How to make more 3 pointers in basketball

USA Basketball - 3 Ways to Make More 3-Point Shots

Lots of players would like to be able to increase their shooting range and become a good 3-point shooter. We all know of examples of players, like Robert Horry, who are recruited to join teams mostly because of their ability to make 3-point shots. "Big Shot Rob" has seven--that's right, seven -- NBA championship rings. Shooters with deep range have helped teams on every level win championships.

Here are three incredibly simple drills and concepts that can help any player extend their shooting range and add to their scoring arsenal.

Warm-Up Speed

Jog (but never walk) through each of these shots. This will help you work up a sweat.

Start around five feet from the basket, and shoot until you make a shot all-net before moving back one step. Repeat the process until you get all the way back to the 3-point line. Continue shooting until you make an all-net 3-pointer.

Initially, do this from the baseline and work your way back to the 3-point line in the corner. Then do the other (right or left baseline) and finally go down the middle and finish with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Finally, do your normal stretching routine.

Practice Speed

This next part of your practice shooting is best done with a rebounder and a passer. However, if shooting on your own, simply pass to yourself, shoot, rebound and speed dribble back to the spot.

You are now repeating the process of working your way back, only this time going as fast as you think you can, then speeding up your perception of what you think is going fast, and go even faster! Obviously this is great conditioning.

There are several kinds of footwork currently being used by good shooters. These include: the classic inside foot 1-2 step, the 2-foot jump stop, the plant rear foot and step-in, and hop into the shot (1-2 step or 2-foot jump stop). Ask your coach before deciding what do to.

Make one all-net shot of each of the following types of shots and work your way back from three distances: start at 10 feet out, then move to 15 feet and finally to 3-point range. Do both a catch-and-shoot and a shot off the dribble, moving left-right-center. That's six made all-net baskets from each spot.

As before, you must make an all-net shot before progressing to the next type of shot and distance.

Competitive Speed

This is the most important part of becoming a proficient shooter in actual games. Do this workout with defenders. Learning this way will give you transference from practice to actual games. You'll play this way and it will be easy to make shots in games and at crunch time.

Have defenders close out on you (sometimes from closer than they will be in the game) to try and steal the ball and block the shot. Want to become a fearless shooter? Have the defender foul you on purpose. But this should be just a slap on the wrist or controlled nudge, so you don't get hurt. Make (again not just take) three shots like this during every practice and you will become a more focused "in the zone" shooter. You probably will also get to the free throw line in games and have a chance to make a 4-point play!

Math + Honesty = Real Results

Have you noticed that doing any one of the stages will cause you to make -- not just take (this includes shots that go in without being all-net) -- over 100 shots!

You shouldn't care about missing. You don't have to make every shot, just shoot until you make the amount of shots needed to progress to the next stage. Do only as many stages as you are comfortable with. The warm-up stage alone will make anyone a better shooter and is essentially what many great shooters in the NBA do a couple hours before every game.

By the way, just because you take a lot of 3-point shots and you think that you are a 3-point shooter, doesn't mean you are. If it takes more than 15 shots to make an all-net 3-pointer and you have to change your shot to get the basketball to reach the basket, then the 3-point shot is out of your range -- for now.

Your current and realistic range is where you can make two all-net shots in 10 attempts or less. Just be patient with yourself and work on these drills and stay within your range and you will soon gradually extend that range.

Before attempting the 3-point shot in games, first make (just get it in -- you don't have to shoot all-net) six out of 10 in practice on three separate practice days. These shots should be from where you would shoot within the flow of your offense. That's when the statistic of probability is on your side, and you will have a real mathematical chance to shoot at least 35-40 percent from 3-point range when you play.

Anyone Can Do This

I have personally used these drills as a head coach at both the high school level and an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level. I was fortunate to learn quite a bit about 3-point shooting while serving as assistant coach with Craig Hodges. As a player, Craig was on the Chicago Bulls' first championship team with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, both now in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Craig also won the NBA All-Star Weekend 3-point contest three years in a row.

Increasing range and becoming proficient at 3-point shooting will not only help you have more success now, it will also increase your chances to move to the next level. Look at what Pitino, Horry and Hodges have accomplished.

Now it's your turn.

How to Develop Long Distance Basketball Shooting Range

By Jeff Haefner

Would you like to make MORE shots from farther back? Would you like to become a great 3-point shooter?

We have some very effective shooting tips for you...

When extending your range, you need to know about some surefire RIGHT and WRONG ways to get it done.

You need to be very careful because all too often players will try to extend their range and acquire some subtle, yet dead-serious shooting flaws!!

Like this article? Download it as a free PDF! (Download Now!)

The trick is to extend your range while maintaining the EXACT SAME FORM.
There are only TWO ways to increase your range:

1. INCREASE YOUR PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND POWER.
2. ADJUST YOUR SHOT MECHANICS FOR ADDITIONAL POWER.

With that said, we'll teach you exactly how to increase your range both ways. It's up to you to decide which method you choose.

Many times, it's best for players to make very small improvements in both areas.

How to increase your physical strength and power for increased range.

The most obvious answer is to start a weight training program. Increasing the strength of your entire body will help. You'll want stronger and more explosive legs, core, wrist, forearms, and triceps.

In addition, by simply practicing more, you will increase the strength of your wrists and forearms. Taking 500 shots a day will increase your strength.

Lastly, you can try using a heavy ball (twice the weight of a regulation ball) and then going back to the regulation size one. Players usually find it easy to shoot from farther out because of the contrast. Wait until at least junior high before working with an oversized or weighted ball.

