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With basketball, one of the most important skills the ability to catch and shoot. For a majority of players, the catch and shoot will make up the highest percentage of shot attempts. The goal for players is to be an accurate shooter with great range. Players must spend hours on their own practicing proper shooting habits.
Before reading any further, watch one quarter focusing on catch and shoot shots. In most high school games, you will see many, many flaws in a player’s shot. There may be 1-2 good shooters on each team. Focus closely on the 2 seconds AFTER the release of the ball.
Using huddle to closely analyze a shot is a little bit of a paradigm shift for players. Most players are concerned with the highlights and how to organize the highlight reel. In elite shooters, the high light reel should be real boring. It should be shot after shot of a pitcture perfect follow-through.
Before analyzing a shot closely, we recommend watching ALL catch-and-shoot shots. Watch one quarter on Hudl. Notice the different players and different releases. Try to identify above average shooters. See what they do differently. A great shooter will have a consistent shot. Our definition of a consistent shooter is each shot and follow through
being nearly the same. If each shot follow through is always the same, we feel this player will be a top shooter on a team.
During the season, there is so much going on that we want to stick with our keep it simple stupid philosophy. There is little time to make major adjustments to shots, so we will just want to make a few minor adjustments.
The BIG Three: We are going to prioritize the Big Three in order of importance.
Shooting Hand: For each shot, hold the shooting hand followthrough for at least 2 seconds. Keep it straight. The goal is to have the same followthrough for all shots.
Most basketball coaches recognize that the most important part of the shot is the shooting arm. The elbow should be placed under the ball, freezing to followthrough and keeping the followthrough straight. We feel the shooting percentage will increase for the player if they can make a minor adjustment to the shooting hand.
Shoot & Stay: The goal is to shoot and stay in the spot for at least 2 seconds. Do not dance. Do not backpedal. Do not follow the shot. Shoot and stay!
We choose shoot and stay for second because eliminating movement from the shot will increase accuracy. Shooting and staying in the same spot for two seconds will be a step in the direction of being a more consistent shooter.
Guide Hand: Hold your shooting hand followthrough for 2 seconds. Keep it straight. The goal is to have the same followthrough for all shots. Do not drop. Do not drift and drop.
The guide hand followthrough is probably the least common among shooters at any level. It’s not impressive, but we feel it is very effective.
Common Flaws: Below are some flaws we have seen with teams and individual shooters.
Shooting Hand:
The Drift: Many players do not keep the followthrough straight. A common error is having the shooting arm drift away from the body.
The Wrist Twist: There are many variations of the wrist twist. The wrist can turn inward or twist to the outside. The less movement of the wrist the better. The ultimate goal is to keep the shooting hand straight.
The Stop: Some players do not finish the followthrough. The player should finish the followthrough as if placing the hand in the basket.
Shoot & Stay:
The Backpedal: So many players once the ball leaves the hand start to backpedal. By the time the ball has reached the basket they are already several feet back.
The Follow My Shot: The favorite phrase of many parents and fans is “follow your shot!!!” My question to them and the players who follow their shot: “Why are you shooting the ball if you are assuming it’s going to miss? DO NOT FOLLOW YOUR SHOT!!! One of the greatest shooting coaches of all time is Dave Hopla. He is worth watching. He points out that many missed shots will come right back to the spot. Every shot you take your should believe will be made. So “shoot and stay!”
Guide Hand:
The Drop and Drift: This is an error involving both hards. The shooting arm drifts to the outside and the guide hand drops quickly. In extreme cases, the follow through can end up with the arms forming a “T.” This is a BAD habit.
The guide hand drop is probably the most common flaw that players at all levels have. It is certainly noticeable at the NBA level. If you watch the NBA, identify the top shooters on an NBA team. Most of these players have the best shooring form and also finish the shot with a two hand follow through.
Looking at the Boston Celtics roster three players stand out, Derek White, Peyton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser. If you analyze the shot of the top three-point percentage in top free-throw shooters, we are willing to bet that they have better shooting mechanics than the rest of the team.
We have created a chart to analyze catch-and-shoot shots in a game A coach may want to have players complete the shot and share with you.
Date opponent FGM FGA FG%
| per | time | Make (O)/ Miss (X) | Shoot& Stay | Shootinghand | Guide hand | result | comments |