Skills - Shooting #2 Close Banks

  This installment is again to do with a drill that every serious basketball players should do when they step foot on the court to go to work. After completing the Perfects drill you should go into an exercise that is going to get moving and jumping into your shot. The Perfects already warmed up the mechanics and muscle memory of the shot technique and now you need to warm up the rythem of the jump shot and to watch the ball go threw the rim a few times to get the confidence up. Shooting and basketball in general is a big confidence sport, when the confidence in your shooting goes your shots will start to suffer. Shooting takes a lot of focus and needs attention. Shooters need to remember the saying "If you question the shot don't shoot it!!!". Shoot with focus and intent.
  This drill is to help all of this. You will run through this drill twice. You need to make 10 shots from both sides so 20 makes in total.

• Starting underneath the basket dribble to the block and pivot on your inside foot. As you turn you should be gathering the ball in your hands ready to shoot.
• You need to get your feet square with the basket so your lines are all straight and the body is not twisted.
• You are aiming to bank the ball so remember to aim for the top corner of the square and you cant miss if you hit this spot. (this mite be why its a called a bank shot because its safe)
• Make sure to commit to the shot and follow through with your wrists. Part of this drill is to also see the ball go through the net to help gather your confidence and to just see the ball through knowing you can make shots.
• Gather the rebound and continue to the opposite black and repeat the process.

Remember when you are shooting you need to have a purpose so make sure you keep count of your makes and stay honest. You are only cheating yourself. Execute this drill at a decent pace so you work up a sweat and also to get your shot up to game speed. Make sure you stay on balance, controlled and get your feet squared.

Skills - Shooting #1 Perfects

This is the first installment of the shooting program and i will start for the very basics and with a drill every shooter should do when they arrive in the gym. It is also an exercise to help get the foundations of shooting correct for someone who is not the greatest shooter.
  This exercise is called "Perfects" and it works on the LINES involved in shooting along with the all important release point. The object of this drill is to get the ball to go through the net ten times without touching the rim, hence why its called Perfects.
Key points of this drill;

• Feet shoulder width apart and you should be on the balls of your feet with your heal slightly off the ground so you are ready to explode.
• Knee's need to be slightly bent and flexible so your base is stable but again ready to explode. The power all comes from your legs and hips with the arms to guide the ball. During a game when you are tiered and exhausted you rely on your legs even more so it is important to use them from the beginning and let it become habit.
• Your elbow should out in front and in line with your shoulder, and bent at a 90 degree angle.
• Your hand should be spread underneath the ball.

Now the most important part of this drill is LINES. The side with the ball needs to be all in one line and this is easily checked. For me I am right handed so I need to check that my right foot is facing forward and sits inline underneath my right knee, my elbow needs to be directly over my knee and the ball needs to be directly over my elbow resulting in a straight line.

• Finally power up through your legs extending your arm as you rise. As you reach the top of elevation your arms should reach full extension at the same time. You should drop your wrist directly forward towards the rim, and the ball should be coming out of your hand as your legs and arms hit the full extension. This is so the energy and power is coming through your legs. 
• If the everything stays in line and you drop your wrist straight the only way the ball can go is straight so then the only thing to manage is the distance the ball travels and the height.
• You want the ball to have a high arch to help give the ball a better angle to enter the rim resulting in a higher shooting percentage and much more friendly bounce when the ball does hit the rim.

You should make ten perfect shots from each spot. The left side of the rim, the right and directly in front. You need to be stood roughly 2-3 ft away from the rim and focus on the backside of the rim.