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How to shoot a basketball like stephen curry
Stephen Curry Shooting Form: How To Shoot Like Steph Curry
If you've ever wanted to know how to shoot like Steph Curry, you're about to find out. In this post, we did an in depth analysis of Steph Curry’s shooting form...
This isn’t necessarily what you must do, but our goal is just to show you exactly what one of the best shooters in the world does when he shoots...
And most importantly towards the end of this post, we'll discuss how you can develop shooting mechanics that can make you just as consistent, accurate, and deadly on the court.
(Hint: it's not from trying to copy your favorite player's form...)
More...
Quick Navigation: Steph Curry Shooting Form Breakdown
ALIGNMENT
THE TURN
THE STANCE
THE DIP
HAND POSITION
THE SETPOINT
PALM SHOOTER
THE RELEASE
THE FOLLOW THROUGH
THE EYES
THE OFF HAND
YOUR ACTION STEPS
ALIGNMENT
Steph Curry keeps his shooting shoulder, elbow and hip aligned.
You can see that his shoulder is directly behind his elbow, in line with his hip.
His forearm is slightly tilted away from this line, keeping the ball above his shooting eye.
THE TURN
Curry is a right handed shooter, so in order to align his right side, he turns his feet slightly towards the left.
Sometimes, off the dribble, curry’s feet point directly at the rim.
When this happens, he rotates his hips as he jumps, and turns in the air to maintain that alignment.
THE STANCE
Curry is predominantly a wide stance shooter with his knees pointing inwards.
THE DIP
Off the catch, Steph Curry dips the basketball and uses the momentum to create rhythm for his shot.
This means that after catching the ball, he brings it down to his waist before rising up to shoot.
Off the dribble, most of the time he is already low and the ball is already at his waist, so he doesn't need to dip.
HAND POSITION
Steph uses a relatively relaxed hand position on the ball, with his index finger and thumb making a V-shape.
Also notice that his hand is on the side of the ball, and rotates towards the net as he extends his arm.
THE SETPOINT
When Curry shoots, the ball first travels backwards towards his head, before traveling forwards towards the net.
The point right before the ball starts moving towards the net is called the setpoint.
Steph Curry’s setpoint is just above his right eye.
At his setpoint, his thumb is in line with his eyebrow and his palm is facing to the side.
You will also notice that his arm makes a 90 degree angle at his armpit.
The angle between his arm and his forearm is much less than 90 degrees.
He always reaches his setpoint before his feet leave the ground, and then uses the power from his jump to push the ball forward.
PALM SHOOTER
Curry is a palm shooter.
This means that he rests the ball on his entire hand with the weight of the ball on his palm.
He then transfers the ball from this palm to his finger pads and off his fingertips as he snaps his wrist forward.
THE RELEASE
He uses a 4 fingers down release, and the ball comes off of his middle finger last.
Curry keeps his wrist relaxed and floppy on his release.
THE FOLLOW THROUGH
On his follow through, his elbow is right above his head and his arm is completely straight.
The ball travels in a straight line.
It starts off above his eye and on his follow through, his wrist ends up directly above his eye.
THE EYES
Steph keeps his eyes on the rim until the ball is released.
As soon as it leaves his hand, he follows the ball with his eyes all the way to the rim .
THE OFF HAND
Notice that his off hand comes off the ball right before he starts to snap his wrist forward.
Also watch how he tucks his thumb in next to his index finger on his off hand.
YOUR ACTION STEP
Almost every player I coach wants to get a shooting form that looks like their favorite player's form...
You've probably tried to do this too. I know I did when I was obsessing over how to improve my shooting.
So you try to copy every single aspect by watching these breakdowns. But what happens?
You end up hurting your form more than helping it... Why? Because every player is different.
Every player has a different body type, different height, age, strength, shape, and even hand size. All of these things matter...
So when you're trying to shoot like Steph or Kobe, you're copying shooting principles that work for THEIR unique physical characteristics, not yours.
Now of course, if your shot is horrible, like you shoot with a set point over your head, then of course your form and shot will improve if you try to copy a pro player. But other than that, if you want to truly reach your MAX shooting potential...
Then you need to develop a set of mechanics that are UNIQUELY customized for YOUR body and YOUR characteristics. The way to do that is to learn the correct shooting principles and mould those around your unique characteristics like your strength, age, style of play, etc.
The worst part if you don't train for your own unique style of shooting like that, you can never find a form that 'sticks'. Which can get super frustrating because you never get that 'reliable shooter' status. Your consistency suffers. Your in-game shots are never as good as your practice. Teammates stop relying on you to take shots and no form ever starts to feel like "your own"... And now you know why.
