BASKETBALL SHOOTING  TIP #1

by Dave Jones

You must warm up before basketball practice or a basketball game.  Each basketball coach and each trainer have special ways to warm up and I do not wish to discount what your coach or trainer practices.  I am providing you with guidance only on warming up your shooting arm and your shooting form.  If you need guidance on pre-game warming up and stretching check this page, http://www.basketballshootingcoach.com/page/1250223.     

After your normal warm up/stretch routine grab a ball and shoot ONLY lay ups.  But - SHOOT THESE LAY UPS ONLY FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE BASKET FROM YOUR SHOOTING HAND, YOUR DOMINANT HAND (right handers shoot from the left side, left handers shoot from the right side).  Shoot these lay ups with your dominant hand.  Shoot these lay ups flat footed.  Shoot them with a little hop in your delivery.  Shoot these lay ups jumping.  Shoot a minimum of 50 and really, you should shoot at least 150. 

Why the opposite side?  Shooting lay ups from the opposite side naturally forces your elbow in front of you, and in turn forces you to be aware of your elbow positioning.  Theses opposite side lay ups set up a self policing naturally individualized mechanical shot.  USE THE EXACT SAME SHOOTING MECHANICS FOR YOUR JUMP SHOT and USE THE EXACT SAME SHOOTING MECHANICS FOR YOUR FREE THROWS.  Now that your arm, and your mind, is warmed up, and your shooting mechanics are locked in, move out 1 step and put up a few shots as you move around the basket.  Then move out another step and throw up a few as you move around the basket.  As you continue moving out from the basket, 1 step at a time, you will eventually reach a point on the court where your shots stop falling in consistently (consistently = seven out of ten).  When that happens, return to your "opposite side lay up," put up a few until you're feeling natural again, then quickly work your way back out.  Return to the "opposite side lay up" to reestablish your shooting mechanics, your shooting form, your shooting technique, before moving out again.  This is the ONLY way you should warm up for shooting.  If you come out after your normal warm up/stretching routine and begin firing three pointers, or shooting from the free throw line, or any other silly shots, you do yourself a terrible injustice.   

For obvious reasons my favorite basketball shot is the lay up, and the lay up should be your favorite basketball shot too.  Not only is the lay up the most accurate shot on the court, it is the most repeatable.  It is the EXACT SAME SHOOTING FORM YOU USE FOR YOUR JUMP SHOT, and the EXACT SAME SHOOTING FORM YOU'LL USE FOR YOUR FREE THROWS.  So as you're practicing that measly little "opposite side lay up" you are actually reinforcing muscle memory for your entire basketball shooting arsenal.  Muscle memory is reinforced by success and by standing under the basket and shooting hundreds of "opposite side lay ups" in a row, with somewhere near 100% shooting accuracy, you are radically reinforcing muscle memory.  Repeatability is the reason basketball shooting mechanics, shooting technique, or shooting form is so important.  We all hear basketball shooting coaches harping on elbow positioning.  Well, if your elbow is not in front of you when you're shooting, that means your elbow is somewhere off to the side.  When your elbow is in front of you and your elbow and upper arm are in a locked position, that motion is repeatable, and since it is repeatable it can, and will eventually become muscle memory.  If your elbow is "somewhere" out to the side, that exact motion is not repeatable.  "Opposite side lay ups" naturally enforce and then reinforce your elbow positioning.   

Why, you may be asking, is muscle memory so important?  When you're in the flow of a basketball game, thinking is actually the last thing you want to do.  You need to be relying on instinct and muscle memory to be controlling your actions.  Normally the pace of the basketball game does not afford a basketball player time to actually think.  Which is a reason basketball coaching staffs repetitively drill you and drill you over and over on the same issues.  A coach wants learned behaviors to rule your play during basketball games.  A coach wants you to predicatively react to situations presented during a game.     

Finally, many athletes, coaches, and trainers ignore the importance of warming down, or cooling down after practice or a game.  When your body is warmed up is the perfect time to stretch, cool down, and relax yourself.  This time must be taken to reduce chances for any serious bodily injury while insuring proper health and stamina.