How do you shoot better in basketball

Proper Basketball Shooting Technique, Fundamentals, Form, Mechanics

By Jeff Haefner

Home > Player > Basketball Skills > Shooting > Proper Basketball Shooting Technique, Fundamentals, and Form

It's often said that great shooters have a place on any team.

Even if you aren't blessed with tremendous speed, strength or athleticism, great shooting is one of the surest ways you can stand out on the basketball court.

If you spend the time developing and practicing your shot, it will pay off in:

• Making the team
• Getting more playing time
• Scoring consistently
• Feeling confident and having fun every time you step on the floor

Now, let me start with some good news!

Yes, you do need very good shooting form and technique to shoot consistently well.

But it does NOT need to be "perfect".

If you watch enough great shooters, you'll see that their form varies quite a bit based on what's comfortable (and what works) for them.

But almost all great shooters follow the principles I'll explain in this article. So keep reading for (all the good stuff)!

In this section, we give you the raw form and mechanics of stationary shooting.

In other words, this section does NOT address the fundamentals of shooting on the move and more advanced footwork you'll need for game situations.

Here's a quick roadmap of the stationary shooting fundamentals that we'll be covering:

1. Eyes on Target
2. Stance and Balance
3. Shot Pocket
4. Grip
5. Balance Hand
6. Delivery
7. Upforce and Landing
8. Follow Through
9. Correct Shot

NOTE: If youd like specially-designed workouts for shooting and scoring, download our FREE Breakthrough Shooting Workout. It includes over 30 drills you can do by yourself or with a partner all you need is a ball and a hoop!

Click here to get your FREE Shooting Workout.

Related Products & Helpful Resources

Basketball Shooting Camps

Free Basketball Shooting Workouts

Basketball Workout App - Shooting Workouts, Guard Play Workouts, Post Workouts, etc.

How To Develop Into A Great Shooter

By Joe Haefner

Home > Coaching > Drills > Shooting > 6 Shooting Drills To Do At Every Workout

When practicing, Stephen Curry must swish 5 out of 10 free throws.

Ray Allen is the first to the arena. Then he goes through a form shooting routine and progresses to 3-point shooting.

Great shooters have routines.

I believe the following shooting routine will help you develop into a great shooter or make you an even better shooter.

It...

• Maintains and develops sound shooting technique.
• Develops consistency in your form.
• Improves confidence

And quite simply, it just makes you a better shooter.

For youth and high school players or players looking to fix their shooting form, these progressions can be used in a shooting workout.

For advanced players, it's a great way to warm up and refine your shooting technique. That way, you stay consistent. That's why guys like Stephen Curry and Ray Allen do the "boring" form shooting drills every day.

We also want to add a shooting progression that we rarely see taught. .. we believe that this shooting progression will help a ton of players.

Personally, I added these unique progressions to my workouts this last year and it has dramatically improved players that I work with.

The Hop or the 1-2 Step

In the shooting progressions below, a 1-2 step is used.

Even if a shooter we train predominately hops, I still use these progressions with the 1-2 step. I found that it was the best way for me to teach the proper rhythm and coordination of the entire shot motion.

Then when we progress to drills with game shots, the player uses the hop. As a result, they have better rhythm and coordination with their shot.

The 1-Hand Form Shooting Drill

Most of you have seen this 1-hand shooting form drill. Even though it is nothing new, don't dismiss the importance of this foundational drill. This reinforces good technique of the "release" portion of your shot.

For this progression, we focus on getting our feet about shoulder width apart or slightly narrower.

You should be in a strong, balanced position.

Make sure to check your feet and develop consistency on every shot. We prefer to slightly stagger our feet or slightly turn them. The anatomy is different for every one. You need to find what works for you.

Next, make an L with your shooting arm.

Focus on pushing the ball up and out. Your elbow should finish above your eyes.

Focus on pushing the ball through your fingers. Typically, you should either finish with your index finger pointing at the hoop or with your index/middle finger pointing at the hoop. Find what works best for you.

When you properly shoot "up and out" and "push through your fingers", you will get the proper backspin on the ball.

I even recommend shooting at a wall to focus on proper mechanics. Then once you develop consistency with your feet and your follow through, move to the basket.

Summary of Emphasis Points:

• Feet - Shoulder width apart.
• Feet - Slightly staggered and/or turned.
• Strong and stable position.
• L with arm - start from this position.
• Up and Out - push up and out through your fingers.

Shooting Workout - 10 wall shots and 50 shots at basket.

