BASKETBALL SHOOTING COACH
THIS IS BRAIN TRAINING - TRAIN YOUR BRAIN TO SHOOT !!!
THE MOST INNOVATIVE AND CONTROVERSIAL APPROACH TO SHOOTING A BASKETBALL SINCE THE ONE-HANDED JUMP SHOT
- BASKETBALL SHOOTING MECHANICS -
THIS IS BRAIN TRAINING!!!
WE ARE TRAINING YOUR BRAIN TO SHOOT
How much time and money have you spent on basketball shooting camps? When you’re shooting do people say, “WOW, that’s the most beautiful shot I’ve ever seen?” Shooting mechanics are provided here for those of you that need them, and that’s most of you believe it or not.
If you are completely satisfied with your shooting mechanics you don't need to change a thing about your shooting form in order to adopt this brain training system. This brain training system will stack right on top of your existing phenomenal shooting form. This system teaches your brain to shoot. If your mechanics are perfect - ignore these mechanics. If your shooting mechanics need improving or your form a little tweaking then study these simple to follow mechanics adopting everything that helps you. These are not cookie cutter mechanics being taught at camps. All of my teachings are original. You'll find no regurgitated cookie cutter information passed on to you through me.
The best way to learn proper shooting mechanics is to learn what shooting form naturally fits you. Everyone’s built differently and everyone's coordination is so different. Face it, we're all so different that shooting mechanics designed for one athlete probably will NOT work for other athletes. If there’s a problem to teaching basketball shooting mechanics it’s that one size does not fit all!!! Below is a very simple natural way for you to properly implement easy to understand shooting mechanics.
SOLID SHOOTING MECHANICS ARE THE FOUNDATION OF PHENOMENAL SCORERS:
Stand under the basket like you're going to shoot a flat footed lay-up (a flat footed layup is a lay-up you shoot standing flat footed and not jumping or running). If you're right handed, shoot from the left side of the basket. If you're left handed, shoot from the right side of the basket. If you're right handed the outside of your right foot should be in line with the left side of that regulation box painted on the backboard. If you're left handed the outside of your left foot should be in line with the right side of that regulation box painted on the backboard. We'll call this ‘shooting position #1.’
Shoot this opposite side lay-up with your dominant hand. (Always warm up then dynamic stretch before playing basketball.) When shooting from position #1 and aiming at the upper corner of the box you are forced to tuck in your elbow; you are forced to place your shooting hand in the proper position under and behind the ball; you are forced to properly support the basketball with your non-shooting hand (a clue to knowing if your shooting hand is properly positioned under the ball; the index finger on your shooting hand is pointing directly behind you as you lift the ball to shoot).
THIS IS NOT A BASKETBALL SHOOTING DRILL THIS IS A SHOOTING MECHANICS EXERCISE
During a game you should shoot lay-ups onthe left side of the basket with your left hand and you should shoot lay-ups on the right side of the basket with your right hand (although sometimes the defense will dictate a different scenario). But right now you're not in a game. Right now you're learning shooting mechanics. You’re learning to develop your own natural shooting mechanics and BURN those natural shooting mechanics into your muscle’s memory. We are creating a habit. We are creating a learned behavior. We are training your brain to shoot.
While practicing your basketball shooting mechanics your form must be perfect and repeatable. Muscle memory is installed by successful repetition. When burning in muscle memory it must be correct muscle memory. What does that mean? I ask you; does practice make perfect? NO! Only perfect practice makes perfect. So to burn in proper muscle memory for shooting a basketball you must shoot repeatedly with perfect shooting mechanics at a high rate of success.
Why is muscle memory so important? During a game your coaches want learned behaviors to rule your play. Normally the pace of a game doesn't afford players time to stop and actually think, which is the reason coaching staffs repetitively drill, drill, drill, over and over and over the same issues (good coaches alleviate the boredom factor by finding various drills to implant the same issues). During a game you need to be relying on instinct and muscle memory [habit] to be controlling your actions. Thus, once your shooting form becomes habitual you shoot free from the fear of improper shooting form, and therefore free from thought. Your brain will naturally take care of your form leaving your mind free to focus on your target. But… RIGHT NOW YOU ARE NOT IN A GAME. RIGHT NOW YOU MUST THINK ABOUT YOUR SHOOTING FORM! THE ONLY TIME YOU SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT YOUR SHOOTING FORM IS WHILE YOU'RE PRACTICING YOUR SHOOTING MECHANICS.
