Basketball Free Throw Shooting - Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

No matter which clinic I ever hold for shooting improvement classes I always get a boat load of questions and concerns about shooting mechanics. Here is a list that covers some of those concerns.

Question 1. How important are the feet when shooting free throws?

Answer 1. There are many answers to this basketball it really does not matter how the feet line up as long as the feet are not too close together or too far apart. Shoulder width is perfect. Also don't get hung up on being square to the basket on a free throw specifically. You can shoot just as well if you are facing a left wall. As long as your shooting shoulder and arm can be square to the basket that is the most important factor. The feet have little to do with the shot. You should spend most of your mental energy on the follow through, the finger spread, wrist movement and index finger touching the ball last.

Question 2. What part of the rim should I focus on?

Answer 2. No specific part. Focus on the whole rim. It is too hard to watch a spot on the front or back of the rim. Focus on the rim as a whole specifically for distance and then your mind dictates to your index finger to shoot the ball straight and it is also a big part of the sensitivity and touch that helps make the shot go straight. Crooked shots rarely go in. Judging the distance is a lot easier than shooting the ball straight since about 78% of shots are crooked.

Question 3. Does any specific finger dominate in the shot release process?

Answer 3. Again there are various ideas floating around. But through scientific logic and the makeup of the bone structure of the hand it is best to place the index finger on the center of the ball at 90 degrees to the seams. Not 75 or 80 degrees.. 90 degrees. Look at the back of your hand with your fingers spread as wide as possible. You will notice that the tip of the index finger and the tips of the thumb and pinky form an imaginary triangle. since this forms an almost perfect triangle it stands to reason that the index finger should be on the center of the ball and doing the most damage. The index finger should also line up with the elbow joint, the center of the ball and the center of the rim. These should be in alignment just before you pull the trigger, even though they may not be aligned prior to the shot.

Question 4. How do you get perfect ball rotation?

Answer 4. Perfect rotation happens naturally with correct mechanics. It is hard to believe something so simple is really butchered by thousands of players due mostly to their anatomical structure, ball hand alignment and poor follow through. Simply place your index finger in the center of the ball spread your fingers as wide as possible without tensing up, and shoot the ball in the air with the index finger touching the ball last and voila, perfect rotation. If the middle and /or ring finger add any contact to the ball you will notice the angle of the ball is slightly tilted. Another killer of correct rotation is the guide hand thumb which adds some side spin to the ball. Millions use their thumb and did so ever since they were little. The culprit here is lack of strength then over the years it became a habit, (a bad one at that)

Question 5. Should you watch the rim or the ball in flight after the shot has been released?

Answer 5. The great shooters watch the ball in flight. Examples, Jordan, Stojakovic, Nash, Nowitzki, Bird, Palubinskas, etc. Your eyes start the shot by watching and measuring the distance of the rim. You release the ball and the moment the ball leaves your index finger on the follow through your eyes move from the rim to the flight of the ball. It is much better control and you can study the shot and tell better if the ball is going in or not. You can also tell if your rotation is bad and this will reveal to you that you have a mechanical problem that needs attention.

Question 6. How important is a pre-shot routine.

Answer 6. It has no relevance at all to the life cycle of the shot. If you have the strength the ball needs then you will always pause the shot in the shooting pocket before it is released. So if you do pause, then no matter what pre shot mumbo jumbo one does, the pause will kill any pre-shot routine. (remember K.I.S.S.) The less movement the better. But it is a personal preference to do some cool things, I guess. Jason Kidd blows kisses to the wind, Karl Malone used to pray before a shot. Go figure.

Question 7. During any shot, what 'mental picture' should I have in my mind ,if any?

Answer 7. It should definitely not be an image of you making or missing the basket. This is a useless thought. If this is the case then this proves that there is no thought process on any shooting mechanics, exactly where the mind should be focused on. You should absolutely be thinking about the one or two worst mechanical flaws you are aware of that causes your most missed shots. Do you shoot short? Are you always left? Do you tend to shoot long? Every miss has a reason behind it. Recognize and rectify. Do you have a flying elbow? Is your hand scrunched up and in the cookie jar? Is your hand closed on the release? Does your wrist look floppy and loose after the release? etc etc. You get the idea.

Question 8. How important is it to shoot with the ball seams ?

Answer 8. No significance at all. Another personal preference. You can do it during free throws but during a game you don't have time to line up the seams for a shot. You can shoot just as well with a seamless ball as long as the weight is official.

Question 9. Is there an optimal angle for a follow through?

Answer 9. Yes, absolutely. They say it is between 42 and 48 degrees, which will bring an average down to 45 degrees which is right in the middle. Understand that the higher the arc the more longer shots will hit the front of the rim. The flatter the arc the more perfect the shot should be because the rim flattens out reducing the area of entry.

