7 Easy Steps to Become a Great Shooter in Basketball
Do you have to be able to shoot a basketball efficiently?
Of course you do, but not only efficiently but consistently, to be able to compete and make an impact.
If you are reading this article, then you are SERIOUS about becoming a consistent and efficient shooter in basketball.
You won’t believe that this question is asked by young basketball players because their is a lot of pressure on making shots at a high percentage.
Every year, millions of young players decide that they would like to play basketball, and a lot of them hope and dream of one day doing so for a living.
The foundation of any solid basketball game is an excellent jump shot, and figuring out how to execute one is all about being able to study, focus and practice tirelessly.
At first, I wasn’t a good jump shooter. Everyone knew me as the ball-handler with a lot of quickness.
I had to adjust my game and start concentrating on my jump shot to become a more effective player.
Here is what I learned along the way from great coaches, trainers, and basketball minds on how to create an effective jump shot through mastering the right basketball shooting techniques.
Stephen Curry is one of my favorite shooters, he has one of the quickest releases in the NBA.
He will be a NBA legend and is already widely regarded as one of the single greatest clutch shooters of all time, and his statistics certainly backup this assessment.
As his college teammate, seeing his smooth stroke was amazing to watch. Working outwardly from the basics that Stephen Curry has presented the world with, it is clear that a good jump shot is all about consistency and technique.
The best jump shooters at the professional and college levels are able to repeat their motion of shooting the ball toward the rim flawlessly. To me, here are the most important shooting techniques in basketball.
A jump shooter will ideally be given space to perform the motion of making a shot, and their feet should be comfortably placed just beyond shoulder-width.
It is also important to build certain muscles to perform a jump shot at the top level, including biceps muscles, triceps muscles, forearm muscles and wrists.
I understood this at a young age and tried to make my arms look like Popeye. I wouldn’t recommend for any young player to try and look like Popeye. However, an ideal jump shot, the shooters elbow is in a L-shape and is pointed inwards, the shot is released while the shooter is at the apex of their ascent, which essentially gives them an effortlessness of release and almost anti-gravity feel, which creates a gentle backwards spin on the ball.
A consistent and soft backwards spin will almost ALWAYS result in a very favorable bounce upon the rim, thus leading to more made baskets.
It is also imperative that the ball is extended up and out in front of the shooter’s head once the shooting motion has begun.
Much like many delicate acts in sports, shooting a basketball is all about creating a steady rhythm and pace.
The drawing back of the arms and the thrusting forward of the arms and fling of the wrists should be done at the same speed in order to create a motion that is not only easily replicated, but one that also produces the best results.
Following through when shooting the basketball is also of the utmost importance, and failing to do will usually result in a shot that comes up short of its intended mark.
Remember, reach in the basketball hoop cookie jar when following through. Simply put, a great jump shot comes from being balanced and relaxed, rising comfortably, releasing while at the top of the jump and following through with the shooting motion.
A surefire way to sharpen all of these steps of the process is to practice tirelessly.
One last note that many coaches forget to teach, try to teach young players to position the seams of the basketball all in one direction.
This will help increase the chances of the shot going in because of the rotation.
“Seams all in One Direction”
One Drill to Try:
1.Close your eyes
2.Flip the ball out with a twist
3.Catch it off the bounce
4.Rotate the basketball in your hands without looking until you position the seams of the basketball all in one direction
5.Do this 50x in a workout, outside, etc. everyday if you can
6.You eventually want to become comfortable at catching a pass in a game without looking at the basketball and quickly rotating the seams all in one direction before shooting. You will not get good at this unless you practice it religiously
Many of the greatest shooters in the NBA, such as Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant, are known to take several hundred shots per day while practicing.
NBA legend Michael Jordan built himself from a dangerous slasher into an unstoppable scoring machine by perfecting his jump shot over the course of his illustrious career, which is an encouraging sign to the millions of young basketball players around the nation who are hoping to one day make their mark at the highest level.
If you fall into that category, make sure to keep your eyes on the prize and your nose in the grind. The rest will take care of itself.
Here are a few Products that I would Recommend Using to Perfect Your Jump Shot:
7 Steps To PERFECTING YOUR JUMP SHOT
As you may know now, Pistol Pete Maravich was one of my favorite players. Before you keep reading check out his Pistol Petes Homework Basketball Shooting Drills. One of a kind player who provides a creative mindset to shooting the basketball.
Basic Basketball Shooting Techniques
Many basketball players find that they are unable to make consistent shots. They may even practice for hours a day and see no improvement.
While there is no sure way to shoot at 100 percent, perfecting your shooting technique can certainly get to a higher shooting percentage.
Here are some tips for improving your technique:
Focus
- Look for the rim and backboard as soon as possible.
- Keep your eyes on it at all times. Never look elsewhere while taking your shot.
- Even after you shoot the basketball, do NOT take your eyes off the basket.
- Stay confident and tune out all other distractions (even your defender).
