There are many unique shooters out there who are great at what they do because they put in the time. But we’re going to look at technique and talk about one way that you can create more consistency. When you analyze great shooters, there is one thing in common, their base. To be more specific, the base of their shot is what the shooter does waist down.
There’s no better way to develop the consistency of your shot than by repetition. One of the most common mistakes in developing your shot is inconsistency in your base. As a player or a coach, you have to be aware of the power in consistent repetition and the impact it can have on your improvement as a shooter.
Although a lot of great shooters can do both the 1-2 and the hop, we are huge proponents of the 1-2. Especially early in the development of your shot. We will go into that discussion another time but for now why wouldn’t you want to mimic the best?
Let’s move on and look at four different great shooters who have four different styles of play and four different forms. In the video you will notice a few things. One, the speed at which these players are able to get their shots off.
Two, the foot placement is always shoulder width or tighter. And finally, that they use the 1-2 to stabilize their movement which allows for more control of their jump and their landing. They are almost always landing exactly where they take off.
As you saw, there are three ways that you can get shots, stationary, off a screen/movement and off the dribble. With each of these, you were able to see a consistent base.
If you condition yourself to practice with the same base every time, your results will reflect that. There are plenty of basketball players who live in the gym and still can’t seem to develop the consistency that they want.
Often times that is due to their foundation. If you are a streaky shooter and put in a lot of time on your shot but haven’t noticed improvement, go back to the basics and analyze that foundation.
An easy way to identify this is to set up your phone/camera and record yourself taking 8-10 of the same types of shots. When you review the footage, look at your base and see if you can recognize multiple shooting bases. If you have more than one, pick the one most comfortable and stick with it.
It’s like the great Bruce Lee saying, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
As your game develops and you’re ready to advance your jumper, there will be different factors in perfecting those shots, but starting with a solid foundation will have you ahead of the game when it’s time to find other ways to score.