A Shooters mentality

[Tonyc]

Shooting is a mindset. When your having problems you go back to the fundementals. That starts from 3 ft from the basket and working your way back. How many shots should you take from 3 ft? As many as it takes from all angles as to make 8 out of 10. Then take 3 steps back and continue. You do that until youve regained your confidence. Then when you get in a game transfer that poise and mental attitude to your shot. It may not happen right away but dont give up and dont doubt yourself. The most important thing is to keep shooting. How long will it take you to get you where you wanna be? As long as it takes. There is no time limit. Some will get there faster then others. The important thing is you keep doing it and doin it and doin it until you reach your goal. Remember walking up hill is very tuff and you may have to stop to catch your breath however walking up hill gets you to the top.

 

[CocoHusky]

Absolutely agree @Tonyc-shoot for as long as it takes to regain confidence. There are however limitations and some strong cautions. The biggest limitation is that this shot improvement process works best in the off season. In the regular season these young ladies are going to be pretty busy with classes, team activities and specific game preparation during practices. The biggest caution is regarding shot mechanics which should NEVER EVER be a solo activity. In other words if you find yourself in a shooting slump and have solid mechanics by all means get in the gym and get up shots. Anna has solid mechanics and I would recommend her getting up practice shots from top of the key. Aubrey and Nika do not have solid shot mechanics. With Aubrey there is a follow through issue and with Nika there is an elongated windup prior to the release of the ball.

 

[pvdoggy]

Absolutely agree @Tonyc-shoot for as long as it takes to regain confidence. There are however limitations and some strong cautions. The biggest limitation is that this shot improvement process works best in the off season. In the regular season these young ladies are going to be pretty busy with classes, team activities and specific game preparation during practices. The biggest caution is regarding shot mechanics which should NEVER EVER be a solo activity. In other words if you find yourself in a shooting slump and have solid mechanics by all means get in the gym and get up shots. Anna has solid mechanics and I would recommend her getting up practice shots from top of the key. Aubrey and Nika do not have solid shot mechanics. With Aubrey there is a follow through issue and with Nika there is an elongated windup prior to the release of the ball.

Agree 100%. Sometimes what you think you are doing is not exactly what you are doing, which is why you need another good pair of eyes to watch over you, and maybe all it takes is a little tweak to your mechanic to get you back on track. Anybody who plays golf and has seen your swing on video knows what I am talking about. Feel is sometimes not real.

 

[Jim R]

Shooting is a mindset. When your having problems you go back to the fundementals. That starts from 3 ft from the basket and working your way back. How many shots should you take from 3 ft? As many as it takes from all angles as to make 8 out of 10. Then take 3 steps back and continue. You do that until youve regained your confidence. Then when you get in a game transfer that poise and mental attitude to your shot. It may not happen right away but dont give up and dont doubt yourself. The most important thing is to keep shooting. How long will it take you to get you where you wanna be? As long as it takes. There is no time limit. Some will get there faster then others. The important thing is you keep doing it and doin it and doin it until you reach your goal. Remember walking up hill is very tuff and you may have to stop to catch your breath however walking up hill gets you to the top.

Perfectly said Tonyc...for those of that have been there, there's nothing like "being in the zone".

 

[oldude]

Agree with the prior posts. The issue with problematic shooting mechanics is that it can be fatal. There is a point at which it becomes virtually impossible to make a change to bad mechanics. I think of Mikayla Coombs, who’s shooting stroke was fundamentally flawed, and I believe not correctable by the time she got to college.

As someone who always struggled with my guide hand position on the ball, and did not try to do anything about it until I got to HS, I have some experience with the issue. I played 3 sports in HS, so there was only so much time I could devote to changing my mechanics. But I did spend many hours working to soften the position of my guide hand along with one hand shooting drills.

As a result, I became a much better FT shooter, where I could go through an internal checklist before releasing a shot. Unfortunately, during the heat of the game I found it extremely difficult to consistently employ the correct mechanics. In fact, the more I tried to employ the correct mechanics, the worse I shot the ball.

In the end, I gave up the changes and went back to shooting the ball with a stronger guide hand. I guess that flaw, plus the fact that I was vertically challenged, kept me out of the NBA....... : )

 

[Littlemin]

The worst thing a shooter can have, like a cornerback, is a memory. You just have to have a “surprise when I miss but the next one is going in” mindset and let it fly. Easier said then done but thinking while playing is a killer. Now thinking while practicing is a much different story.

