Le Mars Daily Sentinel - Noah Helps Players Build the "Perfect Arc"

By Amy Erickson - Le Mars Daily Sentinel

Making free throws can mean the difference between winning and losing. And to make those undefended shots more often, the shooter has build strong muscle memory to arc the basketball the same each time.

That's why Alan Marty, a former Le Mars resident, invented the Noah Select System to help players create the "perfect arc." The system measures the angle of the arc to help players improve their skills when it comes to shooting baskets.

Marty, who now lives in Menlo Park, Calif., said he's watched games won and lost during this year's March Madness based on lastminute free throws or three-point baskets.

"So many tight games," Marty said. "It's really, really important that you can shoot free throws."

Last year during March Madness 36 of the 130 teams that played won or lost their games in the last two minutes because of free throws, Marty said.

"I believe very strongly and the proof shows there's a better way," he said. That's where the Noah Select System comes into play.

"As you get more and more evidence of athletes before Noah and after Noah, then you realize from a physics perspective there's no doubt it works," Marty said.

As players shoot, the Noah system measures the angle of the basketball as it approaches the hoop. Experts say the optimal arc is between 43 and about 45 degrees.

The problem is that shooters can't see the arc of the basketball when they shoot so they have to guess as to the proper height.

With the Noah Select System, every shot is measured and the Noah Voice gives instant feedback so the shooter knows how they did.

"You can track your progress," Marty said. "I've seen it be highly motivational for these competitive athletes."

Not only does the Noah Select System "talk" to players, but it also captures each shot's information and at the end of a training session users receive printouts.

"After every shooting session, you get scored as you would in a video game," Marty said.

"You can compare yourself to your friends."

The vision for the Noah Select System took shape about seven years ago when Marty's daughter, Karley, then an eighth-grade basketball player was trying to learn to shoot better.

Marty said he knew Karley needed to consistently put the ball up higher to get the proper arc and that got him to thinking.

"We started working up some ideas as to what might be helpful to her," Marty said. "We realized we had something that was very useful for athletes of all levels."

And so the Noah Select System was born.

Throughout the years, the system has evolved from the first ones that sold for $35,000 to the systems that sell today for about $5,600.

The Noah Select System, which has been purchased by high schools and universities around the country and the National Basketball Association, has wheels and a steel construction which makes it easy to move. It also includes a computer, software and speakers and usually sits on the sidelines during practice.

"Shooting is so important," Marty said. "This is a fun way to get to the next level." Pillar Vision is the company that makes the Noah Select System and the company continues to do detailed research on basketball shooting "that has never been done before," Marty said.

Marty calls himself an "average" basketball player who played for a couple of years at Le Mars Community High School until he graduated in 1974. He also played one year of basketball at North Central College and then transferred to Iowa State University where he finished his engineering degree.

"Basketball was really fun for me," Marty said. And now, "I can shoot better."

The same goes for his youngest daughter, Rachel a sophomore in high school, Marty said. "Her school was one of the very first to buy it (a Noah Select System) here in this area," he said.

Marty and wife, Cindy, also have a son, Chris. Marty's parents Wayne and June Marty live in Le Mars.

The Noah Select System is named after Noah in the Bible who in Marty's words built "the perfect ark," and is intended to teach proper skills and make playing more enjoyable.

"If you're a basketball player, there's nothing more fun than a swish," Marty said of a perfect shot. "That is great."