Question 10. Does the hand as a whole shoot the ball or do the fingers play a big role?

Answer 10. Great question. Understanding this is the biggest and most important part of the whole shooting science. Mastering the hand placement, touch and feel control and release mechanism is more important than the rest of the factors involved in shooting. Too many players have the ball resting on the whole hand including all the pads and the palm. The way to get the palm off the ball is to widen your grip as wide as possible without too much tension. The wider the hand the easier it is for you and your mind to feel what fingers are applying the correct amount of energy to the shot. For example I number each finger to allow for accountability. The thumb is zero, the index finger is #1, the mid finger is #2, the ring finger is #3 and the pinky finger is #4. The thumb and pinky maintain support and width and are responsible for about 5% eac on the ball while the index finger is responsible for the other 90%. It does the lion's share of the work. Notice I have left out #'s 2 and 3, since I believe they do more damage than good since they tend to go across the grain or in a lateral movement thus detracting from the perfect straight direction the ball needs.

Question 11. Why is it that the ring finger and the mid finger should have little effect on the shot?

Answer 11. Scientifically speaking, you will notice that there are no appendages (fingers) between the thumb and the forefinger. But obviously there are 2 fingers between the index finger and the Pinky. This creates a natural imbalance that does not benefit consistent accuracy. Due to this imbalance and the extra weight of these 2 fingers the tendency is for the hand to always move inwards towards the body causing lateral movement which is responsible for crooked shots. All the fingers must move forward to the basket without any lateral sway. Watch a bear, tiger, or bulldog walk and you will notice that their front paws always move back and inwards when they walk. Same principle. BUT, I will add this. For those weak individuals who have thin arms, hands and fingers I think it may be a good idea if they join the index and mid finger together on the ball which basically makes the index finger stronger. But there can be no more than a quarter inch extra length on the mid finger otherwise it will dominate the release point.

Question 12. Why is there somewhat of a difference between boys and girls shooting mechanics?

Answer 12. One main reason that separates the boys from the girls is the 'strength factor'. Generally speaking until the age of puberty boys and girls are about the same in upper body strength. This ranges around 12-14 years old. I could be wrong here. Anyhow it takes longer for girls to develop a true jump shot because they really don't jump very high and if your jump is only a few inches there is not much time within which to develop a 'pause' just before you release the ball. Plus the 'shot pockets' are usually much lower when strength is lacking. The ideal 'shot pocket' is just above the forehead but it takes strength in the upper body, arms and hands to be able to shoot from this position. Anytime you shoot from the chest, chin, or face area this means the ball is being thrust at the basket without any 'pause time' thus giving less time to aim.

Question 13. How important is 'timing' on a jump shot or a free throw shot in general?

Answer 13. It does affect some players who get their shot out of 'sync' due to leverage and improper mechanics. Anytime a player brings the ball past the top of their head or way to the side of their head and go into what I call a 'negative' phase, then this creates more of a launching mode where the first move is 'at' the rim. The initial movement of the ball should always be 'up' first then 'at' the rim. This changes leverage on a shot by bringing it way behind the head.
Also during a jump shot you do not want to have the ball in your hand on the way down. If you must it is better to shoot on the way up than on the way down. Shooting on the way down is a real strength drain.

Question 14. How important is it to be 'squared up" before you shoot?

Answer 14. It depends. Around the basket it is not so important because you can twist and turn your body in relation to other bodies and use the wrist and fingers to maneuver the ball to the hoop. But when you are further out you want to have as much body control as possible and having your feet squared also squares your shoulders and you are basically shooting a free throw from all over the court. If you have the upper body strength you can afford to be less 'squared up' because you can make up for lower body irregularities with upper body strength. Not recommended but it happens all the time. As long as the upper body or shoulders are squared your chances are improved. What about one legged shots, or fadeaways? In these cases the lower body is irregular but the upper body is usually squared. Another important point here is that the key body part that needs to be squared to the basket is the shoulder elbow and wrist joints.

Question 15. You hear so much about the follow through yet there are thousands of different ones. Is there such a thing as a perfect follow through?

Answer 15. Now we are getting serious. This is where coaches and players should spend more time, on the perfect follow through. I can only answer from experience and how my follow through helps me shoot at 99% from the line. You can still be a great shooter with variations but the key is to follow natural laws or scientific

Author
Ed Palubinskas

Ed Palubinskas

http://www.freethrowmaster.com

President of National Basketball Shooters Association, Inc. 1976 Olympic scoring Champion. 2 Time olympian.