1. The 1-Hand Form Shooting Drill - 10 wall shots with good technique

   Do not progress until you have shot 9 out of the last 10 wall shots with sound shooting technique. It's okay if this takes you some time. The key is sound shooting technique.

2. The 1-Hand Form Shooting Drill - 50 shots at basket

   10 shots from 5 spots around the basket. Distance is 3 to 5 feet from the basket.

   Make 8 out of 10 shots from each spot. If you do not use good technique on a shot, the shot does not count.

***VERY IMPORTANT***

You can use poor shooting technique and make shots close to the basket. As you move further from the basket, the poor shooting technique will be exposed. And you will miss more shots.

So it doesn't matter if you can make 10 out of 10 with poor technique. If you're worried about making shots, don't shoot at the basket. Technique is the most important thing here.

Once you develop good technique, then worry about making baskets.

Youth players should use proper ball size and lower goal heights for shooting drills.

(NOTE: Want to get more playing time and become the standout player on your team? Take your shooting and scoring skills to the next level with complete shooting workouts designed by our basketball experts. Download our FREE Breakthrough Shooting Workout to get your copy. ).

One Hand Form Shooting Drill - With Guide Hand

Next, we work on adding the guide hand to the shooting release.

Since athletes have a tendency to use their guide hand, we do not have guide hand touch the ball in this progression.

This is highly important because when you overuse the guide hand, a lot of players will miss to the right and the left. If you can eliminate shooting to the right or left, you will automatically make more shots.

Emphasis Points

• Guide hand near the side of the ball. Do not place guide hand in front or behind basketball.
• Fingers on guide hand pointing upwards.
• Keep guide hand still.
• Do not touch the ball with the guide hand.

Shooting Workout

1. 1-Hand Form Shooting Drill - 30 shots

   Shoot 10 shots from 3 spots. You should be 3 to 5 feet from the basket. Make 8 out of 10 from each spot before progressing to next exercise.

2. 1-Hand Form Shooting With Guide Hand - 50 Shots

   Shoot 10 shots from 5 spots. You should be 3 to 5 feet from the basket. Make 8 out of 10 from each spot before progressing to the next progression.

The next shooting drills are highly important to the shooting development process.

HOWEVER, the shooting drills that teach things like rhythm, coordination, fluidity, arc, and proper shooting release are often forgotten or neglected.

They are often misused or under-emphasized.

If you want to become a great shooter, I can not emphasize the importance of the following drills enough. They could literally be the difference between being a poor shooter and a great shooter.

Rick Penny taught me these crucial shooting progressions that literally changed the way I taught shooting.

We will cover what we call Tuck, Set, and Go (or Release) and shooting progressions to teach the shot motion.

If you don't understand these terms... Tuck, Set, Go... please read this article...Get Instant Results With This Shooting Fundamental That Nobody Teaches (Stephen Curry Uses This). It goes into great detail about these concepts and the importance of them.

If you are serious about becoming a great shooter, it's absolutely vital that you read the shooting article.

This progression is called Set to Go. This focuses on the top half of the shooting motion.

As discussed in the previous shooting article, as soon as the ball reaches approximately the shoulder position, shooters extend their legs.

If you study great shooters like Stephen Curry, the ball actually starts coming up before you extend your legs.

However, if you try to consciously do this, it can screw up your rhythm and coordination.

So we use this as a progression to develop the coordination of extending your legs to shoot as the ball passes up through the shoulder position.

Set To Go Drill

The shooter starts a few feet from the basket.

In the set position, the players arm angle is approximately 90 degrees and the ball is positioned near the shoulder.

Once the shooter is ready, the player extends their legs and shoots at the same time in one fluid motion. The shot is like a free throw as there is little to no jump with this progression.

We will shoot 5 to 10 shots, then take a step back. We usually do this until we reach a step in front of the free throw line.

Also, make sure to take your time and do it right on every repetition. If you build a bad habit by being sloppy, it will take you ten times as long to fix the bad habit. So be smart and get in the right position prior for every shot.

Emphasis Points

• Start from shoulder on each shot.
• Extend legs and shoot at the same time.
• Keep ball close to shoulder.
• One fluid motion - no pauses or hitches.

Shooting Workout

1. 1-Hand Form Shooting Drill - 20 shots

   Shoot 10 shots from 2 spots.

2. 1-Hand Form Shooting With Guide Hand - 20 Shots

   Shoot 10 shots from 2 spots.

3. Set To Go - 40 shots

   Shoot 10 shots from the distances of 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet, and 12 feet.

