Hoops

Change shooting mechanics or not?

Dazz.... the kid I'm talking about actually stands side on to the basket.... ie.. instead of his feet being square to the basket.... his feet are at 90 degrees and twists his torso to face the basket.

I personally think shooting is about 3 things:
Practice,
Practice
and more Practice.

Doesn't matter whether its Basketball or some other sport, people who want to sell books or even just popularise their blogs, always push techniques, methodologies, or even gimmicks as the solution.

We're not talking about a kid who shoots free throws while standing side on to the basket are we?

from the additional info provided, and his position as a point, time would be much better spent on other skills, than correcting his shooting action.

Thank you all for your input. I think I will encourage him to go with his old ways.

Joe_M he catches the ball with his shooting hand not vertical on the ball but as he follows through he adjust but then continues through in a twisting motion. Closest shooter I could match it to would be Shawn Marion's.

anon he is a point guard. I don't think there is a huge upside to improving it and in fact he could end up a worse shooter. I guess as a coach I wanted to hear peoples input on should we be trying to correct poor technique or just let them play if they are still shooting well. I guess it depends on their age group as well, perhaps under 10's-14's correct but 16's don't correct.

Southern Joe no. That would definitely need changing I think

We're not talking about a kid who shoots free throws while standing side on to the basket are we?

he has had this technique for 4 yrs, and is "going ok" You have stated his ceiling is 2 more yrs of juniors.

you have not stated his position or pts per game av. Is there a huge upside to his game with a better shooting technique? I think it is too late to change him. Let him go with what he has.

I personally think shooting is about 3 things:
Practice,
Practice
and more Practice.

Doesn't matter whether its Basketball or some other sport, people who want to sell books or even just popularise their blogs, always push techniques, methodologies, or even gimmicks as the solution.

If a kid has somehow picked up a weird action, that is causing problems and/or injury. Or is trying to mimic something they see a star do, then step in. But if they're comfortable and it works, just let them keep practising.

I have seen many people who could shoot, coaches at a district level don't like the mechanics, so look to change it. All of them can't shoot now. Key is, go with what is comfortable and effective.

As long as he has space between the ball and his palm (should be able to pit your finger between the ball and your palm).

His fingers (thumb to pinky) are spread out across the same line of the ball and his wrist is vertical, he can leave his shooting action how it is.

If it goes in and has quick release, he will be fine.

Well if he gets the shot up quickly, and if it isn't being blocked, I don't see the problem. There are some pretty ugly looking strokes that have featured in the NBL and NBA. As long as the shooting action is accurate, economical, and not a liability, I say let him fling it up whichever way suits him.

10th – Lions (1-17)
Looked promising before the start of the season, but they seemed to snap their mast whilst in port. Brain fades appeared to be their downfall. Reckon they had a bad quarter each game without fail. To win games, you need to string four good quarters together, not quarter four good strings together. Defence had more holes than a golf course at times with the opposition cracking a ton 5 times. Starplex is far away and after a long drive should be a house of pain, not a % booster. Clarke missed on a ton of assists by one – if only that last one dropped!
9th – Tigers (4-14)
Saved their best game for last, but like a hotted up Datsun 180B with fluffy dice, looked nice in the carpark of KFC, but not good enough on the track against some of the V8s when they challenged for a drag. This team can be competitive if they play to their strengths, but offensive effort must lift. Time to turn the Datsun into the General Lee.
8th – Panthers (5-13)
Gazzo was their standout all season scoring 24.1 ppg. A lack of depth saw the Panthers rely on too few players to do too much. Had a lot of close games. Of the 9 games that went +/- 10, they lost 8 of them. Need to work on those pressure games if they want to blow the dust off the tin shed – last time they were dust free Scotty was running around in shorts that looked like they were painted on by Emma Haack and left nothing to the imagination.
7th – Warriors (7-11)
A strong start to the season, but came home with a wet sail when the import left. Brink with 16.5 ppg and 9.3 rpg a highlight. The team spent another season floundering as an also ran after being in a good position turning into home straight. The worst offense was offset by the best defence of the bottom 5. Warriors need sharp swords, not bamboo sticks, to win games.
6th – Mavs (9-9)
Hill, Dodman, Madgen, Breheny, Breheny. Sounds like a 36ers bench doesn’t it? Was probably the SA Country U14 Magpies a few years back. So why aren’t these guys playing finals? Huge disappointment. Early away game losses their downfall. They cracked the ton 3 times this season and came home strong bagging an extra 10 points per game in the second half of the season – Madge the difference there, but like the girls, scoring output was down 5 points a game away from home. Obviously, next season, the six fingered banjo players that inspire the boys at home may need to venture onto the plains.


Using the rule of one player per team and all positions to be filled, my starting 5 from these teams is: Reeves (CD) (F), Knight (WW) (F), Madgen (EM) (G), Gazzo (SA) (G), Braithwaite (ST) (G).

Some unlucky guys would make up a deep bench.