All-American, All-World selection. Led all Colleges and pros in free throw percentage in 1972 with 92.4%. Played at LSU. Still in top 20 all time NCAA Free throw shooters. Guinness book world record 2005 with 1206/1265 free throws made in one hour. LA Lakers shooting coach 2000-1. NBA Ring. Several State championships in Louisiana. See more accolades on web site bio.

Basketball Skills - How to Make Your High School Or College Team As a Walk-On

Hello Hoopsters.

Do you want to make your high school or college basketball team as basketball walk-on? I did it and had a great 4 year college basketball career.

Lets get right to the facts. If you want to walk-on to a college team or make your high school team during try-outs you have to be in better shape basketball everyone else. You will be going up against some great athletes and if you are not in better shape you don't stand a chance. I have seen many examples of a good athlete in great shape---make a team--over a great athlete in poor condition.

How do you get in shape for try-outs? There are a couple of proven methods.

First...play in full-court pick-up games with the best competition you can find at least 3 times a week. Do this at least a month or two before try-outs start. This will help you get in basketball shape and help you work on your basketball instincts.

Second...run three miles a day a month before practice starts. Make sure it is a run or a fast jog so you can build up your stamina.

Third...run a 1-3 mile long hill or mountain a month or two before try-outs start. Don't go slow, jog as fast as you can. Make sure it is up-hill all the way. This is the best conditioning method period! You will not be able to make it up the mountain the first time. Every step is a workout. If you do this 3 times a week before try-outs you will be in better condition than anyone there. I guarantee it. This exercise will also test you courage

Be careful running down the mountain. I left a couple of my teeth on Squaw Peak Mountain in Phoenix Arizona!

Fourth...work on your lay-ups and jump-shot everyday for at least an hour. Set up your own routine. It doesn't have to be strenuous. But you have to develop a great touch. You are going to be doing a lot of full-court crazy eight drills and full-court 3-on-2 drills during try-outs. This will make sure you can make your lay-ups and pull-up jumpers at the free-throw line. In short--it will look to the coaches like you know what you are doing.

Stay tuned for more articles on how to shoot a basketball. That is my specialty.

Fifth...lifting weights is another awesome thing you can do before try-outs.

So there you have it. Five things you can do to give yourself the best chance of making your high school team or walking-on to a college team.

1.) Playing full-court pick-up games with good competition

2.) Run 3 miles a day

3.) Run a 1-3 mile long hill or mountain

4.) Practice lay-ups and jump-shots for at least 1 hour per day.

5.) Lift weights

Doing one of the first three and #4 is a must.

Doing #1, #3, and #4 will get you the most prepared. I know. I walked on to my college basketball team my freshman year and had a great four-year career.

In closing, these workouts give you the confidence you will need to make your high-
school team or walk on to a college team. It also shows the coaches that you are serious about making the team--this is unbelievably important to you. What your coaches think of you will determine if you make the team or not.

I have seen excellent athletes fail to make the team because they pulled a hamstring the first day of try-outs, or their puking their guts out after running a suicide drill, or they are too sore to hit a 15-foot jump-shot. If you do the things above this will not happen to you.

P.S. Make sure you also participate in any recommended workouts by your coaches or current team-

members

See you at the top!

Dave Z.

Visit http://www.JumpHigherSports.com for more tips and strategies on playing better basketball.

Dave Zalewski is a Peak Performance Coach. He uses his experience as a USPTA Tennis Pro , former College Basketball Player, and Multi-Million Dollar Realestate Agent to change peoples lives. He loves to help clients discover the time-tested principles that lead to lasting success. Stay tuned for more power packed articles.

Creating A Character For A Horror Story

Lauren gasped when she rounded the corner into the alley. The object of her revulsion looked up. He was surprised by her sudden appearance. His long hair fell in loose curls past his shoulders. The hair of his bearded chin dripped red with blood. He raised an outstretched hand in front of his face. His other hand let go of the man he had been supporting. The body fell to the pavement.
Her attention darted to the apparent victim and Lauren saw that a stream of blood flowed from the mans neck. It traced a path between the cracks in the dirty pavement. Lauren looked back to the well, the vampire. She knew it sounded crazy, but thats what the guy seemed to be aiming for. Their eyes locked for a few brief moments. His outstretched fingers shook with a nervous energy that she did not mistake for fear.

Anne Rice places her vampires in everyday situations, and she gives each character very human emotions basketball so human that you might want to look at your neighbour a bit more carefully when you close the book! This article is written to give you some ideas for creating realistic characters to populate your horror story.