When standing on the opposite side of the basket from your dominant hand, on shooting position #1 and aiming for the outside corner of the box, the rim forces you to tuck in your elbow; the rim forces you to place your shooting hand in the proper position under and behind the ball and properly support the basketball with your non-shooting hand. How? If your elbow is out of position you will hit the bottom of the rim with the basketball. If your shooting hand is not in the proper position under and behind the ball you will hit the bottom of the rim with the basketball. If your support hand is placed improperly along side the basketball you will hit the bottom of the rim with the basketball. You will hit the bottom of the rim if you do any of these improperly while standing on shooting position #1 and aiming for the outside corner of the box!
Shooting position #1 and the bottom of rim become your shooting form's best friends. Oh sure, you can be easy on yourself; move a little bit away from the rim and your form can be sloppy and you'll still make the shot if you hit the corner of the box. But who are you helping if you cheat this way? You’re only helping your opponents by burning in improper shooting mechanics. You must make this shooting exercise hard, make this shot from shooting position #1 difficult! (The more difficult you make this now, the higher your game shooting percentage climbs.)
Flex your knees and you’re using the exact shooting form you should be utilizing from the free throw line. Jump and you’re using the exact shooting form you should be utilizing for your jump shot. Shoot 100 to 200 at a time; follow-through using your eyes. (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT) Keep your eyes focused on the outside corner of the box [your target] until the ball goes through the hoop.
In short order you’ll be making nearly 100% of these shooting position #1 opposite side lay-ups while developing perfect, natural, repeatable mechanics. Now that's burning in proper muscle memory!
These are the only basketball shooting mechanics you will ever need to practice.
As long as your elbow is under your shooting hand and the index finger of your shooting hand is pointing directly behind you as you go up for your shot, your body can be in any position. Shooting free throws is the only time you get to utilize perfect shooting mechanics during the course of a game. So let’s learn to shoot the shots game conditions force on us. Shooting position #1 is where all players from ages 8 through 80 should spend an inordinate amount of time shooting.
MECHANICALLY SPEAKING, THIS IS YOUR SHOT!
Some of you will release the ball from over head, some of you will release the ball from in front of your body or face, some of you will release the ball out to the side. Your release is your personal signature. Your release will dictate how your shooting mechanics develop while standing on shooting position #1. This is where you reinforce your release or replace your release with another. Play around, decide what feels good and work on the mechanics for that specific release and only that specific release. The only follow through to be concerned about is following through with your eyes. Your personalized signature mechanical follow through will develop naturally.
Muscle memory is reinforced by success.
Standing on shooting position #1 and shooting hundreds of ‘opposite side lay ups’ in a row, with somewhere near 100% shooting accuracy is radically reinforcing success. You are learning how to shoot better. What’s the most important rule of shooting mechanics or shooting technique or shooting form? Repeatability. We all hear shooting coaches harping on elbow positioning. Well, if your elbow is not under your shooting hand when you're shooting baskets that means your elbow is somewhere off to the side. If your elbow is ‘somewhere’ out to the side that ‘somewhere’ motion is difficult to consistently repeat. These ‘opposite side lay ups’ naturally enforce then reinforce your elbow positioning and natural hand position for both hands; naturally teaching you how to shoot a basketball better.
Once you can make 50 in-a-row from shooting position #1, take one step towards the side-line. We'll call this shooting position #2. Shoot another 50 aiming at the same upper corner of the box. Follow-through with your eyes by keeping them focused on the outside corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop. If you miss even one time, return to shooting position #1 and shoot until you make 50-in-a-row again. Be certain to follow-through with your eyes keeping them focused on the outside corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop. After you make 50-in-a-row from shooting position #1 again take that one step towards the side-line to shooting position #2 and shoot another 50, being certain to follow-through with your eyes by keeping them focused on the upper corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop. If you miss even one time, return to shooting position #1 and shoot until you make 50-in-a-row yet again, being sure to follow through with your eyes by keeping them focused on the corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop.
Do not move beyond shooting position #2 until you've made 50-in-a-row from shooting position #1 followed by 50-in-a-row from shooting position #2.
Why do I keep repeating "be certain to follow-through with your eyes keeping them focused on the corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop?"
This is the first step, the EXTREMELY IMPORTANT first step of training YOUR BRAIN to shoot. You are consciously finding and focusing on your target until the ball goes through the basket. If I repeat this one million times it will not be enough.
Then you move to shooting position #3 by taking one step backwards towards the half court line from shooting position #2.
Put up another 50, aiming at the same spot on the corner of the box. Follow-through with your eyes by keeping them focused on the corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop. If you miss even one time return to position #1 and begin again - S L O W L Y . Follow-through with your eyes by keeping them focused on your spot at the corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop.