Bend and Balance
- Your feet should be shoulder width apart with each side providing your body with equal amounts of power and balance.
- Your shooting foot (the one on the same side of your body as your shooting hand) should be slightly in front of you, and both feet should be pointed towards the rim.
- Loosen your legs up and bend your knees before taking your shot.
Line Your Body Up
- Picture an imaginary line between you and the target.
- Keep your eyes, shooting foot and shooting hand within that straight line.
- Hold the ball just above your waist. This is often called the “shooting pocket.”
Place Your Hands
- Be mindful of how you hold the ball.
- Try to get all seams of the ball in one direction.
- Never rest the ball in the palm of your hand.
- Your fingers should be spread wide but not so wide that you are uncomfortable.
- Keep your shooting hand under the ball instead of behind it.
- Your thumbs should make a T when holding the ball, but not touching.
- Keep your wrists loose and your elbows close to the body.
Use your other hand to balance the ball and nothing more.
shooting techniques to increase your shooting percentage by 20%.
Release, Jump and Land
- The ball should always stay in front of you.
- Push the ball up and out so that it will arc into the basket.
- Remember to keep that imaginary straight line in your head as your hand works to push the ball towards the rim.
- Jump in a natural way. Do not overdo it, but take advantage of your body’s natural power and allow your legs, hips and shoulders to work together with your hand to push the ball up.
Stay with the Shot
- Once you release the ball, you should land in the same position in which you started.
- Your hands should stay in the position they were in when the ball left the tips of your fingers, and your wrist should be loose.
- Your shooting arm should arch as if you were reaching in the basketball cookie jar.
- Do not move your hands or turn away from the basket until you know the ball has made contact.
Practice
- If you find there is a certain aspect of your technique that needs work, such as the way you grip the ball, keep trying until you are familiar with doing it the correct way.
- Once you have perfected your shooting technique, continue to practice, practice, practice.
I became a good shooter because I shot thousands of shots everyday; it was repetition, muscle memory, and confidence that helped me take my jump shooting to another level.
I used the shooting bandit form trainer to help with my shooting form. You want to make a L-shape with your shooting arm.
In addition, we want are elbow to be in and not out. The shooting bandit form trainer forces your shooting arm to create the L-shape and elbow-in strategy to become a consistent basketball shooter.
It helped change my form and the amount of shots I was able to knock down because of my ability to establish the proper shooting mechanics early.
Utilize these 7 steps in conjunction with these 10 shooting techniques to increase your shooting percentage by 20%
Click Here to try Damin Altizer’s Clutch Shooting Training! Damin Altizer has a very similar story to mine.
Damin started playing basketball at a young age, became a high school basketball star, and had the same dream as every other kid and that was to make it to the NBA.
More specifically, Damin wanted to play college basketball in the ACC.
Damin worked on his overall game tirelessly as a young player. Even with a successful high school career, Damin wasn’t recruited by any ACC schools, however he was recruited by other D-1 schools.
He wasn’t going to let his dream of playing for an ACC school slip through his hands after all of his hard work, so he decided to walk-on to the University of Virgina’s varsity basketball team.
Seeing the competition level at a big-time ACC school, Damin was hit by reality. He was working out like every other basketball player in the world. As a young basketball player, he focused on the normal shooting and dribbling drills.
He was just an average basketball player. So he changed the way he worked out. Damin trained at a different intensity and innovation level that allowed him to practice differently than others in his training and it worked.
Damin worked on dribbling more with 2 basketballs, used tennis balls, chairs and other innovative equipment to increase his basketball skills.
Damin studied NBA moves and added more technical aspects to his game to make him much more quicker and explosive. I wish I would have done this when I started working out on my own.
Now as I look back, I was working out like everyone else that was spending time in the gym. That is why I had to walk-on to a D-1 basketball team as well.
I needed to become more creative in my training to place my basketball skills above the basketball curve and have much more success than I did.
Damin Altizer is now a basketball trainer and has been through the struggles and can help you avoid the tough lessons that we both learned later in basketball.
Damin has trained high school, college, and NBA players so he knows how to connect with all basketball ages and levels.
Damin is able to help you get much closer to your dreams. Now is your time to shine, check out Damin’s shooting video – Clutch Basketball Shooting.
He will not only help you become a great shooter, but a clutch shooter as well. Remember great shooters are not born, they are made.
BASIC Basketball Shooting Drills
- Pistol Petes Homework Basketball Shooting Drills
- Basketball Golf Shooting Drill
- Spot Basketball Shooting Drill Pt.1 & Pt.2
- One Arm Form Shooting Drill
- Jab Step Shooting Drill
- 25 in Two 3 Point Shooting Drill
- 10 Shooting Techniques
- 3-Point Shooting Game
- Wing to Wing Shooting Drill
- Basketball Floater Instructions
- Shooting with a Quick Release
- Sideline Lateral Slides Layup Drill
- 3 Chair 3-point Shooting Drill
- Utah Shooting Drill
- Top Basketball Drills Infographic
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