Good fiction is, by definition, credible - a lie that is easily believed. The most important part of fiction is the characters you create to tell your story. A good horror story character is a fictional being every bit basketball alive and as much a unique individual as anyone with whom we are acquainted. Your readers should care about him or her - otherwise they wont care about what the character does or what happens to him or her - during the story. It doesnt matter whether they like, love, hate or fear him/her. Readers must never feel indifferent towards any character otherwise they will lose interest in the story and not finish it. The uncle who gets drunk and melancholy at a wedding or your high school history teacher who spent most of the lessons reminiscing about growing up in Europe before the second world war; the individual who personified your first encounter with puppy-love or the perhaps the one you dated during your college years... every one of these is a real life living, breathing person. And all are absolutely perfect for any horror story.

Your story must be inhabited by characters your readers know and understand. So that means you their creator should know those characters well. And theres no reason you shouldnt, because apart from creating them you are also their closest confidant. There is nothing your characters can hide from you. You created them, so you know everything about them, including information theyve kept hidden from themselves. In crafting a story about them youve made yourself their closest friend a psychiatrist of sorts.

Your characters must have their own unique and distinct traits, just as you the writer/reader are a unique personality. If believable fiction is based on reality do not fill your story with stereotypical characters. Stereotypes do not to have specific personalities and character traits their emotions, thoughts and actions are limited by the extremely restrictive mould created by their role. Think of some of the real life stereotypes you know; does your truck driver friend behave like a typical Truck Driver Dude? Do all drunks go home and beat up their spouses and kids? Are you the writer a typical example of a writer? I doubt it. Think about what makes you different and unique from other writers and other people. You know how you feel when someone you lies to you, so it stands to reason youll know what your story character feels or think when he/she experiences the same thing. You understand sadness, happiness, fear, frustration, terror and rage so you can create credible characters that experience sadness, happiness, fear, frustration, terror and rage. You've been embarrassed, you've felt pride, you have felt everything a human being can feel. So your characters will come to life in your readers mind, animated by your knowledge of yourself, your friends and family and other people. Put them into a credible, believable situation and let them live your story for you!

Readers dont need to know every single detail of your characters life. Theyre not interested in the name of his first pet or whether he eats peanut butter or not. Neither are they concerned about the name of his favourite singer or the make and model of his first car. But YOU his creator need to know these facts in order to create a character to whom your readers can relate. Jessica Amanda Salmonsons short story And of Gideon features the title character as a murderous psychopath. Salmonson says:

I wanted readers to fear Gideon, to realize anew that such human aberrations do exist. I wanted my readers to pity him as well, this loser who'd been "programmed for pathology." But more than that, I wanted readers to see Gideon as a credible human being, one who would elicit the wide range of emotional response that only real people can evoke. Here is some of what I knew about Gideon and what I wanted readers to know:
...my father was a drunk, had no love for my mother, another drunk, she none for him, and neither for me. (From) my early years, I cannot recall a single hug ... My father would beat me, not with the flat of his hand or a belt but with his fists. In kindergarten, I could not colour within the lines, could not catch a basketball thrown to me from a distance of two feet, nor hang by my knees from the monkey bars ... I was always in trouble: for not coming to school on time, for not even trying on tests, for not doing this, for not doing that, always in trouble with the teachers, those despairing head-shakers: Gideon, don't you want to learn? Don't you want to amount to anything? Don't you want to grow up and be somebody?

There are a few stereotypes in modern horror writing that have been written about with great success, but the second time around is one time too many. Unless you have a unique take or situation on one or more of the following treat these three stereotypes very carefully:

The shy, plain, quiet girl with a paranormal gift. Stephen Kings Carrie a disturbing and brilliant character, has been copied many times but all are a pale imitation of the original.

The twins, identical and similar in every behavioural characteristic bar one again this was detailed very descriptively in Bari Woods Twins, where both identical male siblings work as gynaecologists and share identical traits and patients. However when the shy twin (who usually picks up the conquests his more confident brother no longer wants) falls in love with a patient before his bolder brother the pair face a terrible decision.

The priest suffering doubt about his faith who is forced to confront his doubts in the face of terrible evil. William Peter Blattys The Exorcist{ was the prototype of this character, and the book resulted in the production of one of the most terrifying films ever made. Yet the sequels, particularly 2004s Exorcist:The Beginning, failed dismally to reach the heights of horror of the original.

Use these three stereotypes at your peril:

The preacher who, despite his limited knowledge and understanding of the Bible, speaks in tongues and holds incredible power over his followers.

The helpless businesswoman who, despite controlling a business worth billions of dollars, is incapable of dealing with a supernatural curse or menace.

The handsome, reserved hero who saves the helpless businesswoman before falling in love with her and retiring from his security company/the police force to live with her on her yacht

Now go and create that horror character for your story - and have fun!

The writer was born in Africa, and lived there for the first 38 years of her life. She worked in the world of public relations for over five years, running her own PR company and dealing extensively with the world of journalism and the print media. She is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/, a site for Writers. Her blog can be visited at: http://www.writing.com/authors/zwisis/blog