If you use a weighted ball, be sure to practice away from the basket. Do form shooting with one hand. Put your guide hand in the normal position, but an inch off the ball so you're not touching it. Focus on shooting the ball high and far, but do not sacrifice good form in order to do so.

How to adjust your mechanics for additional power.

This can be tricky because changing your mechanics can throw off your shot. Big changes to your mechanics will require you to retrain your muscle memory and you'll need thousands of repetitions to retrain your muscle memory.

In most situations, it's best to make very minor adjustments to your shot delivery.

The safest way to increase shooting range

If you want to take the safest route, here's a surefire way to extend your range without sacrificing your accuracy.

Let's say you are proficient at mid-range but you want to become a great 3-point shooter...

The obvious answer is to practice. The question becomes what to practice. Shooting revolves around rhythm and form, so that is where the answer lies.

It might sound strange, but to become a better 3-point shooter, you have to practice a lot, close to the basket. Take 100's and 1000's of shots 12' from the basket. The purpose for this is to really ingrain your shooting form from an area that you can shoot comfortably and have some success. It doesn't make a difference what drills you do or how you practice it, as long as the primary thrust of the work is your form.

Once you have your form ingrained, gradually move back. If you get to a point where you feel the rhythm change or your form start to change, that is the limit of your range. Stay at that spot until your shot feels like it did at 12 feet. Once it feels comfortable again, shoot several hundred shots until it becomes automatic again.

Once it feels automatic again, start to move back until you reach the limit of your range and shoot continually from that spot. Once you feel comfortable from behind the 3-point line, you can start shooting drills that will make you more proficient.

Players struggle from behind the arc because they have to change their shot to get the ball to the basket. This not only makes the shooter inconsistent from the 3-point line, but it affects his shot from everywhere else. Remember, to be a good shooter, you have to take the same shot every time, no matter where you shoot the ball.

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How to bet on three-point shots in basketball?

Basketball is one of the most popular sports among fans of team games and betting enthusiasts. Today, basketball in terms of the intensity of betting in bookmakers is second only to football. The lists are replenished with new outcomes, the odds become more profitable, it became possible to bet live and watch a huge number of broadcasts not only of NBA games, but also of other championships.

Basketball transformation. Three-pointers in trend

Modern realities are such that the influence and status of three-point shots has increased significantly. This is especially true for the NBA. Not so long ago, a throw from behind the arc was considered a narrow specialization. Teams threw out 15-20 threes per match, betting on the game of paint and the average throw. However, over time, the number of attempts due to the three-point line has increased significantly. And it became problematic to become a real parquet star without a confident long-range shot.

Basketball 3-Point Betting

Forecasts for three-point shots can be issued not in every office. For such bets, you should look for betting sites with the widest possible list. Most often, outcomes with 3-point hits are found for games of the National Basketball Association. The density of matches in the NBA is quite high, plus there are high-quality and detailed statistics.

Get new forecasts: Vkontakte and Telegram .

Bets on 3-pointers are reduced to predicting the total points scored from behind the arc or the number of long-range attempts. Totals are offered for the whole match and less often for each quarter separately. Sometimes you can find three-point outcomes for a particular player, which can also be an interesting option for a bet.

You can increase the efficiency of the forecast and the chance of winning by carefully analyzing teams and studying statistics. It is important to pay attention to the following points:

1. Tactics and probable pattern of the game. More and more teams in the NBA are actively using three-point shots. For some teams, this becomes the main weapon. Often three or four players come out in the starting fives, who, if the opportunity arises, throw out a three-ruble note. It is important to analyze the team's strategy against opponents of different levels, review the latest games and try to determine tactics for the upcoming match.
2. Sniper uniform. The psychological and physical state of a basketball player directly affects his confidence and actions on the court. If a long-range specialist has shown good results in recent matches and has no injuries, then you can expect the usual number of shots with a stable percentage of implementation. If we are talking about a bet on the “three points” of the team, then it is important to analyze all the main snipers. Including those who come off the bench and get enough time and chances for three-point shots. It's important to look at past game statistics, but if there are about 20 or more games played in a season, the season's average percentage of 3's sold is a useful metric.
3. The quality of the opponent's defense. Before betting on a total of 3 points, it is necessary to assess the level of protection of the opposing team. A great defender can seriously complicate the work of a sniper, which is likely to affect both the number of attempts and their implementation.

Difficulties in predicting threes in basketball

A thorough analysis of recent matches, statistics and the condition of the main performers significantly increase the chances of a correct prediction of the total long-range hits of a team or an individual player. However, there are moments that are quite difficult to predict:

1. The courage or failure of a particular player. Top snipers are stable, but there is always a chance that the game will not go well, or, conversely, the basketball player will take courage and score significantly more three-pointers than he usually does.
2. Changes in team tactics. Often the coach changes the pattern of the game of his wards, focusing on the current score, the state of the leaders, the nature and course of the match. And if the initial strategy for the match can still be predicted with a high degree of probability by studying statistics and previous matches, then dynamic changes in tactics are difficult to predict. Often coaching adjustments significantly affect the number of three-point shots. For example, if you need to win back in a short period of time, then long-range attempts are often “turned on”, and if it is important to maintain a gap in the score and prevent point jerks, then it makes sense to slow down the pace of attacks, extend the dribbling and play the ball “to the right one”. You can try to “read” such moments by making live bets, but you cannot predict with a high probability before the game.

Betting on three-pointers in bookmakers is not popular. Nevertheless, professional cappers and basketball fans can diversify their pool of sports predictions and try their luck with the totals of long-range hits or attempts. The main thing is to study in detail as much statistical information as possible, follow the latest news and soberly assess the risks.

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3 tips for increasing the distance of the shot

Nikita Yamshchikov, founder of Ball In