Does Doing A Routine At The Free Throw Line Improve Your Percentage?
What You Need to Know
There are many “routines” that basketball players do before shooting a free-throw. One of the most famous routines is “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s. Before every free throw, he would wipe the right side of his face with his right hand. In his career, he had shot 82% from the free throw line. In his last season, he had a 91% free-throw shot, which, if he shot this well his whole career, would be a new NBA history record.
For my Science Expo project, I am aiming to find out if he was just a really good free-throw shooter, or if the routine that was done every time played a factor in his phenomenal free throw percentage. A Science Expo project from last year inspired me to do this project this year, which was “The Best Way to Shoot a Basketball”. It made me wonder about different ways to improve my performance in basketball. Another reason I am doing this experiment is because I am very passionate about basketball and I want to find the best way possible to shoot free throws, as they are “free points”.
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During this project, I expect to find that doing a routine at the free-throw line does indeed increase your shooting percentage. I believe this because doing a routine helps you keep a rhythm with your shot release and form. I also expect to find that many, if not all of the top free throw shooters have done their own routines at the free throw line.