Once you install those correct shooting principles into your own form by going through this training program, you'll develop a beautiful, consistent, smooth shot that's unstoppable on the court.
Coach Faizal
How to Perfect Your Jump Shot
Part 1 of 10
Face your 10 toes to the rim
Square up your toes so they face the basket. Your hips and chest should also face that direction.
Did you know?
Your feet might naturally point 10 to 15 degrees to either side of the basket. This is fine as long as you point them in the same direction and remain as square as possible.
Part 2 of 10
Plant the arch of your foot
Firmly plant the arch of your foot into the ground in order to increase strength and balance on your jump shot. This also prevents you from rolling on the outside of your foot, which not only decreases your strength and balance but can cause an injury.
Part 3 of 10
Use your legs as the foundation of your shot
The greatest shooters don’t shoot with their arms; they shoot with their legs to bring energy, flow, motion, and power to their jump shot. Keep your legs square with your shoulders and bend your knees properly so they load into your hips and backside.
Did you know?
If you extend your knees beyond your toes, your legs won’t provide power to your jump shot, and you might lose your balance. Avoid bending your knees in or out too far—bending inward decreases your power and balance and can cause an injury, and bending outward means you’ll be at a disadvantage against your defender.
Part 4 of 10
Hold the basketball so it sits on the pads of your fingertips
Keep a bit of space in between your palms and the ball—don’t let it just sit in the palm of your hands—for proper spin, rotation, and control.
Part 5 of 10
Place your lead finger on the ball’s air valve
This makes sure your hand is centered on the ball and will let you properly release the ball and keep it in line with your arm toward the basket.
Part 6 of 10
Aim for the net’s hooks
No matter where you’re shooting from, you’ll be able to see two or three hooks connecting the net to the rim. These are almost the same width as the basketball, and by aiming for the hooks at the front of the rim, you’ll get the ball just over and through the hoop.
Part 7 of 10
Jump straight up and down
Use the power from your arched foot and bent knees to jump with as little change in direction as possible. If you twist and/or jump toward the basket, your accuracy will decrease.
Part 8 of 10
Raise the ball high and release it at a 45- to 48-degree arc
The release point is the most important part of the shot because it determines how close your defender needs to be in order to block. A higher release point is harder to defend, but releasing too soon means the shot will start low, your opponent won’t have to get as close to block, and your opponent can also block your line of sight with the basket.
Did you know?
A flat jump shot will most likely hit the back of the rim and bounce out. You’ll want to shoot at a 45- to 48-degree arc—anything higher than that and you’ll lose control and accuracy—so the ball travels downward as it comes to the rim.
Part 9 of 10
Finish with your elbows high and your lead hand in a “goose neck” position
Your elbows should be fully extended and above your eyes, not out to the sides like a chicken wing. The “goose neck” provides a visual of putting your fingers right in front of the basket.
Part 10 of 10
Record and review your practice
Film never lies, and watching videos of your shooting techniques is a vital part of your success. You can break down your form and technique, see how you’re getting better, and learn from your mistakes. Be purposeful in how you watch—it’s different than watching basketball as a fan.
Stephen Curry's Throwing Secrets - Yes Basketball - Blogs
Yes Basketball
Blog
Today we will talk about the throwing technique of the idol of modern basketball fans and one of the best snipers in history - Stephen Curry. Curry is an amazing player who, with the help of painstaking and diligent work in training, has brought his throwing technique to almost perfection. And we will analyze exactly what features allow him to dominate the NBA for more than a year.
So let's get started. The first is footwork. The foundation of any throw. Stephen Curry has truly phenomenal legs. He can change his decision and direction of movement depending on the situation that occurs on the court in order to improve his shooting position. It is very important. Note that his feet are not directed towards the ring. It is explainable. Curry needs to make his throws very fast in the first place. Therefore, when preparing to throw, he must quickly put his feet up and prepare to jump up. Curry is about speed. At the same time, his toes are always pointed in one direction, which allows him to maintain balance when pushing off and remove unwanted stress from his knees.
Second moment. Technique for bringing the ball up. The ball never stops! Curry constantly moves him. He builds up momentum in order to explode and make a throw if necessary. Plus, jumping straight up gives him the necessary impetus. It does not expend additional strength to shift, deflect, or step back. All these chips will only lead to a loss of time and proper balance when making a throw.
