Underhanded free throw shots?

[Travelman6]

What is your opinion on the underhanded freethrow shot, aka the "granny shot"? Should players who are poor at the line experiment with it to see if it improves their FT%?



I originally found a shot science basketball video on Canyon Barry on facebook but I could not find the same video on youtube so the above video will suffice. Any way, apparently he shot like 88% from the line with the granny shot for Florida a few years back.

What are your thoughts?

 

[UConnNick]

"Ollie" in "Hoosiers".

Rick Barry was the master of the underhanded F/T, but sometimes if you're an awful F/T shooter you'll be awful no matter what style you try. Wilt Chamberlain shot them underhanded and he still sucked, so I'm not sure it's a cure for dreadful shooters.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Ah, yes, the pimp grip should be implemented more often

 

[Leebo]

"Ollie" in "Hoosiers".

Rick Barry was the master of the underhanded F/T, but sometimes if you're an awful F/T shooter you'll be awful no matter what style you try. Wilt Chamberlain shot them underhanded and he still sucked, so I'm not sure it's a cure for dreadful shooters.

Though it's always possible to suck less while still sucking overall. If it improved someone from 35% to 45%, it would still be worth it.

 

[pj]

On grounds of physics, it should be superior. Best chance to go in is if the ball reaches the basket close to the top of its arc. To achieve that, and move the ball forward 13 feet to the front edge of the rim, the lower you start the shot, the better the chance.

The higher you start your shot, the faster the ball is moving when it reaches the basket. That makes it more likely to bounce out. This is one reason tall players tend to be poorer shooters.

 

[auror]

Interesting look at FTs in general. I skipped to the underhand part.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

I coach 5th/6th grade basketball at my school and we play our games on high-school sized court.

With an average FT% of like 25% or lower at that age, I am legit considering spending some time working on it with some of my weaker shooters.

 

[Lynyrd]

"Ollie" in "Hoosiers".

Rick Barry was the master of the underhanded F/T, but sometimes if you're an awful F/T shooter you'll be awful no matter what style you try. Wilt Chamberlain shot them underhanded and he still sucked, so I'm not sure it's a cure for dreadful shooters.

Wilt actually did have some success ... was more concerned about the stigma associated with shooting “Granny Shots” than the results.

Revisionist History Podcast - Malcolm Gladwell Podcast - Pushkin Industries

Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Click now to listen to the Revisionist History podcast on Pushkin Industries.

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[temery]

I think it's "underhand" free throws. Underhanded free throws sounds like a Calipari thing.

 

[RichZ]

I think it's "underhand" free throws. Underhanded free throws sounds like a Calipari thing.

Yeah, they're the ones you get when the ref is calling imaginary fouls on your opponent for bank.

 

[husky429]

I coach 5th/6th grade basketball at my school and we play our games on high-school sized court.

With an average FT% of like 25% or lower at that age, I am legit considering spending some time working on it with some of my weaker shooters.

Don't.

Work from closer in practice. Let them take a step to get some momentum if they have to in games. Makes and misses don't matter at age 10--not compromising form does.

My key to FTs: keep the ball close to your body. Pause with the ball at your hip, and tell the kids to slide it up their stomach and chest to the set point. It will help them get more momentum without chucking.

Make sure their feet look good and follow through is decent. A lower set point is fine, but try slowly working the off hand off at this age. It won't be perfect because of their lack of strength. Just don't compromise on the really important ones: balance and hand under the middle of the ball.

An underhand ft can be effective. But it's just another skill. Regular FT form translate to a nice mid-range in games.

And please don't have the kids play zone. PLEASE. I know it is effective at that level. But they learn terrible habits.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

My mentor learned basketball in the 1930’s and was a successful HS coach in the 1940’s and 1950’s
He tried to teach me the underhanded FT. I couldn’t do it. He never missed, then again he would see how many two handed set shots in row he could make from 25’. Usually 4-6 .
Both shots were impossible for me as I’m right hand dominant and these techniques require equal side motion.
This man is one of the first HS coaches in Ct To teach the weave in attacking a MTM defense.
Hurley still uses it.

 

[Devland]

Wilt actually did have some success ... was more concerned about the stigma associated with shooting “Granny Shots” than the results.

Revisionist History Podcast - Malcolm Gladwell Podcast - Pushkin Industries

Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Click now to listen to the Revisionist History podcast on Pushkin Industries.

revisionisthistory.com

Wilt was probably afraid he wouldn't "get any action" with the females if he shot underhand.

 

[Huskybass]

"Ollie" in "Hoosiers".

Rick Barry was the master of the underhanded F/T, but sometimes if you're an awful F/T shooter you'll be awful no matter what style you try. Wilt Chamberlain shot them underhanded and he still sucked, so I'm not sure it's a cure for dreadful shooters.

Wilt made 28 free throws in a game once. He also scored 100 that game. Shows that anything is possible if you get in the zone. I once made 20 in a row and 29 of 30. I doubt I could ever do that again.

 

[Crank]

You can never remove the dork aspect of shooting that way, and for that reason, and with today's heightened emphasis on always being a bad ass, there's no way you'll ever get more than one or two free spirits shooting it.

Regarding the oft-cited Rick Barry, the right question to ask is, "what would Rick Barry shot if he had shot overhand?" Guy may have shot 92% instead of 90%. Impossible to know.

Regarding the handful of players who switched to UH and showed immediate improvement over OH, perhaps they had particular mechanics issues that the underhand technique improved or eliminated, but that doesn't mean it would necessarily translate to every player.

Also, most guys who switched were abysmal free throw shooters to begin with, and that could well mean that they're 2 or 3 deltas out on the FT bell curve, and therefore outliers.

 

[HuskylnSC]

"Ollie" in "Hoosiers".

Rick Barry was the master of the underhanded F/T, but sometimes if you're an awful F/T shooter you'll be awful no matter what style you try. Wilt Chamberlain shot them underhanded and he still sucked, so I'm not sure it's a cure for dreadful shooters.

Wilt once made 34 free throws in one game. Of course it was a magical game which will probably never be seen again. As a matter of fact, there isn't any video of the game.

 

[dennismenace]

Wilt was probably afraid he wouldn't "get any action" with the females if he shot underhand.

Maybe the 20,000 women wore him out for distance shooting.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

IMO it would take serious sack to shoot granny in an NCAA D1 basketball game

 

[UKemba15]

And please don't have the kids play zone. PLEASE. I know it is effective at that level. But they learn terrible habits.

Wish I could like this a hundred times. I get legitimately angry at other coaches in my league who sit their kids back in a zone and act like they are basketball geniuses when they win a few more games. With a group of 9-10 year old kids, the skill set and habits that come from learning man-to-man are FAR more important than the W/L record. It’s so frustrating how many youth coaches don’t understand this.

 

[RichZ]

Wish I could like this a hundred times. I get legitimately angry at other coaches in my league who sit their kids back in a zone and act like they are basketball geniuses when they win a few more games. With a group of 9-10 year old kids, the skill set and habits that come from learning man-to-man are FAR more important than the W/L record. It’s so frustrating how many youth coaches don’t understand this.

And where do you think all these players who look lost on defense come from?

 

[Stinger92860]

I coach 5th/6th grade basketball at my school and we play our games on high-school sized court.

With an average FT% of like 25% or lower at that age, I am legit considering spending some time working on it with some of my weaker shooters.

https://www.swish22.com/

 

[wheelerdog]

I put one up once in practice in high school and the varsity coach nearly ripped my head off. So he wasn't a fan....