things you listed if you are going to be a player. GOOD LUCK - The Ball is in YOUR court.

OK. I will definitely work on those things. But shooting will be my main priority. I don't have the Swish 2 dvd yet and I don't know if I'll get it, but I have been using the advice from the articles and I have been working on a new technique with that. Yesterday I shot from 5-6 feet away and I had to make 3 swishes from 5 spots. Would it be better to change this into 3 swishes in a row. My goal was to make perfect swishes, not just to simply make the shot.And with this new technique, when do you advise to move further away from the basket?

Coach Sars gave you plenty of great advice. Keep working on your shot.

I think Swish2 is a great video and I learned a lot from it. If you want to purchase it, go for it.

If you believe your athletic ability and strength are contributing to you not being a good player, get more athletic and stronger. It's not easy and it is going to take hard work. Where do you live? Maybe I know some good trainers in your area.

This offseason could focus on:

- Getting more athletic & stronger.
- Perfecting your shot.
- Primary Dribble Move & Counter Dribble Move

If you try to be great at everything, you'll never be good at anything. Focus on the critical few and get really good at them.

That too is great advice Joe!

Refresh our memories..... tell us about the injury and how the rehab is going. Thanks

would being better at defense fall under the category of getting more athletic&stronger?. I really need to do those things that Joe mentioned. I have a shin injury and I had a bone scan today and I have a doctor's appointment on thursday so he can tell me the diagnosis. Last week, the doctor said if it is a stress fracture, I'll be out for 4-6 weeks. If it isn't a stress fracture, he simply said that I'll have to live with that shin pain and deal with it.

Maybe its shin splints? When you are done with your regular doctor talk to the trainer at school and see what they suggest. Do a search on line also..... there are ways of dealing with that.

Defense is all about DESIRE..... there should be NO bad days on D! Defense is desire and being fundamentally sound on the aspects of m2m defense. Its about quickness and proper position... and IF you are slow.... POSITIONING is really important. As a defenderf you need to have a plan as to how you want to play an individual. I used to play tennis with my cousin, he was better than me so I looked for a weakness to exploit, forehand, backhand etc...... no luck, so I hit the ball at his feet and took away his strengths. Look for ways to take away your opponents strengths, even IF he is better than you.

After you are better (healed) jump rope, jump lines, jump on and off of a box, run lines - meaning a lot of stop and go stuff. Baseline to free throw line and back, continue to do that. Think of the free throw lane lines... start on one side - slide to the other side and touch the line with your hand and slide back and touch that one too... continue this for 20 seconds.

First of all, make sure you do what the Doctor says.. and you get a release. IF he says its not a stress fracture, check this out.

Specific conditions under Shin Splint
[edit] Overused muscle
One cause is an overused muscle, either as an acute injury or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The muscle pain is caused by any activity that involves running, jumping, also sometimes even walking (especially on concrete). Untreated shin splints can lead to a stress reaction mid-shaft in the tibia, which can eventually lead to a stress fracture. A stress fracture can be diagnosed by a bone scan or an MRI and takes much longer to heal than shin splints.

Read this part carefully -

A physical therapist, athletic therapist, or doctor should be consulted before engaging in this type of training.

Acute treatment
Running and other strenuous lower limb activities, like basketball and other sports which include flexing the muscle, should be avoided until the pain subsides and is no longer elicited by activity. In conjunction with rest, anti-inflammatory treatments such as cold-packs and drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (in particular, NSAID gel) may be suggested by a doctor or athletic trainer. Over-the-counter pain relievers can also be taken, though there is some controversy over their effectiveness. Furthermore, the lower legs may be taped to stabilize and take some load off the periosteum. In addition, finger massage on the affected muscle can be helpful, though try to avoid the bone. Finally, using good shoes (ideally compensating for individual foot differences) is important. The shin can be trained for greater static and dynamic flexibility through adaptation, which will diminish the contracting reflex, and allow the muscles to handle the rapid stretch. The key to this is to stretch the shins regularly. However, static stretching might not be enough. To adapt a muscle to rapid, eccentric contraction, it has to acquire greater dynamic flexibility as well. One way to work on the dynamic flexibility of the anterior shin is to subject it to exaggerated stress, in a controlled way, such as walking on the heels. If the muscle is regularly subject to an even greater dynamic, eccentric contraction than during the intended exercise, it will become more capable of handling the ordinary amount of stress. Experienced long-distance runners practice controlled downhill running as a part of training, which places greater eccentric loads on the quadriceps as well as on the shins.


A physical therapist, athletic therapist, or doctor should be consulted before engaging in this type of training.

Another acute treatment for anterior 'shin splints' is heavy stretching of the calf or plantar flexors of the foot. Many suggest writing out the alphabet in the air with the feet or scrunching up a towel with the toes. Tight calves cause a muscular imbalance where the anterior tibialis becomes overstretched. This overstretching causes a weakening and inflammation of the anterior tibialis. If the anterior tibialis is inflamed it is often due to tight calves putting permanent stress on the anterior tibialis. By stretching the calf musculature for 30 seconds to 5 minutes this can be alleviated over time.

Many doctors suggest also stretching the hamstrings, after warming up, as tight hamstrings can lead to problems such as shin splints.

Thanks a lot coach. I am going to the doctor on Thursday to see what the diagnosis is. Before the bone scan, the doctor said, "there could be 2 possibilities". The first one is that I could have a stress fracture and I could be out for 4-6 weeks. The second one, he simply said, if it is not a stress fracture, you are going to have to deal with this pain forever. I said "WHAT!!!". Then he said "some of our bodies were not built to play basketball". I didn't like that at all. I'll let you guys know on thursday what he says.

Good luck either way...... but IF he says its NOT a stress fracture - see your trainer at school and talk about your problem with him... and talk shin splints. See what he has to say too.