Seven Easy Steps to Improve Your Jump Shot
Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Ray Allen, Steve Kerr, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, what do they all have in common? A jump shot that could turn the lights off on any given night.
I'm not Kobe Bryant, but I can share seven easy steps that will make your jump shot much more effective and greatly improve the overall feel of your shot.
1) Foot placement You can never underestimate the importance of foot placement.
Right when you get the ball, your feet should be shoulder width apart from one another.
Whichever hand you shoot with, that foot should be slightly closer to the basket compared to the weak side foot.
2) Hands When you catch the ball, it should be in a ready-to-shoot position.
If you receive the ball near your feet, don't shoot.
Whereas if you get a good, crisp pass right around the waist, let it rip.
Make sure the ball sits on your finger tips and not resting flat on your palms.
It will throw off your back spin.
3) Elbow location Another vital aspect, if not the most important part of the shot.
Your elbow needs to be neatly tucked in near your body, aligned with the rim.
A good way to make sure you accomplish this is to run your finger from the middle of your wrist to your elbow, then to your armpit.
If it shares the same plane, without having to move your finger, then you should be good.
If the elbow is pointed out, then it will affect the trajectory of your shot.
4) Jump Yes, the 'jump' part of your jump shot is rather important.
A lot of people are flat-footed, making it easy to defend the shot.
A good shooter can elevate off the floor with ease, and they tend to release the shot at the peak of their leap.
This helps get more arc on the ball, where if you wait too long, it could cause it to be a line-drive right off the rim.
5) Focal point You should always have a spot on the rim you focus in on.
Some will say stare at one of the bottom links of the net, some will tell you look at the rim, and wherever the back of the rim is, go for that.
A pro player it Italy I met said to pretend there is a small glass window in the middle of the rim, that you need to break with your shot.
Whatever helps you focus, then go with that.
6) Smooth Movement Once you get to this point of your shot, just a millisecond from letting the ball sail through the air, make sure everything is smooth.
Snap the wrist, let the ball go, get some backspin, and don't force any part of your shot.
It all comes out in the end as one fluid motion.
7) Confidence! Always be sure that your shot will be nothing but net.
Even when you think it'll be off, or it just doesn't feel right, tell yourself it'll fall.
Do you think Jordan was saying "that shot was terrible!" when he hit so many of his legendary shots? Of course not.
Its one thing to perfect the movements of your shot, but it doesn't mean anything if your mind isn't in it.
So there you have it.
Seven quick and easy steps that should help you see vast steps in your jump shot, and who knows, in time you too could be just like Mike!
I'm not Kobe Bryant, but I can share seven easy steps that will make your jump shot much more effective and greatly improve the overall feel of your shot.
1) Foot placement You can never underestimate the importance of foot placement.
Right when you get the ball, your feet should be shoulder width apart from one another.
Whichever hand you shoot with, that foot should be slightly closer to the basket compared to the weak side foot.
2) Hands When you catch the ball, it should be in a ready-to-shoot position.
If you receive the ball near your feet, don't shoot.
Whereas if you get a good, crisp pass right around the waist, let it rip.
Make sure the ball sits on your finger tips and not resting flat on your palms.
It will throw off your back spin.
3) Elbow location Another vital aspect, if not the most important part of the shot.
Your elbow needs to be neatly tucked in near your body, aligned with the rim.
A good way to make sure you accomplish this is to run your finger from the middle of your wrist to your elbow, then to your armpit.
If it shares the same plane, without having to move your finger, then you should be good.
If the elbow is pointed out, then it will affect the trajectory of your shot.
4) Jump Yes, the 'jump' part of your jump shot is rather important.
A lot of people are flat-footed, making it easy to defend the shot.
A good shooter can elevate off the floor with ease, and they tend to release the shot at the peak of their leap.
This helps get more arc on the ball, where if you wait too long, it could cause it to be a line-drive right off the rim.
5) Focal point You should always have a spot on the rim you focus in on.
Some will say stare at one of the bottom links of the net, some will tell you look at the rim, and wherever the back of the rim is, go for that.
A pro player it Italy I met said to pretend there is a small glass window in the middle of the rim, that you need to break with your shot.
Whatever helps you focus, then go with that.
6) Smooth Movement Once you get to this point of your shot, just a millisecond from letting the ball sail through the air, make sure everything is smooth.
Snap the wrist, let the ball go, get some backspin, and don't force any part of your shot.
It all comes out in the end as one fluid motion.
7) Confidence! Always be sure that your shot will be nothing but net.
Even when you think it'll be off, or it just doesn't feel right, tell yourself it'll fall.
Do you think Jordan was saying "that shot was terrible!" when he hit so many of his legendary shots? Of course not.
Its one thing to perfect the movements of your shot, but it doesn't mean anything if your mind isn't in it.
So there you have it.
Seven quick and easy steps that should help you see vast steps in your jump shot, and who knows, in time you too could be just like Mike!
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