Need help learning how to Jump Shoot

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Aug 17, 2007
I've already made a thread in the past about shooting, but i haven't made any progress since then, really, sooo...

im fed up with this $%^, i've been doing everything I can think of, i haven't been shooting in games, i've been form shooting for months now, i only shoot within like 10 ft of the hoop, i've been shooting tons of super close up shots, free throws, one hand form shooting, practicing my release, etc. etc. pretty much any thing you can think of
and i still can't even maintain a consistent form from one day to another.

what do i do? maybe im overthinking it...idk, i'm seriously about to just give up, i've been at it for months and i've seen no progress, and i've been putting in hours in the gym every day. it sucks cuz im good at other aspects of the game, but i really can't even enjoy playing if i can't shoot.

someone help me :frown:
 
What do you look at when you shoot: the ball (the trajectory) or the hoop?
 
What do you look at when you shoot: the ball (the trajectory) or the hoop?
the rim, for sure.
my form is actually good when i focus on it, like i know what proper form should be like. but as soon as I stop thinking about it, everything falls apart.
and i also have a huge problem with gripping the ball, like if the seams aren't lined up it really throws me off.
 
What do you look at when you shoot: the ball (the trajectory) or the hoop?
the rim, for sure.
my form is actually good when i focus on it, like i know what proper form should be like. but as soon as I stop thinking about it, everything falls apart.
and i also have a huge problem with gripping the ball, like if the seams aren't lined up it really throws me off.
I know what you mean. You just need to relax your body when you're shooting.
 
Start off by taking a ton of shots within 5-10 feet of the rim. It will help a lot
 
Just keep practicing man. I'm a great shooter, and for me, it all came from just shooting in my driveway. I would just go out there and shoot for hours. I never focused to much on every aspect of my jumpshot, it almost came naturally to me. Maybe record yourself shooting, and see if there is something you can spot that you're doing wrong. Either way, it'll come eventually, so don't stop practicing.


Also, a big part of shooting is confidence. Judging by your post, I assume that if you miss a couple of shots, you lost confidence in your jumpshot and try to shoot differently. Sometimes I have games where I shoot 3-10 from 3's, and people come up to me and say, whats going on with you? Most people, they'd stop shooting and pass the ball. Me.....I keep shooting cause I have confidence in my shot and know i'll get out of it.
 
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the rim, for sure.
my form is actually good when i focus on it, like i know what proper form should be like. but as soon as I stop thinking about it, everything falls apart.
and i also have a huge problem with gripping the ball, like if the seams aren't lined up it really throws me off.

Gotcha. I only ask because it does help to focus on one (or the other). I watch the rim as well, but sometimes I stray, and that's when my shot gets off a bit. If I recalibrate, then I get back in a groove. Seems like you're aware of that though.
 
Hows your guide hand?

Is your elbow out?

Do you follow through with your index and middle fingers being last to touch the ball?

It could be something simple.
 
Just sounds to me like you haven't nailed the muscle memory in yet.  I mean, a few months is really a comparatively short time if you think about it.  I started running hoop when I was like 10 and it took me at least until I was 14 before I was known as a shooter so give it time.  You've got good building blocks to work off of in that when you keep your form tight you shoot well but that just tells me you need more reps.  Prolly sounds ridiculous but I'd bet most folks in here that consider themselves 'shooters' prolly easily took over 100 shots/day on average every summer when they were a kid, I know for me I shot around 100 free throws at least 3-4x/week and spent a few hours a day shooting everywhere just as often.  

You've gotta really nail that form in so  you're not thinking about it.  The only other things that make that easier are conditioning.  Work on your core/lower back as that's the first thing to weaken when you're tired and the worst for your form as it impedes your ability to get squared up properly and quickly.  

Not sure I ever suggested this drill on NT but somethin else you can do to reinforce the ball leaving your hand correctly is as you lie in bed you just shoot one handed straight up into the air.  Feel the ball roll off your fingers and get used to seeing the rotation as it goes up.  Just try to shoot with 1 hand directly above your chest so it comes straight back down.  For an advanced drill do this in the gym but try to either a) line everything up on a baseline (toe/knee/elbow/wrist/ball) and then do your follow thru til the ball hits directly in front of you on that same line and spins back every time, or b) spin the ball straight up and hold out your follow through and catch the ball with the back of your hand on it's way down.  

Once you get either of those release tricks down you'll find the ball is much more likely to release perfectly straight and then you have less to worry about when you're tweaking your shot.

Eventually you can look forward to getting to the gym before anyone else even in a rec league only to find rock hard rims that'd frustrate Jesus Shuttlesworth.

Don't give up, if you have any video you'd like me to take a closer look at pm me.
 
I have a problem too. Not putting enough strength in my shot with my legs.
I haven't played ball in a long time and when I play after a long time, it's a struggle :lol:

But in any case, I focus on the form so much that I have a high as hell arc but always fall just on the front of the rim. Maybe I put too much strength into the arc? And not enough on the angle?

This only happens on long range shots BTW.
 
Get some good bend on your knees
Shoot the ball don't push it
Elbows in
USE THE GLASS!
Agree with dude who said start off 5-10 ft range
Hand in the cookie jar follow through
Have good balance and square up
 
Just keep practicing man. I'm a great shooter, and for me, it all came from just shooting in my driveway. I would just go out there and shoot for hours. I never focused to much on every aspect of my jumpshot, it almost came naturally to me. Maybe record yourself shooting, and see if there is something you can spot that you're doing wrong. Either way, it'll come eventually, so don't stop practicing.


