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In basketball, there are many types of shooting techniques. It is a very hard skill to master and, even then, you can have off days. But, shooting is a vital part of the game so you need to train as hard as you can to become as good as you can. With that said we have put together some of our best tips to help you improve your shooting skills.
Improve Your Shooting Techniques
Professionals make it look so easy, but when it comes to shooting, there are a lot of things to think about at the same time. Below are some basic tips on shooting.
Start Small
Before taking a shot, you should have a pretty small stance, as in, keep your knees bent. By doing, this you gain more power for your shot.
Tips On The Ball
As tempting as it may be at the beginning, don’t use your palm to control the ball when taking a shot. For the most effective mechanics, it should only really be your fingertips that are touching the ball.
Flick Of The Wrist
You’ve probably heard it a thousand times before but flicking the wrist really makes all the difference to your shots. When watching pro basketball players, you will notice that every shot they take involves a strong flick of the wrist.
Peak Shot = Straight Elbow
When you reach the peak of your shot your elbow should be straight. In fact, because of the force that you are using, it is actually more of a snapping motion. It’s quick, it’s sharp, and it needs to be straight.
The Follow Through
One of the biggest errors for people learning to shoot is not following through properly. It’s quite a strange position to be in but your arms should be straight with your fingers dangling down. The best way to describe how your fingers should be is that they are relaxed and not tensed.
Shooting Drills
As you probably already know, basketball coaches love a good drill, and for good reason. They are a fantastic way to improve skills. Here are some of our favorite basketball shooting drills.
Form Shooting
A really simple basketball shooting drill is a form shooting drill. This type of drill can be switched up however you like. Most of the time, form shooting drills are done by taking 3 or 4 shots on the right-hand side of the basket and then moving towards the center and taking another 3 or 4 shots. Afterward, move to the left and repeat the 3 or 4 shots. Once you have done this, you could try stepping back a few feet before repeating the process or you could stay where you are and repeat the shots again.
Step Back Shooting
Another simple shooting drill is where you stand just in front of the basket and take a shot. Once you make the shot, take a step back and take another shot. Continue doing this until you start to lose control of your shots. This drill helps you develop your shots from further away.
Star Shooting Drill
For this drill, you need to imagine or mark out the shape of a star on the court. In total, each point will represent 5 shots. Then, run to one point, shoot, then run to the next and shoot again. Repeat this process for a few minutes and record the number of shots you make or simply complete the star a few times.
Record Your Progress
The best way to keep an eye on your progress is to record it. There are several ways you can do this, whether its to keep a written record of how many baskets you make from a certain position or to video record yourself so that you can review the footage later. Whichever option you go for, always ensure that you aren’t just shooting from the same position every time. It’s much better to practice from all sorts of angles as you never know what might happen during play. The video option is especially effective for jump shots so you can see if your technique needs a little work.
Study The Big Dogs
If you want to play like the big dogs, you need to study the big dogs. Watch as many different players as you can to see how they prepare for a shot and how they execute it. You’ll notice that almost every player has their own techniques. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to copy them, but you will pick up on some similarities in their shots. You can then use these observations to improve your own methods and approach.
Increase Your Speed
Once you are making headway with your shots and technique, you need to work on speed. In a basketball game, you won’t necessarily be able to take your time with each shot. So, you will probably need to make a quick shot before you are left needing to pass. When first practicing your shooting skills, don’t stress about the speed factor. The most important thing is to work on your wrist flick and technique. When you feel comfortable with that, then work on your speed. For drills, working on speed will be much easier if you have a rebound partner who can retrieve the basketball for you and pass it back to you.
Practice Makes Perfect
We can’t stress enough how important it is to practice. Don’t get us wrong, there will be days when you feel like you aren’t getting anywhere and everything seems to be going wrong. You won’t make every shot every time but you have to have the patience to persevere. Eventually, you will see improvement and shooting will become second nature to you.
There are so many ways that you can improve your shooting technique to improve your technique across the board. If you are already part of a team, speak with your coach and listen to their advice. It’s harder for you to know what you need to improve on as you can’t always see what you are doing.
