Shooting Form?

Question

In basketball when you are about to shoot do you spread your legs or keep them close? And also when you are lifting up do you lift foward and release or just jump straight up and how do you hold the ball? By the palm or fingertips?

Answer 1

v

Answer 2

First - square up your feet. The foot of the same hand you shoot with should be slightly forward; about ball of your foot to instep of the other.
Second - you should always try to jump straight up and land in the same spot you jumped from. It's hard enough to shoot well, but if you're moving then from your perspective the basket is moving and it's harder to hit a moving target.
Third - you should always hold the ball on your fingertips. No, not the very ends of your fingers! Place your hands together as if you were praying. Now keep your knuckles together but separate your palms. Anything that touches is your fingertips as far as basketball is concerned. (Back when I coached one of my players called them his "finger edges".)
Fourth - hold the ball so that your thumbs are on the same panel of the basketball and form an "L". When practicing form, always put your second finger on the valve core (which is in the center of a panel on a leather ball).
Fifth - use the 4x4 rule. When you shoot, your lower hand should be four inches above your head and four inches to the right of your nose.
Sixth - keep your elbow in and your shooting forearm vertical. Shooting is in the wrist, not the arm. All of the great shooters used just their wrists to release the ball to get backspin. If you're using your entire arm, there's more room for error.
Seventh - follow through. Let the ball roll off your fingers. Some say that the last finger to touch the ball should be your first finger; some say the second. Do what feels comfortable to you, but do it the same every time.
Eighth - start shooting your shots at six feet or closer. Don't go out to the three point line and start heaving - you'll stray from these habits and you won't have good form or a soft touch; you'll also suffer inconsistency.
Ninth - Practice, practice, practice. Don't just play pickup ball. Shoot on your own. Elvin Hayes had a formidable turn around jump shot that he claimed to practice about five hours a day AFTER he made the NBA.

And always remember to have the least amount of wasted motion and to do that efficient motion exactly the same every time. Wasted motion leads to inconsistency. Not doing the same motion every time leads to inconsistency. The goal is to be a consistent shooter and not a streak shooter.

Answer 3

When you are jumping up to shoot, you should keep your legs together for better balance. You will also be able to jump higher if your legs are directly under your torso.(Think "rocket blastoffs" here.)
It's usually better to jump straight up - by leaning forward and shooting, you are changing the angle of your shot, and your eyes can't relay the information to your brain fast enough for it to process the changing angle at which you need to shoot the ball. The ball should rest on your fingertips- not on your palm - before you shoot.

Answer 4

square up yur feet by putting yur right foot(if yur a right handed) in front and yur left foot a little behind the rite foot and keep them apart. Use yur legs to get some power in yur shot and u lift forward and release when shooting. u hold the ball w/ yur fingertips keep yur rite hand on top of the ball and yur left hand on the side yur left hand is there to help guide u if yur left handed then do the opposite. a jump shot is more likely for the ball to go in.

Answer 5

Well, not that I know much about basketball, but........When you shoot the ball it's about what is comfortable for you. Are you talking about a jump shot or at the line? When you lift up, it is forward and release. Just remember to follow through with your hands, arms and body.The ball is released hopefully, from both hands. The entire hand is involved.... the ball is in your entire hand. use all that you have.