The third moment. Let's dwell on his throwing hand. Note that at the moment the ball is released, it fully straightens. All the accumulated energy of the legs and body is supplemented by the hand and throws the ball into the ring. This is an important point also because it means one thing - the throwing technique is always the same, always until the arm is fully extended. Let's also look at the elbow. After the ball is released, it is above eye level. This indicates that the hand is raised high, which in turn means the following - the ball is given an incredible trajectory to enter the ring. It will be extremely difficult to block him. The brush is directed downward after the throw. Fingers literally at a right angle “look” at the floor. And it's not easy either. With this brush work, Curry sets an almost perfect spin to the ball.
Moving on. Sight. Steph Curry is already looking at the ring when he receives the ball. He already knows where and how to shoot to score. This is a very important point, since, again, the most important fractions of a second are saved. Look, he has not yet taken the ball in his throwing hand, and his eyes are already fixed on the ring. Incredible sense of your body. Behind this is hard training, and it is this interaction of a trained body that makes Curry a great sniper. Plus psychology. He always aims for the ring. As evidenced by his gaze. If you see the target, then you will always be ready to hit it.
The next point is the position of the elbow. Let's pay attention that at the moment of removal of the ball and until its release it is directed perpendicular to the floor. This allows you to maintain the necessary control over the ball and provides the necessary balance for the shot. The forearm does not “walk” either to the left or to the right. It is clearly perpendicular to the floor. That is, the trajectory of the future throw is already set from the elbow. And it goes straight to the ring. Without distortion.
Now let's focus on the position of the fingers on the ball. They always cross the seams. It would seem an accident, but it is not entirely true. Such a grip allows, when setting the rotation of the ball, to slow it down a little so that it does not stray from the required trajectory. This trick is done by all the best snipers.
That's it. We hope that these features will bring something new to your arsenal. Try, train and do not forget that the main thing is your diligence. Curry is a prime example of this.
Subscribe to our channel, ask your questions in the comments and remember that a lot of interesting things are ahead of us!
Free artist. Throwing Steph Curry like a work of art - Personal foul - Blogs
Everything starts with a miss.
The yellow numbers on the Staples Center scoreboard indicate 6:35 when Clippers defenseman Willie Green misses a long shot from the right corner of the ice. The ball bounces off the hoop, hits the backboard, and goes straight into the hands of the Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, who lands, turns, and passes the ball to defender Steph Curry. And in the next seven seconds of the second quarter, Curry will demonstrate the beauty of one of the best shots in NBA history.
Moving towards the center line, Curry turns his left shoulder back to the Green, catches the pass softly with his right hand, and immediately allowing the ball to go down, proceeds to dribbling, the key moment of his game.
Steph Curry, 26, eldest son of Della Curry, who himself during his 16-year career in the NBA (mostly in Charlotte) ended in 2002, attacked from behind the arc with a percentage of 40.2. And from a very young age, little Steven learned to throw from a master and threw tantrums every time he couldn't accompany his father to Hornets practice—not because he wanted to see his father's famous friends, but because he wanted to work on his throw. As was the case with Tiger Woods, Barry Bonds, and Peyton Manning before him, Steph Curry nurtured a craving for the complexity of the perfect mechanics of a particular sport through a powerful subconscious urge to imitate and then learn his father's smooth and vertical long-range shot.
At 9 years old, Curry was the smallest boy on the children's team and only entered the court when the coach needed to break the area with throws. “A threat to the zone defense,” Curry smiles proudly. “That’s where it all started.”
But for now, while he crosses the center line, everyone is watching what is never talked about - his ability to handle the ball. He inherited this skill from his mother, a sweet and strong-willed 160-centimeter woman named Sonya, who herself played point guard at school and on the Virginia Tech volleyball team, where she met Dell. “I did a maximum of four hits to the floor,” says Dell. “That was my limit – after that, either I threw the ring or gave a pass.” “Almost immediately it became clear that Steph could shoot with good technique. But he's even better at dribbling, but people miss that. Every time I am surprised at how he attacks the ring after the dribbling. It's all thanks to his mother."
Steph's first kick to the floor is slightly in front of his right foot. Before the second blow inspects the site. His teammate Steve Blake is on the left, while Clippers defenseman Darren Collison is just behind Curry. But neither the first nor the second does not excite Curry. He is more interested in the huge light blue shoes of Danny Grager, the only one who managed to return to defense. Curry waits, hoping the forward across will instinctively take a couple of steps back to the foul line to protect his home court rim from getting under the rim and a possible fast break dunk.
It is in one element that Curry's supernatural composure, instincts and intelligence are more than manifested - in his timing for the shot. Like Larry Bird once knew, Curry seems to know what the defender is going to do next, even if he doesn't know it yet. And this is an invaluable skill, especially considering that at times teams are ready to influence the fragile Curry (190 cm, 84 kg.) In an attempt to knock him off the throwing rhythm. "Everyone else is just reacting, and Steph is unique - he can anticipate," says David Thorp, NBA analyst at ESPN director of the Pro Training Center in Creewater, Florida.