By returning to shooting position #1 you are re-establishing your shooting mechanics. Please understand, shooting position #1 is the only shooting position of the three shooting positions that actually forces you to use perfect shooting mechanics. But, every time you shoot from shooting position #1, shooting position #2 or shooting position #3 you must be thinking about your basketball shooting mechanics:
Am I aiming at my spot in the corner of the box?
Is my elbow under my shooting hand?
Is my shooting hand in the proper position under and behind the ball?
Is the index finger on my shooting hand pointed directly behind me?
Am I following through with my eyes?
When you've successfully made 150 in-a-row, 50 from each position with 100% accuracy, go to the other side of the basket and take up shooting position #1 on that side. Do all three shooting positions all over again. Since this is your natural side and your dominant hand you might immediately shoot 100% from all three positions. If you do not, BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL!!! Why??? Because you've immediately discovered you are doing some part of your basketball shooting mechanics wrong.
IT'S GREAT CATCHING THIS IN THE BEGINNING!
Simply go back to shooting position #1 on the opposite side and start again - S L O W L Y - and repeat all of the above - thinking, thinking, thinking about what you're doing. You're not punishing yourself by returning to shooting position #1; you're training your brain and body. You love this shot, the one and only shot in the world that can train both your brain and body simultaneously!
Is there an individual basketball shooting drill that’s easy to understand, easy to implement, and comes naturally?
Certainly there is, the same drill that adjusts bad shooting habits. It’s the basketball shooting mechanics exercise you just learned from shooting position #1. This is the most important basketball exercise you will ever do. You must have patience with yourself during this exercise. This process should not be rushed. You're forming a habit or you're changing a habit. Habits change at differing rates with every athlete. You must have patience with yourself performing this exercise. You'll be performing this exercise consistently for the rest of your life - training your brain - reinforcing the habit, the muscle memory, the learned behavior of proper basketball shooting mechanics.
Thinking, while shooting during a game is not advisable.
Basketball shooting drills condition both body and mind. Drills form habits. Drills performed improperly create bad habits. Proper drills performed perfectly create good habits. Habits allow us to perform without thinking. During a game shooters do not want to think while shooting.
Think about that...
Now... think about this.
Poor shooters must have developed bad habits. Good shooters must have developed good habits.
The only good thing about a ‘bad’ habit is that bad habits prove you can develop a habit; and bad habits, like rules, are meant to be bent. (Habits are extremely difficult to break – BUT – habits are extremely easy to alter or bend?)
So let's bend a bad habit...
Shooting position #1 and the bottom of rim become your shooting form's best friends. Oh sure, you can be easy on yourself; move a little bit away from the rim and your form can be sloppy and you'll still make the shot if you hit the corner of the box. But who are you helping if you cheat this way? You’re only helping your opponents by burning in improper shooting mechanics. You must make this shooting exercise hard, make this shot from shooting position #1 difficult! (The more difficult you make this now, the higher your game shooting percentage climbs.)
Flex your knees and you’re using the exact shooting form you should be utilizing from the free throw line. Jump and you’re using the exact shooting form you should be utilizing for your jump shot. Shoot 100 to 200 at a time; follow-through using your eyes. (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT) Keep your eyes focused on the outside corner of the box [your target] until the ball goes through the hoop.
In short order you’ll be making nearly 100% of these shooting position #1 opposite side lay-ups while developing perfect, natural, repeatable mechanics. Now that's burning in proper muscle memory!
These are the only basketball shooting mechanics you will ever need to practice.
As long as your elbow is under your shooting hand and the index finger of your shooting hand is pointing directly behind you as you go up for your shot, your body can be in any position. Shooting free throws is the only time you get to utilize perfect shooting mechanics during the course of a game. So let’s learn to shoot the shots game conditions force on us. Shooting position #1 is where all players from ages 8 through 80 should spend an inordinate amount of time shooting.
MECHANICALLY SPEAKING, THIS IS YOUR SHOT!
Some of you will release the ball from over head, some of you will release the ball from in front of your body or face, some of you will release the ball out to the side. Your release is your personal signature. Your release will dictate how your shooting mechanics develop while standing on shooting position #1. This is where you reinforce your release or replace your release with another. Play around, decide what feels good and work on the mechanics for that specific release and only that specific release. The only follow through to be concerned about is following through with your eyes. Your personalized signature mechanical follow through will develop naturally.
Muscle memory is reinforced by success.