   First, develop sound shooting technique. Second, as soon as you can make 28 out of 40 shots with sound shooting technique, progress to the next shooting drill.

Additional Teaching Points and Possible Errors

This is not the entire shot motion that we teach. It is just part of it.

We're building our shot from the top down.

Also, here are some errors that we see.

Rushed Shots

When skipping this Set To Go shooting progression in the past, we noticed that some players developed "rushed shots". If they jump and bring the ball up at the same time, this forces the upper-body motion of the shot to be too quick. On average, not always, this results in more shooting inconsistencies.

Ball Too Far From Shoulder and Body

You don't want the ball too far from the shoulder as that will create a catapulting motion with your shot. You want your shot motion to go up and out with little motion backwards. Watch the video below for further explanation.

(Apologize for the noise in the videos. .. I just moved to Florida a few weeks ago and I still need to find a new gym and video crew!)

(NOTE: Want to get more playing time and become the standout player on your team? Take your shooting and scoring skills to the next level with complete shooting workouts designed by our basketball experts. Download our FREE Breakthrough Shooting Workout to get your copy.).

Shooting Off The Pass

After the shooter starts to get the proper rhythm and timing, you can start shooting from the pass just like a game.

The 15 Year Old Who Took 3 Months - Take Your Time!

Recently, I worked with a 15 year old boy. We used these exact same progressions. It literally took us over three months to get to the point where he was consistently using the correct form in game settings and making a high percentage of shots.

And he worked on his shot 4 to 5 times a week.

Also, do not rush through the progressions and give them too much to think about!

This is one of the biggest mistakes I made when I was in my 20s. I would give them too much information. At times, it would create paralysis analysis. I still have to check myself on this.

Give them bite-sized chunks of info. Focus on fixing one thing at a time. That's why we organized this in progressions. Focus on one progression. Perfect that progression. Create the proper shooting habit, so they don't even have to think about it, then move on to the next progression.

I also would limit playing games while you're developing the form. It's not that your form can't be developed during the season or while playing games. It's just more difficult and takes more time as they are more likely to go back to their old shooting form.

For a 10 year old, this could take two years to develop.

For a committed player with good shooting technique, it might take a few weeks.

Just be patient and take your time.

Beginner Workout

• 1-Hand Form Shooting Drill - 20 shots
• 1-Hand Form Shooting With Guide Hand - 20 Shots
• Set To Go - 40 shots - 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet, and 12 feet
• Tuck To Set Drill - 20 reps each leg
• Tuck To Go - Start With Ball - 30 Shots Each Leg - Start At 10 Feet
• Shooting Off The Pass - 30 Shots Each Leg - Start At 10 Feet

Intermediate Shooting Warm Up

For the intermediate and advanced players, we use a condensed version of this to warm up. It also hones the proper shooting technique. When I've neglected this warm up, players can get sloppy with their technique and miss more shots. This is why we do this at the beginning of every shooting workout.

Think of it as sharpening the tool prior to using it. Here, we are sharpening the shooting technique prior to shooting game shots.

This will probably only take 5 to 10 minutes at the beginning of every workout.

• 1-Hand Form Shooting Drill - 10 shots
• 1-Hand Form Shooting With Guide Hand - 10 Shots
• Set To Go - 20 shots - 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet, and 12 feet
• Tuck To Set Drill - 10 reps each leg
• Tuck To Go - Start With Ball - 20 Shots Each Leg - Start At 10 Feet
• Shooting Off The Pass - 20 Shots Each Leg - Start At 10 Feet

Advanced Shooting Warm Up

• 1-Hand Form Shooting With Guide Hand - 10 Shots
• Set To Go - 20 shots - 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet, and 12 feet
• Tuck To Set Drill - 5 reps each leg
• Tuck To Go - Start With Ball - 10 Shots Each Leg - Start At 15 Feet
• Shooting Off The Pass - 20 Shots Each Leg - Start At 15 to 18 Feet

Leave Your Thoughts And Comments Below!

We hope these shooting progressions help you as much as they've helped us.

Please let us know what you think and if you have any questions!

Solutions and Resources

Shooting and Ball Handling Workouts - The Attack and Counter Workout App

Baden Shooting Basketball

Basketball coaching hacks: how to score goals for beginners

Even if you are a novice basketball player, we will not give you a training plan, but we will tell you why the ball flies anywhere but into the ring and into your hands. It's all about technique: even with regular training and perseverance, novice adults and children often make simple mistakes. It's a shame, let's fix it. Below are 11 life hacks on how to hone your technique to increase the likelihood of a goal for your team.