“This is where Stef is unrivaled, this is probably the best in the NBA. He manages to find a loophole where it would seem that there is none. It's like art. It doesn't matter how good you attack the ring or how perfect your shot is if you can't open up and create space to shoot."
Curry still has doubts about Granger. And it's time to decide. A very important shot for the Warriors. They've missed 12 of their last 13 field goals and are already losing to the physically superior Clippers. Playing with a quadriceps injury, Curry has only made 1 shot out of 4 so far. And the next hit could be historic for him. In the 2012-13 season, he set an NBA record with 272 long-range shots in a season. He is currently leading the league again with 199 three-pointers and has the third-best percentage in NBA history (43.8). One more hit and he would set the club record for most consecutive long-range matches (54). Plus, he would become only the sixth player in history to make over 200 three-pointers in two consecutive seasons.
“I love everything about throwing,” says Curry himself. - But most of all, the process when the whole body moves in the same rhythm from setting the feet to releasing the ball. At this moment, everything is very soft and calm from toes to toes. Everything moves in you like one wave. It's just as beautiful."
Curry lingers for another fraction of a second. Grager glances to the right, at Blake. Curry is enough. With the second blow to the floor, he transfers the ball to the other side, slightly away from the already left leg. And, still moving at full speed, Curry, right in front of the red three-point line, absorbs all the energy, gently positioning his legs towards the goal. Then, mimicking Hall of Famer Jerry West, he springs his right knee, hip, torso, elbow, and wrist into a single spring-load, and adds a little more power to the finishing touch to the floor. Most snipers put their feet first, then focus on the ring, tense their legs and lower body first, and only then jump out and throw. Curry wastes no time and energy, with the last more powerful shot and higher rebound of the ball, automatically starting the whole process of throwing.
“No, he's not just one of the best shooters in history,” says Adam Filippi, director of international scouting for the Bobcats, whose book on shooting technique has been translated into four languages. “His throw breaks a lot of old ideas about the art of throwing.”
Display shows 6:31. The ball begins its upward movement, just below the chest, and his index and middle fingers, the main guides when throwing, instinctively look for a seam on the ball. The ball continues to rise until the hand is thrown all the way back and the skin on the wrist begins to wrinkle. The last thing Grager or any other defender wants to see is the phrase from the first letter to the Corinthians tattooed on Curry's throwing wrist in June. As soon as the inscription “Love never fails” (Eng. Love never fails) flashes before your eyes, it’s already too late.
The ball is held on the fingers, not on the palm. The whole right hand is pressed to the ribs continues to rise and forms a perfect right angle in everything: shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and fingers. He is like a waiter who carries a heavy tray of dishes to the kitchen.
Curry can't see and can't see, but Glen Davis, a 130kg power forward, comes running from behind, so Steph needs to hurry. But you have to give credit to Stef - a huge advantage is his ability to maintain the usual mechanics of the technique of throwing under pressure, to keep the right elbow under control. After all, a lot depends on him - the further he goes away from the usual state (coaches call this "chicken foot" - English chicken winging), the greater the chance of a miss. Curry cultivated discipline and trained his elbow as a child, lying in bed and throwing a sock ball at the ceiling hundreds of times before going to bed.
By keeping the elbow in the right position, Curry easily transfers kinetic energy, the energy of movement from the lower body upwards, first to the torso remaining vertical, and then to the "levers" of the throw (shoulder, wrist and fingers), which control the force and trajectory of the ball . The more restrained, more economical the movement, the more effective and accurate the throw will be. But perfect technology is still not enough. It also needs to be hardwired into muscle memory so that it repeats itself unmistakably and consistently in almost any situation.
And that, according to Warriors coach Mark Jackson, is what separates Curry from players of the past or present. “We have never seen such a gifted sniper in action. Throw after stop. After movement, in movement. After the pick and roll. Past the defender and throw from one foot. Step-back and throw through two. In short, whatever kind of throw you name - Steph can do everything. We have never seen such a level of player. Yes, there is Steve Nash, he played at the highest level, he took MVP twice, he is an amazing shooter. Reggie Miller, amazing sniper. Chris Mullin. The guys that I played with myself - Dale Ellis, Dell Curry - are excellent shooters. But no one had a complete arsenal. There hasn’t been a guy yet who would find a way out of the “trap” and charge from 8 meters. And for Steph, there are no such boundaries.”