Standing on shooting position #1 and shooting hundreds of ‘opposite side lay ups’ in a row, with somewhere near 100% shooting accuracy is radically reinforcing success. You are learning how to shoot better. What’s the most important rule of shooting mechanics or shooting technique or shooting form? Repeatability. We all hear shooting coaches harping on elbow positioning. Well, if your elbow is not under your shooting hand when you're shooting baskets that means your elbow is somewhere off to the side. If your elbow is ‘somewhere’ out to the side that ‘somewhere’ motion is difficult to consistently repeat. These ‘opposite side lay ups’ naturally enforce then reinforce your elbow positioning and natural hand position for both hands; naturally teaching you how to shoot a basketball better.
Once you can make 50 in-a-row from shooting position #1, take one step towards the side-line. We'll call this shooting position #2. Shoot another 50 aiming at the same upper corner of the box. Follow-through with your eyes by keeping them focused on the outside corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop. If you miss even one time, return to shooting position #1 and shoot until you make 50-in-a-row again. Be certain to follow-through with your eyes keeping them focused on the outside corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop. After you make 50-in-a-row from shooting position #1 again take that one step towards the side-line to shooting position #2 and shoot another 50, being certain to follow-through with your eyes by keeping them focused on the upper corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop. If you miss even one time, return to shooting position #1 and shoot until you make 50-in-a-row yet again, being sure to follow through with your eyes by keeping them focused on the corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop.
Do not move beyond shooting position #2 until you've made 50-in-a-row from shooting position #1 followed by 50-in-a-row from shooting position #2.
Why do I keep repeating "be certain to follow-through with your eyes keeping them focused on the corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop?"
This is the first step, the EXTREMELY IMPORTANT first step of training YOUR BRAIN to shoot. You are consciously finding and focusing on your target until the ball goes through the basket. If I repeat this one million times it will not be enough.
Then you move to shooting position #3 by taking one step backwards towards the half court line from shooting position #2.
Put up another 50, aiming at the same spot on the corner of the box. Follow-through with your eyes by keeping them focused on the corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop. If you miss even one time return to position #1 and begin again - S L O W L Y . Follow-through with your eyes by keeping them focused on your spot at the corner of the box until the ball goes through the hoop.
By returning to shooting position #1 you are re-establishing your shooting mechanics. Please understand, shooting position #1 is the only shooting position of the three shooting positions that actually forces you to use perfect shooting mechanics. But, every time you shoot from shooting position #1, shooting position #2 or shooting position #3 you must be thinking about your basketball shooting mechanics:
Am I aiming at my spot in the corner of the box?
Is my elbow under my shooting hand?
Is my shooting hand in the proper position under and behind the ball?
Is the index finger on my shooting hand pointed directly behind me?
Am I following through with my eyes?
When you've successfully made 150 in-a-row, 50 from each position with 100% accuracy, go to the other side of the basket and take up shooting position #1 on that side. Do all three shooting positions all over again. Since this is your natural side and your dominant hand you might immediately shoot 100% from all three positions. If you do not, BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL!!! Why??? Because you've immediately discovered you are doing some part of your basketball shooting mechanics wrong.
IT'S GREAT CATCHING THIS IN THE BEGINNING!
Simply go back to shooting position #1 on the opposite side and start again - S L O W L Y - and repeat all of the above - thinking, thinking, thinking about what you're doing. You're not punishing yourself by returning to shooting position #1; you're training your brain and body. You love this shot, the one and only shot in the world that can train both your brain and body simultaneously!
Is there an individual basketball shooting drill that’s easy to understand, easy to implement, and comes naturally?
Certainly there is, the same drill that adjusts bad shooting habits. It’s the basketball shooting mechanics exercise you just learned from shooting position #1. This is the most important basketball exercise you will ever do. You must have patience with yourself during this exercise. This process should not be rushed. You're forming a habit or you're changing a habit. Habits change at differing rates with every athlete. You must have patience with yourself performing this exercise. You'll be performing this exercise consistently for the rest of your life - training your brain - reinforcing the habit, the muscle memory, the learned behavior of proper basketball shooting mechanics.
Thinking, while shooting during a game is not advisable.
Basketball shooting drills condition both body and mind. Drills form habits. Drills performed improperly create bad habits. Proper drills performed perfectly create good habits. Habits allow us to perform without thinking. During a game shooters do not want to think while shooting.
Think about that...
Now... think about this.
Poor shooters must have developed bad habits. Good shooters must have developed good habits.
The only good thing about a ‘bad’ habit is that bad habits prove you can develop a habit; and bad habits, like rules, are meant to be bent. (Habits are extremely difficult to break – BUT – habits are extremely easy to alter or bend?)
So let's bend a bad habit...