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Shooting the Ball

If basketball was won or lost on the number of passes instead of points, would your team win? We can choose any fundamental skill in the game to illustrate the same message.

Since the game is won or lost on baskets made, it is inherently difficult to motivate players to refine their non-shooting skills. So first, we need to get their attention. 

Since shooting is every player’s primary focus, let’s start here, for they should be good at it. . . . 

Sacred Cow “Shooting toe turns inwards” 

Observe: Players who allow their shooting (front) foot to be misaligned with the target will counter this with a follow through with their shooting hand in the opposite direction. 

Problem: As the player flexes their knee and hips, the shooting side of their body is not pointing directly at the basket. This reduces distance, requires counter-steer of the shot through the follow through and limits the player’s ability to develop as a jump-shooter. This becomes more apparent at different stages of fatigue and an inability to limit lateral effects. In short, its plain inefficient. 

Origin:  As players begin their basketball as set-shooters (rather than jump shooters), they first begin shooting the ball by powering it with lots of legs and torso rotation, heaving the ball. They also tend to stamp their non-shooting foot first, and transfer this energy during torso rotation to their shooting foot. As their arms and the ball come through to shoot, they turn their shooting toe slightly inwards in order to clear their shooting hip. This unfortunately becomes a habit, which is detrimental to their development as a jump-shooter.  As the player develops into a jump shooter, traditional coaching has emphasised 90 degree angle in the elbow and other physiological points. The focus on individual body parts at different stages of the shooting motion, has generated confusion and the myth in some players that they are just 'not good at shooting.' 

The Solution

To improve balance and anatomical alignment, demonstrate to the player that the toe and heel of the shooting foot need to be in perfect alignment with the basket. This is then coupled with the middle index finger, being the longest, should be the last to touch the basketball. On the players follow-through encourage that this be clearly pointing down, in order not to be unduly influenced by neighbouring fingers. 

When the toe and heel are in perfect alignment, then the middle index finger can point directly at the basket on the follow through. Every joint on the shooting side of the body will naturally follow. The ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, and wrist on the shooting side is therefore on a string and is in perfect anatomical alignment. While we can observe other errors, in between the toes and the hand, I believe these are symptoms rather than causes. The risk is that we concentrate on the effect (an undisciplined elbow perhaps), when the cause is more likely to be a disconnect between the foot and the follow-through.  

An excellent coaching aid to demonstrate the principles of balance, is to introduce your athletes to slacklining, which requires exact foot placement, and the correct loading of body weight over the ankle, knee and hip joints. 

Should the athlete be resistant to the message, push their ability through lateral and fatigue shooting drills which exposes their inability to maintain balance. Use of video and photos is also extremely beneficial. Coaches often underestimate how few players have watched their own form. Many have never seen themselves play, let alone analysed their own shooting technique. 

Key Teaching Points

1. Toe and heel of the shooting foot to be in perfect alignment with the basket. 

2. Middle index finger (longest finger), last to touch the basketball and finish pointing directly into the basket. 

3. All other joints ‘on a string,’ and in perfect alignment. 

Video Tutorials

Further Reading