Snipers are not born. They become them through hard work and a painful routine of constant repetition - throw after throw, day after day, year after year, until a complex algorithm of movements enters the subcortex and merges with the muscles together. Curry never needed extra motivation for such depressing work on herself, often in solitude. A graduate of Charlotte Christian School, barely 180 centimeters tall and weighing around 70 kilograms, he did not receive offers for athletic scholarships from major colleges and chose the tiny Davidson College, which is north of his native Charlotte. And two years later, although still unable to grow a decent beard, he almost independently leads the college team to the top eight teams in the country. “I remember people talking about me since high school,” Curry recalls. - That I'm too young to play in college, and even more so in the NBA. That I can't play point guard, that I'm not a real point guard. Even last October, Gen. The team's managers chose me as the third best shooting guard in the league. Funny. I haven't reached my maximum yet. I hold myself to much higher standards and keep thinking about how I can be even better.”
Up to 1000 throws before each workout. Game day warm-up, during which Curry shoots medium and long shots from seven different positions and does not move on to the next one until he has scored 10 of 13 shots. And on a good day, such an exercise takes less than 9 minutes. An hour before the game - 15 to 30 minutes of vigorous ball control, dribbling, left-handed shots and, finally, a series of four from twenty meters straight from the tunnel that leads to the dressing rooms. Usually half is sent to the target.
But, according to Curry, the trick is just to get out on the court and forget about all this. “There is so much going on on the court that there is no time to think, “What about my elbow?” or “Have I bent my knees enough?” You have to rely on the idea that you've worked hard enough to build muscle memory and trust that it all works out in the end. That's why you need to train so much so that during the game instincts already come into play, to the point that you begin to feel in your gut that something is wrong if you do something wrong.
Curry's left hand serves as a kind of "barometer" for throwing. He leaves her "paralyzed" throughout the process, only dribbles, accompanies the ball and helps hold it, but never pushes, directs or spins it. The left hand, as it were, guards the ball until the time comes, after which it will freely allow the ball, sliding over the fingers, to go to the target along the desired flight path.
It's already 6:30 on the scoreboard. Davis is already close, Curry can even feel his stomp. Curry straightens his legs and lifts off the floor, and it's clear that the best jump shot in the league today isn't actually a jump shot at all. Not at all. Classic jump shooters like Ray Allen break the process in two in a more athletic fashion: they first jump high into the air and then, from the highest point, release the ball in a fairly flat trajectory of about 45 degrees. Curry, on the other hand, barely lifts off the ground. He releases the ball while still on the rise, thus putting together what other snipers do in stages. This adds approximately 10 degrees to the trajectory of Curry's throw, which reduces the ability to block this throw (as of March 27, only 33 out of 1189Curry's shots were blocked). And, according to ESPN Sport Science, this gives 19% more space for the ball to move into the ring. At this moment, art and science merge together inside Curry's throw and create something completely original and even revolutionary. All the details of his technique grew out of his imaginary shortcomings. The fragile figure of Curry dictates the high speed of the throw. Speed means that the mechanics of the technique must be flawless. The point of release of the ball is lower - the arc of the throw is steeper. And that arc goes into… well, the Clippers will know about it soon enough.
Without taking his eyes off the ring, Curry enters the final stage. His body is so vertically elongated, from his toes to his head, that he seems to be descending from the ceiling rather than jumping up. The throwing elbow rises above the shoulder, maintaining a perfect right angle. Then the arms begin to straighten, and the elbow rises above eye level, and the left hand "opens". The elbow observes a clear movement - it does not lead either behind the head or to the side. The throw brush is bent. The ball leaves the tip of the index finger, and then the middle finger. The hand closes, the fingers are extended and pointing down. The left hand remains motionless. As is the head. It only helps the player to maintain balance in the air.
To Curry's right, referee Gary Zielinski's left hand goes up in the air, signaling a three-point shot. Grager leans forward towards Curry. But it takes only 0.4 seconds from the start of the throw to the release of the ball (it takes about 0.3 seconds for the human eye to blink). Everything is happening so fast that Collison seems to stumble in surprise. On average, it takes an NBA player 0.6 seconds to shoot. Those 0.2 seconds that Curry saves give him an extra meter of free space. And he really needs this meter. As soon as the ball leaves the fingertips of Curry's hand, from behind, in an attempt to cover the throw, Glen Davis makes a desperate lunge forward, but it's too late.
The most that Curry allows himself to think about during the throw is a reminder to continue moving the ball with his arm - elbow straight, wrist down, and fingers as if reaching for a cookie jar.