Basketball Shot Rules for Beginners

1. Hands up

In pursuit of the attacker, raise your hands, even if you are standing with your back to the pass, and even more so if the ring is in front of you. Your raised hands will increase the chance of intercepting the ball from the opponent by 2 times. Don't overlook this little thing!

2. Make shield rolls

Even Tim Duncan did not neglect them! A square is drawn on the basketball backboard. If you are standing opposite the ring, then aim at the middle of the upper part of the square, if you are standing on the side, then at the corner. If you hit this square, then the ball is at 90% of cases will fall into the ring. The law of physics and no cheating!

3. Look at the ring, not at the ball

Practice driving the ball with your hand, not your eyes, develop tactile control. Your eyes should be on the hoop while dribbling and be aware of the position of your body in relation to the hoop. Then you will be able to take the correct posture, and the throw will be effective.

4. Dribble with the balls of your fingers only

The palm should not touch the ball, only the pads of the fingers. Dribbling should become familiar to you, like an extension of your hand. Then you can change its trajectory at any time and you will have more chances to score goals. Practice with the ball constantly.

5. Throw with one hand

If you throw the ball with two hands, you reduce the chance of hitting the basket. All the efforts of the throw are in one hand (in the right for right-handers, in the left for left-handers). The other hand only holds the ball, the leading one holds it with the fingers, not the palm.

6. Do not jump when protecting the ring

Jumping is the main mistake of rookie defenders. To intercept the ball and block the shot, simply stick out your hands. When you are in a jump, the attacker will easily bypass you.

7. Don't look back

When you dribble, don't look back, but dribble and aim for the ring, focus on shooting (or passing to another player on your team).

8. Bring the throw to automatism

Incorporate the most basic basketball techniques into your training plan and bring the shot to automatism. Throw first from a distance of half a meter from the ring, gradually increasing it. Learn to throw the ball so that it hits the hoop without touching the edge.

Throw the ball with all fives and jump

Throwing Rules:

• Head in the center of the body - if tilted, accuracy is lost.
• Look at the ring: mentally build a trajectory. If you are far away, the ball flies in a curved curve with a maximum height of 2 meters above the hoop.
• A strong hand is in front and throws, a weak hand is on the side and directs, only holding the ball. The elbow of the throwing hand must be in line with the ring.
• The ball must rest on the fingers without touching the palm. The fingers are as far apart as possible and grab the ball.
• Throwing arm bent 90 degrees, forearm perpendicular to the floor. If you bend less, then you get not a throw, but a throwing of the ball horizontally.

The main thing in the throw is the position of the body and its balance. Place your feet apart and parallel to each other: it is important to orient them in the middle of the basket. Then the direction of the body during the jump will coincide with the direction of the throw, and the ball will fly straight into the ring. When the feet are uneven, the ball flies in the wrong direction or does not reach (although the throw was normal).

Take a deep breath and release as you exhale.

How to hold the ball and shoot in basketball

How to throw correctly: straighten your arm, point your wrist up, and with your hand set the ball to rotate in the opposite direction from the flight. The ball should seem to "roll" off your fingers.

9. Copy masters and play as a team

Watch professional basketball games and try to copy the movements of your favorite players in training. And be sure to conduct game sparring - this will allow you to develop more techniques.

10. Do not throw in a straight line

The higher the arc of the ball, the greater the chance of a goal and the less chance of blocking by the opponent.

11. Do not throw the ball from a full height stand

This is the biggest newbie mistake!

Before the throw, bend your knees slightly and at the moment of the throw, straighten your body, making a jump. You need to straighten up and push off the ground at the same time. When squatting, keep the elbow of the throwing arm close to the body and towards the ring.

The jump will give momentum to the ball and will allow you not to make sudden movements with the brush.

***

And to be a long-term player, do not forget about your health: take care of your joints and muscles, use tapes, do a warm-up. And be sure to strengthen your arms, legs and shoulder girdle, develop coordination. Regular exercises on uneven bars and horizontal bars will help you with this.

How to learn to shoot three-pointers - FURFUR

FURFUR understands how to shoot three-pointers in basketball

• April 11, 2013 at 19:45
• 87819

Winter has finally receded, which means it's time to break out of your cramped apartments to freedom and do all kinds of outdoor activities. Today's article in the "Advice" section is devoted to basketball, and specifically to how to learn how to make three-point shots, and not just rush aimlessly around the field.