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!