Basketball Shooting Tips from Gary Boren:
We here at Noah Basketball would like to give our readers these great basketball shooting tips from Gary Boren, Dallas Mavericks Free-Throw Shooting Coach:
Shooting Tip 1:
THE FEET:
Many players are unaware of what their feet are doing on free throws. When I film players, one of the angles I film is both side and rear views of their feet, with the camera focused in closely, capturing the players feet and lower legs up to about the knees. I look to see if the player is raising both heels together during the shot, to exactly the same height. If one goes higher than the other, the player’s body will tilt, which changes the whole physics of the shot, making it harder to shoot it straight.
Another thing this filming reveals is if the player is coming back down on his heels too quickly, which means the body is falling back while the arm is pushing the shot forward, and the brain has trouble calculating the distance on a consistent basis. The follow-through is important throughout sports, and on this shot, the follow-through should consist of the player up on the balls of his feet, perfectly balanced, at the end of the shot.
Shooting Tip 2:
WHERE TO STAND:
Many players will take their free throw stance 2,3 or 4 inches behind the foul line. This is the only shot in basketball where you can shoot the shot from exactly the same distance every time, so don’t give away that advantage. At least one of the two feet should be right up to the line, and stand there the rest of your basketball career.
Shooting Tip 3:
THE TARGET:
Many of the coaches teach players to look at the front rim, and shoot the ball just over the rim. I have long believed that you should look through the net and focus on the exact middle of the back rim. When you shoot the shot toward that target, the ball should enter somewhere in the back of the hole, and nowhere near the front of the rim. Now that we have Noah, our players can gain instant feedback on their attempt to make the ball enter the rim exactly 11 inches behind the front of the rim. This knowledge also helps on their outside shots, as it makes them more aware of the importance of getting enough arc on the ball, and for sure make it enter somewhere in the back of the rim from any shot angle.
Visit www.basketballshootinginstruction.com to purchase Gary Boren’s Shooting Instruction Video.