Shooting a basketball is an art. And doing it properly take a lot of practice, and patience. If you’re interested in becoming a great shooter, then you really need to get a lot of reps in.
But what’s the most frustrating part of shooting?
As someone who has played basketball for many years, I can say that one of the most frustrating things about shooting a basketball is when your guide hand gets in the way of the ball on the release. This can cause the ball to veer off course and miss the basket, which can be extremely frustrating.
Let’s get into more tips to make sure your guide hand doesn’t get in the way on your jump shot.
What Are Some Tips to Make Sure The Guide Hand Doesn’t Get In The Way?
- Keep it relaxed: When shooting, it’s important to keep your guide hand relaxed and not tense. A tense guide hand can interfere with the flight of the ball, so try to keep it loose and comfortable.
- Use it to guide, not push: Your guide hand should be used to guide the ball, not push it. Pushing the ball with your guide hand can cause it to veer off course and miss the basket.
- Try and get your guide hand out of the picture: When releasing the ball, the best shooters manage to get their guide hand completely out of the way. If you can manage to do this, you won’t have any issues.
- Practice: The best way to make sure your guide hand doesn’t get in the way is to practice shooting with good form and technique. This will help you develop muscle memory and make it easier to keep your guide hand in the right position on the release.
- Get feedback: If you’re having trouble with your guide hand getting in the way, consider working with a shooting coach or experienced player who can give you feedback and help you improve.
As you can see below, Steph Curry (the greatest shooter in the world, in my humble opinion) is able to keep his guide hand out of the way.
What Are Some Other Frustrating Parts About Shooting?
The guide hand issue is probably the most frustrating part of shooting, but there are many other things that can be frustrating as well. Some common challenges include:
Consistent Leg Strength On Your Shot
It would seem like most of the power in your jump shot would come from your arms, however, it’s actually your legs that play the biggest role in your jump shot. It’s not only about having good leg strength, it’s the consistency in your legs that matters the most.
Getting this right, while in rhythm could be a big challenge for many players. And it also takes a lot of practice to master this skill.
How Can You Improve Your Leg Strength Consistency For Your Jump Shot
- Taking a lot of jump shots: This can help to improve leg strength by increasing the number of times the leg muscles are used to generate force for jumping. this is the most important one as nothing could compare to the actual motion of a real jump shot.
- Doing calisthenics: Calisthenics exercises such as squats, lunges, and calf raises can help to strengthen the leg muscles that are used in jumping.
- Weight training: Using weights in leg exercises such as squats, leg press, and leg curls can help to increase leg strength.
- Plyometric training: Plyometric exercises, which involve explosive movements such as jumping, can help to improve leg power and strength.
- Stretching: Regular stretching can help to improve the flexibility of the leg muscles, which can help to improve jumping ability.
All of these things could help improve your muscle endurance, strength, and flexibility which are all crucial for consistent leg power on your jump shot.
Seeing The Hoop On Your Shot
we’re going to reference the Steph curry picture above one more time. Notice how he has a window between his arms that allows him to see the hoop on his release. Getting this down pat could be very difficult as your arms could get in the way and block the vision of the hoop.
Practice seeing the ball and the hoop at the same time during your release, and you should be making a higher percentage of your shots if you don’t already do this.
It’s similar to see the pitch coming out of the pitchers hands and seeing the pitch from the jump. Seeing the hoop and the ball at the same time has the same effect. Your eyes could measure the distance much easier if you do this and the whole process of shooting will be much smoother.
Foot Placement
Foot placement is an important factor in the success of a jump shot in basketball. Proper foot placement can help a player generate more force when jumping, which can increase the height and power of their shot.
Additionally, proper foot placement can help a player maintain balance and control while in the air, which can improve the accuracy of their shot.
What Are Some Tips When It Comes To Foot Placement On Your Jump Shot?
- Positioning the feet beneath the hips: The importance of balance while shooting is often overlooked. Positioning the feet beneath your hips give you a better chance of keeping your balance.
- Placing the feet shoulder-width apart: Placing your feet in a comfortable position, should width apart, could also help with balance. If you’re feet are too close together, the slightest bit of contact can send you off balance.
- Pointing the feet in the direction of the basket: When you shoot, you want your feet to line up with the basket, specifically your front foot. Why the front foot? This is because your shooting elbow on your shooting hand usually ends up aligned with your front foot while shooting.
Take a look at the picture below, which is Steph Curry (once again), about to go to the free throw line. He’s pointing his right leg, directly with the hoop. This gives him a perfect line with the basket on hit shot release. Once he steps up, both feet will be square, but his right leg will be the one directly in the middle of the hoop.
How Can You Get Over a Mental Block When It Comes To a Jump Shot?
Some players have their shooting mechanics down pat. However, sometimes, it’s a mental block that gets them. Sometimes players have so much of a mental block that they refuse to even shoot in games, even when their skill is completely there. Getting over a mental block isn’t easy, but it’s possible.
Here are a few steps you could take, so that your jump shot isn’t hindered by your mentality:
Tell Yourself You Put In The Work
If you’ve put in the work, and have been shooting every single day. Tell yourself that not shooting is letting that work go to waste. Someone asked Kobe Bryant why he looks so calm in big situations. His response was that he has taken those same shots over and over again in practice, so there’s no reason to be afraid during a game.
The more prepared you are, the less nervous you are. One similar example would be giving a speech. If you’re not prepared, you’re going to be nervous.
Shoot Before Your Fear or Anxiety Could Set In
When it comes to anxiety or fear, the longer you wait to do something that scares you, the longer you will put it off. If you just shoot, whether make or miss, you will get that mental block out of your head right off the bat. Don’t let the mental block control you – become the master of your own mind instead!
Have a Short Memory
Having a short memory is another thing shooters should have when It comes to the mental aspect. Every player misses, and the more you get comfortable with this, the better you’ll get at forgetting your last miss. Some players miss their first shot, and then don’t shoot for the rest of the game.
Don’t shoot too much to compensate for the miss, but if you have an open shot naturally, take it.
Conclusion
We hope that this post helped you figure out what the most frustrating parts of shooting are, and how you can address them. If you found this post helpful, please share it with others who are looking to improve their jump shot as well.
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