Becoming a better 3-point shooter requires an understanding of three basic fundamental shooting skills.
Fundamental 1: Shot-Put Shooting
Shot-put shooting refers to a shooting location for the three-point shot. It is not a set position that must be held, but a location involved in the process of the shot. In shot-put shooting you bring the ball directly above the elbow, in the shoulder pad area, shooting it almost as if it were a shot put. As you release the shot, be sure your knees are sufficiently bent and that you finish the shot with follow-through and arms above your head, not forward toward the front of the rim. This will help you shoot the ball in a straight line more consistently and add shooting strength and range to your shot.
Fundamental 2: Target Sight – Aim For The Back Of The Rim
Always aim for the back of the rim. More specifically, you should focus your eyes on the middle hook on the back of the rim. And the farhter awa from the basket you shoot, the more important it becomes to aim there. The back of the rim makes a good target for several reasons:
1. Aiming at the back of the rim forces a player to physically arc the ball more by extending the arms directly over the head, rather than pushing the ball toward the basket. This also makes the defender have to jump toward a shooter to try to block the shot. Aiming at the front of the rim, however, physically carries the shooter’s arm toward the defener, which makes it much more difficult to get a shot off.
2. Late in the game, a player’s and team’s shooting percentages typically go down because of fatigue. By aiming at the back of the rim, players open up a larger target area (18 inches larger) because backspin will allow the ball to spin backward into the cylindar if it hits the back o the rim. This will increase your opportunities for success.
3. If you shoot a ball with backspin and aim at or hit the front of the rim, none out of ten times the ball will hit the cylinder and spin away from the basket. But if you shoot a ball with backspin and aim at or hit the back of the rim, nine out of ten times the ball will spin backwards into the cylinder for a successful shot. That is what it is called “backspin.”
Fundamental 3: Lines, Lanes, And Angles For Three-Point Shooting
Shooting Lines: In three-point shooting, it’s crucial to shoot in a straight line to the basket. The best way to do this is to make sure the toe, knee, elbow, and ball are all lined up straight. This will prevent you from missing to the left or the right and will also strengthen your shot.
Shooting Lanes: To position yourself in a correct shooting lane, line up your lieft foot with the left side of the rim and your right foot with the right side of the rim. In an incorrect shooting lane, your feet would be turned away from the rim. Of course, you can shoot the ball in the direction of the rim from such a stance, but by placing your feet and body in the shooting lane, you can eliminate up to one-third of the misses you would normally have from the three-point line. Perfect shot alignment becomes more critical with a three-point shot because the father away from the basket you shoot, the greater the opportunity for error.
Shooting Angles: The shoulders, the knee, and the ball of the foot should be placed in a vertical straight line for proper balance and shooting strength. In proper shooting alignment, your elbow should be directly above your knee, and your knee should be directly above your toe. By creating a vertical line for body balance with the shoulders, the knee, and the ball of the foot, you should also end up forming two 45-degree body angles – the first from the shoulder to the hip to the knees, and the secon from the hip, to the back of the knee, to the heel of the foot. These shooting angles will add leg strengh to your shot and will also keep you from pushing the shot toward the basket instead of shooting it correctly.
By Coach John Scott – The BASKETBALL DOCTOR®
very nice instructor !