 

[JellyBean]

Great points by all on the art of having that shooter's mentality. Like I tell my players, always stay positive when you are out there shooting and believe that the next shot is going in. If the shooting form is there, the shots will drop. Just gotta stay with it.

 

[Carnac]

Shooting is a mindset. When your having problems you go back to the fundementals. That starts from 3 ft from the basket and working your way back. How many shots should you take from 3 ft? As many as it takes from all angles as to make 8 out of 10. Then take 3 steps back and continue. You do that until youve regained your confidence. Then when you get in a game transfer that poise and mental attitude to your shot. It may not happen right away but dont give up and dont doubt yourself. The most important thing is to keep shooting. How long will it take you to get you where you wanna be? As long as it takes. There is no time limit. Some will get there faster then others. The important thing is you keep doing it and doin it and doin it until you reach your goal. Remember walking up hill is very tuff and you may have to stop to catch your breath however walking up hill gets you to the top.

Tony you sound like a couple of my old coaches because that’s exactly what they told me when my shot went on hiatus. Lay ups and bunnies, then gradually work your way back to mid-range area. I was a post player. Mid-range was as far out as I went. That coaching advice worked every time. Sometimes your shot doesn’t come into the arena with you. So you make adjustments that help your team. Rebounds, blocked shots, assists, steals, setting screens etc., until your shot finds its way back onto the floor. You’ve got a witness!! Good post.

 

[DefenseBB]

The worst thing a shooter can have, like a cornerback, is a memory. You just have to have a “surprise when I miss but the next one is going in” mindset and let it fly. Easier said then done but thinking while playing is a killer. Now thinking while practicing is a much different story.

Well, the Clemson cornerback did get burned over and over again vs. Fields and Ohio State last night, so I hope he forgets today but somehow I doubt it...

 

[MooseJaw]

Well, the Clemson cornerback did get burned over and over again vs. Fields and Ohio State last night, so I hope he forgets today but somehow I doubt it...

Love it and as usual the snark was center stage.?

 

[CocoHusky]

The worst thing a shooter can have, like a cornerback, is a memory. You just have to have a “surprise when I miss but the next one is going in” mindset and let it fly. Easier said then done but thinking while playing is a killer. Now thinking while practicing is a much different story.

The producer of the Last Dance tried to sum up the greatness on Michael Jordan at the end of the documentary. It is simply this: Michael was entirely focused on the next shot and was incapable of thinking about missing or the consequences of missing.

 

[eebmg]

The producer of the Last Dance tried to sum up the greatness on Michael Jordan at the end of the documentary. It is simply this: Michael was entirely focused on the next shot and was incapable of thinking about missing or the consequences of missing.

Funny. That sounds like every NBA player. Do they ever worry if they miss a shot?

 

[Crossover]

Funny. That sounds like every NBA player. Do they ever worry if they miss a shot?

Yes, they do. Also, MJ is not like every other NBA player in this respect or in any other.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Agree 100%. Sometimes what you think you are doing is not exactly what you are doing, which is why you need another good pair of eyes to watch over you, and maybe all it takes is a little tweak to your mechanic to get you back on track. Anybody who plays golf and has seen your swing on video knows what I am talking about. Feel is sometimes not real.

Love the golf analogy. With my own golf game, I believe in periodic help. I have a good memory, so I've probably had like 5 lessons my whole life, so I remember the cues from all my lessons. That may not sound like enough, so adjust it to match the player. I believe you can have too much analysis. All these skills are in the end athletic moves. Get the brain out of it if you can once you've "mastered" the move.
Guaranteed, these players get all the advice they would ever need. I think as a rule coaches try not to overcoach shooting unless asked to help (during the season). There's also another problem with coaching shooting, same as golf, that the shot and golf swing is unique to the person like a signature. Like a whale's fluke being its signature.

 

[Charliebball]

players with shooting issues just need to watch shooting techniques with the "Shot Doctor" Herb Magee..........they'll be back to swishing from 21 ft in no time!!

 

[reno tony]

I say watch some tapes of Maya Moore and do what she does. Of course, I told a woman I was dating who asked me what she should do at a gym we had joined to follow this particular woman around and do what she did. Surprisingly, that advice didn't go over as well as you might think. And before you ask, that relationship did not last much longer.