Also, a big part of shooting is confidence. Judging by your post, I assume that if you miss a couple of shots, you lost confidence in your jumpshot and try to shoot differently. Sometimes I have games where I shoot 3-10 from 3's, and people come up to me and say, whats going on with you? Most people, they'd stop shooting and pass the ball. Me.....I keep shooting cause I have confidence in my shot and know i'll get out of it.

All of this...
 
BLSH

Bend Lift Shoot Hold


BBLSH

Bend
Balance(feet should be at least wide as shoulders or wider)
Life(consinderate on tip toes leaving last and the first thing to hit the ground, not flat foot when you land or jump)
shoot(make sure its a little cup in your palm, this helps with rotation of the rock. make should the ball leaves off your fingertips.)
Hold(hand in the cookjar)

this all should be in one smooth motion, no pauses or jerks involved.

BBLSH=bottoms
 
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Just sounds to me like you haven't nailed the muscle memory in yet.  I mean, a few months is really a comparatively short time if you think about it.  I started running hoop when I was like 10 and it took me at least until I was 14 before I was known as a shooter so give it time.  You've got good building blocks to work off of in that when you keep your form tight you shoot well but that just tells me you need more reps.  Prolly sounds ridiculous but I'd bet most folks in here that consider themselves 'shooters' prolly easily took over 100 shots/day on average every summer when they were a kid, I know for me I shot around 100 free throws at least 3-4x/week and spent a few hours a day shooting everywhere just as often.  


You've gotta really nail that form in so  you're not thinking about it.  The only other things that make that easier are conditioning.  Work on your core/lower back as that's the first thing to weaken when you're tired and the worst for your form as it impedes your ability to get squared up properly and quickly.  


Not sure I ever suggested this drill on NT but somethin else you can do to reinforce the ball leaving your hand correctly is as you lie in bed you just shoot one handed straight up into the air.  Feel the ball roll off your fingers and get used to seeing the rotation as it goes up.  Just try to shoot with 1 hand directly above your chest so it comes straight back down.  For an advanced drill do this in the gym but try to either a) line everything up on a baseline (toe/knee/elbow/wrist/ball) and then do your follow thru til the ball hits directly in front of you on that same line and spins back every time, or b) spin the ball straight up and hold out your follow through and catch the ball with the back of your hand on it's way down.  


Once you get either of those release tricks down you'll find the ball is much more likely to release perfectly straight and then you have less to worry about when you're tweaking your shot.

Eventually you can look forward to getting to the gym before anyone else even in a rec league only to find rock hard rims that'd frustrate Jesus Shuttlesworth.
Don't give up, if you have any video you'd like me to take a closer look at pm me.

thanks for the tips, thanks to everyone else too.
as far as the release goes, do you flick the wrist? or let it "flop"? Like, does the wrist snap down, or does it flop and jiggle down?
 
Hows your guide hand?
Is your elbow out?
Do you follow through with your index and middle fingers being last to touch the ball?

It could be something simple.
my guide hand is to the side, but slightly in front of the ball, because otherwise i have a hard time holding the ball before shooting (my hands aren't that big). looks like this
View media item 248573 (just the guide hand placement, not the shooting form)
My elbow is almost directly under the ball, i've been really trying to keep a straight line from toe/knee/elbow/hand, so my whole shot is actually a bit to the right of my head, so i can see the basket even while the ball is at head-level)
The finger part I'm not sure about, i've experimented with the "floppy" wrist release and the "snap" wrist release. If i snap my wrist, I can clearly feel the ball going off the index/middle fingers, but if I keep a soft/relaxed wrist I can't really tell what fingers it's going off. I'm hesitant to snap the wrist though because I've always read (and it makes sense) that the power for the shot should come from big muscles, so flicking the wrist hard seems like a bad idea...am i wrong?
also if I don't get the seams of the ball lined up my release messes up and it usually rolls of the wrong finger (thumb or 4th/5th fingers).

lastly, when practicing form shooting/close up shots or free throws, should i be always lining up the seams of the ball?
 
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Growing up I used horrible form and technique. It took me about a good year to settle into a proper shooting form that I could consistently rely on. One of the main things you want to focus on is making sure your legs are bent and generate everything from there. I bring the ball up slightly to the right of my head so that my guide hand(left hand) is basically in the centerline of my face(though not blocking my view). This allows me to stay consistent on the path of my shot as long as I'm square to the basket. From here you just need to get your release down, make sure your wrist isn't flopping and you should mainly be using your index and middle finger(like previously stated these should be the last fingers that the ball is released from). Remember you aren't "pushing" the shot, your fingers and wrist should be doing the work.

As far as in game shooting, it's all about confidence. If you're playing off the ball make sure you're ready to catch and shoot(knees should be slightly bent and ready to shoot). Remember, you got to believe every shot you put up is going in! Hope this helps
 
Growing up I used horrible form and technique. It took me about a good year to settle into a proper shooting form that I could consistently rely on. One of the main things you want to focus on is making sure your legs are bent and generate everything from there. I bring the ball up slightly to the right of my head so that my guide hand(left hand) is basically in the centerline of my face(though not blocking my view). This allows me to stay consistent on the path of my shot as long as I'm square to the basket. From here you just need to get your release down, make sure your wrist isn't flopping and you should mainly be using your index and middle finger(like previously stated these should be the last fingers that the ball is released from). Remember you aren't "pushing" the shot, your fingers and wrist should be doing the work.

As far as in game shooting, it's all about confidence. If you're playing off the ball make sure you're ready to catch and shoot(knees should be slightly bent and ready to shoot). Remember, you got to believe every shot you put up is going in! Hope this helps
so the wrist should snap? and not flop?
ill try to snap it then
even amongst pros it doesn't seem like one is preferred though. MJ, ray allen for example snap the wrist im pretty sure, but kobe, steph curry, k-love and others flop the wrist. w.e i guess that means both work
 
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