The video below has a little tip that will fix “excessive” catapulters.

Utilizing this tip will also improve rhythm, height of the release point, shooting arc, shooting range, and shooting percentage.

I discovered this tip from studying Rick Penny’s One Motion Shooting.

It’s quite simple. Get the ball closer to your shoulder and have your elbow pointing to the ground.

Incorporate this into your form shooting routine at the start of every workout.

Start in this position and do this dozens or hundreds of times each day.

Also, no stops or hitches in the shot. Be as smooth and rhythmic as possible.

You can also find a friend that can put their hand in front of the ball to prevent you from starting the shot motion too far from your shoulder.

I demonstrate and explain this in the video below and why the new shot motion will…

• Increase the height of the release point, allow to get more shots off, and lead to fewer blocked shots.
  
• Improve shooting arc and shooting range.
  
• Improve shooting percentage.

What is an “excessive” catapulter?

I don’t have an exact definition and it will vary on body type.

I just look for somebody who has an excessive motion of bringing the ball backwards from the starting point of the shot.

But for a general rule, let’s say that it’s somebody who brings the ball near the back of the head in a vertical plane.

The article does a good job of defining catapulters. However, Rick’s definition is of a catapulter… And we’re talking about excessive catapulting.

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I will make this tweak if the player shoots a low percentage, shoots with low arc, lacks shooting range, and lacks rhythm.

When NOT to tweak the shot….

Also, if a player makes a high percentage of shots and has good range, I don’t see a need to change anything.

I would define Larry Bird as an excessive catapulter and he made a high percentage. Kevin Durant is borderline.

And I’m not changing their shots.

On a side note, you might notice that Durant and Bird are both tall.

This makes me wonder if taller players can get away with an excessive, catapulting shot motion due to a higher release point and different shooting angles.

It’s akin to a person with average height shooting at a hoop with a rim height of 8.5 feet.

Why making this fix can improve shooting arc, shooting range, and shooting percentage?

By getting the ball closer to your shoulder, it helps eliminate most of the negative motion.

Negative motion is when the ball moves in a path opposite of basket… typically, associated with a catapulting motion. In the diagram below, this would be labeled as “catapult”.

When the shot motion is mostly up and forward, it will improve the shooting arc. In the diagram, this would be labeled as “one motion”.

When you have more arc, you have more room for error. A shot with a 35 degree arc has a margin of error of 0.6 inches. A shot with 45 degree arc has a margin of error of 3 inches. That’s 500% difference.

That obviously gives you a better chance to make more shots and increases your shooting percentage.

When you have a catapulting motion, you lose the energy created from the motion of bringing the ball upwards.

In essence, you need to use more upper-body power to shoot the ball.

If you remove the negative motion, shooting becomes easier because less power is required from your upper-body to shoot. This is why shooting looks effortless for some players. They look like shooters.

Since it takes less upper-body power to shoot, it allows you to expand your range.

Also, we go over these exact shooting progressions in our shooting camps.

Solutions For Better Shooting

Rick Penny’s One Motion Shooting

Breakthrough Basketball Shooting Camps

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