Shooting Pocket

The "Shot Pocket" is probably the most essential part in shooting the basketball. Every shot you shoot will come from your shooting pocket. If you drop your hand/arm to hang loosely by your side and swing it back and forth up to your shoulder and hold it when is stops, then is your shooting pocket. In essence the dominate hand's torso side a few inches above your waist. The shot pocket has a huge effect on the outcome of the shot. If your shot pocket is too high or too low, it can change the accuracy, so shooters must ensure that the ball is in a comfortable launching area.

In this position your elbow should be under the ball making an "L" shape allowing the shooter to be able to overlook the ball not under it. The ball and shooting pocket should form a straight line making sure that accuracy is on point. Every time your upper arm gets elevated, your shoulder muscles are being used. While shooting a basketball, the shoulder muscles on your shooting arm are being more heavily recruited than the muscles on your non-shooting arm. Your shoulder muscles should be in good condition so that you may be able to get the best result from movement between the shooting pocket to the actual shot delivery.

Stance and Balance

The most important stance in basketball is Triple Threat. Triple Threat is the position when a player facing a defender receives a pass but has not dribbled yet. The offensive player's feet are slightly wider than shoulder width and slightly on the balls of his feet, his knees flexed, with both hands on the basketball in front of him or almost resting on his thigh, presenting the defender with an opponent able to move in any direction. One foot is held as the pivot and the other slightly ahead. From this, the player can choose from three options: to jump-shoot, to dribble (drive) past the defender or to pass it to a teammate.

This position is also necessary in your shooting stance. The ideal stance for a shooter is: feet shoulder width apart (or comfortable feet length), hips dropped (gives the most lift), 10 toes to rim, and dominant foot in front of the other.

The basketball stance in its self, should give you balance, if in the correct position. Your feet being shoulder width apart allows your base to be wide enough having an explosive shot. Balance ensures power and explosiveness in getting off your shot quicker and also having a quick step if wanting to dribble out of the triple threat position. Dropping the hips makes it less easier for you to get knocked off balance. In women's basketball, women have a hard time getting low in any position but it is vital in the game and your hips and knees being dropped helped in giving you power. There are many different shot types, but regardless if you do a step back, three point shot, are set shot, your position/stance should be the same in every situation

Eyes on the Target

Everyone loves the excitement and emotion after the ball goes through net. Everybody desires to score. However, there is an art to successfully hitting the target.

In the game of basketball, keeping your eyes on the target is important to at least become a decent shooter. In our case, the target is the basketball hoop. Think of the hoop as a target. In archery, your goal is to hit the bulls-eye which is the center of the target. In order to do so, your eye must be on that target to get the best results. The same is true in basketball. In some cases the basket is not always target; the person you intend to pass the ball to can also your target.

The function of our eyes is to be able to see objects. The eye is like a camera lens; it takes pictures of the things we see. Light enters the eye through a small hole called the pupil and is focused on the retina, which is like  camera film. The eye also has a focusing lens that focuses images from different distances on to the retina. In shooting we need to capture the picture of the basket so we can score a bucket.

Here's a short excerpt from Human Movement Science.
"...The results clearly demonstrate that the efficiency of head and eyes stabilization on target has a strong influence on the success of shooting.."

The following tips detail the importance of eyes on the target. 1) Knowing where you intend to place the ball begins with your eyes focused on the basket. 2) To improve accuracy, locate the target (rim) as early as possible. If you do this you will be able to shoot in any situation because you have the knowledge of where the rim is. 3) Before shooting see the whole floor, but when shooting narrow your focus to the inside of the rim. This is important if you think you may have a shot but in actuality the defender is guarding you very well. Seeing the whole floor will allow you to make the extra pass if you don't have a clear shot. 4) Keep your eyes on the target, not the ball.

If your eyes are on the target, you will be "Getting Buckets!" BULLS-EYE!

First Steps to Shooting

In order to become a consistent shooter, we must first learn the basics in stationary shooting. The main points in shooting are the following in its simplest form: 1) Eyes on Target 2) Stance and Balance 3) Shot Pocket 4) Grip 5) Balance Hand 6) Delivery 7) Up force and Landing 8) Follow Through 9) Then Correct Shot. All these things are the precursor in becoming a sufficient shooter.

From experience with various coaches and trainers these exact techniques have been prominent in helping a player develop. In future posts each individual point will be explained in great deal to insure you get the maximum effect out of each technique.

This info is also found at Breakthrough Basketball

Getting Started

Being a basketball player I know the importance of a jump shot and how well of a shooter most players want to be, like myself. In the game of basketball, it has always been a players desire to score a numerous amount of points. In order to achieve this, it requires player shooting the ball from many distances. You could say that shooting the ball effectively has became an art that many basketball players are trying to perfect. First I must say I am not the greatest shooter in the world, but through research I will give you the keys to become a consistent jump shooter along with trying to become one myself. Assisting you in becoming a high percentage shooter, my goal is to provide information on the anatomy, mechanics, and equipment to enable you for high performance on the basketball court. Shooting a basketball consists of hand placement, stance, arch at which the ball should be shot, and velocity at which it leaves the hand. Just by becoming knowledgeable of the mechanical science behind basketball can make you great or maybe just a better shooter overall.