Can You Work On Your Basketball Shot During the Season?

I come up against this all the time, coaches saying they don't want their players "messing" with their shots once the season starts. So what's the truth?

WHY IS BASKETBALL ANY DIFFERENT?

The first question that comes to mind is why should basketball be any different from other sports? The great PGA golfers are working on their swings, short game and putting all the time. They probably don't try to adjust anything right before a round, but afterward they get with their coaches and work on such things as tempo, swing plane, club face at contact, ball flight, this and that. Baseball players have hitting and pitching coaches to work with them throughout the season. Tennis players work with their coaches all the time. If they could talk to them during a round, they surely would. (It's kind of unfair that golfers can have caddies [who can be coaches and teaching professionals] and talk to them throughout a round, but tennis players can't even talk or signal their coaches in the stands during matches.)

Basketball is no different! In fact basketball shooting is a much more forgiving skill than hitting a 90 mile an hour fast ball, or controlling a golf clubhead traveling at 120-140 miles/hour. The basketball rim is about twice the size of a basketball. Free throws are taken only 13 feet nine inches from the center of the rim. Jump and Set Shots are taken from just a few feet away up to 20 feet or more, not huge challenges.

NOT MAJOR CHANGES!

By working on your shot, I don't mean you should make major changes to your shot during a season (usually), because it takes time for the body to adjust to and trust a very different shot action. But minor things can be worked on and "tweaked" all throughout the season. And if your stroke is really suspect (a nice way of saying "poor"), what is the risk in a major change? If you're losing playing time or games due to poor shooting, why not address it, both individually and as a team, whatever it takes?

AWARENESS IS HOW TO DO IT

The way to do this most gently is through awareness rather than telling someone (or yourself) how to do things. Awareness is how our marvelous body/brain/nervous systems work (let's call it the "body"). Awareness gives the body the feedback it needs to know what is happening, and then it can make the, usually, subtle changes it needs to learn and perform better. Patience is important, too, as the body cannot be rushed. If you are always short, for example, yelling at yourself or a player isn't of much help. In fact it would hinder growth. But simple awareness and then observation of how such-and-such feels, and what the results are, will lead to solid, lasting learning.

EXAMPLES OF AWARENESS COACHING/LEARNING

Let's say a player shoots everything flat and has a low shooting percentage. The awareness questions to ask are "How high are you shooting now?" and "What might you do to shoot higher?" Once the player has some knowledge of the height of her/his shots, then invite him/her to play with the answers to the second question. The player could aim higher with the arm action, one possibility, or the player could jump more strongly to shoot. Also you could notice "when" in the jumping motion (or down-up for a Free Throw) you are shooting. Is it "early," "middle of the jump," or at the "top"? With experimentation, the player will learn that shooting quicker is a simple and powerful way to increase the height of shots. Then play with this instruction -- "Shooting quicker" -- and the player will LEARN about height and how to get it. The major part of the work on improving height can be done by the player, just noticing things, giving precise feedback, and then getting out of his/her own way. Letting the learning happen!!!

(A note about "Letting Go!" It means to stop interfering and give your magical body the freedom to perform what it knows to do. You might ask, then, "How can I do perform with excellence if I don't yet own the skill, don't know how to do it?" One of my mentors put it this way: If you know what to do, then "LET IT HAPPEN!" If you don't know what to do, "LET IT LEARN!" The magic is in the "LETTING...")

YOUNG KIDS ESPECIALLY

Kids should be coached and encouraged to work on their own on their shots all year long. These are the developmental years, so allow them to try new things throughout the season. Teach them to be responsible (able to respond) for their own learning! That's what's so powerful about the Swish videos, THEY TEACH KIDS TO COACH THEMSELVES! It's in the "practice" that they're going to develop themselves more than in the few and far-between coaching sessions. Coaching can get them started beautifully, but it's in the follow up (and repetition with awareness) that they'll learn the most. And, coaches, don't worry about losing games! Skill development for your players is much more important at the younger ages.

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I asked a few coach friends to give me their comments on this subject, and their input is included below.

"Like you, Tom, I believe there is no time like the present to work on and improve a player's shot. The old chestnut that you don't want to play around with a player's stroke during season should have gone out with the two-handed set shot!

"Golfers continually work and refine their swings; there is no reason why shooters should "wait" until the off-season to maintain and refine form and technique.

"The great players always want information and look for ways to get the slightest edge. Coaches need to have the courage to provide this information and not be worried about the chance it might cost a game along the way.

"The other poignant point in this discussion/debate is when is it a good time to make change and work on technique? In Australia, the basketball "season" never seems to end, and in the US, the advent of endless AAU tournaments leave little time to wait until there is a spare 3 months period in the coaching calender.

"It is a similar argument to not changing a player's shot once they have reached a certain age. This is such an important skill, why would any coach not want to provide players of any age or experience with information and knowledge to improve in this area?"

- - Peter Lonergan, NITCP Head Coach, Basketball New South Wales, Australia

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"Tom, I believe every year we could benefit from going back and getting brushed up on the raw basic fundamentals of shooting to help keep our shooting in top form and keep accurate and, hopefully, improve. I have found from my own experience in life, that sometimes when I have done something so long, I do tend to neglect certain "small" things that can add up to a big difference. If I stay on top of those "small" things, I can be more successful. I would recommend that sometime during the year, players go back to the elementary basics and start from scratch and work their way back to where they are at to keep from ignoring something that may make a big difference in their shot."

- - Tommy Huneycutt (Tommy's Playbook website:

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"Just a quick thought here ... I think the age and experience of the players is a big factor. Assuming the player is advanced and needs only refinement, then, yes, you work on the shot, but don't overhaul it, because winning in the short term is too important (like on a college team).

"However, taking that mentality to anything under HS varsity does a great disservice to the kids. Can you imagine a high school C team coach, for instance, not wanting to change a player's shooting form just to protect his W/L record? First, the whole point of youth sports is to prepare players for higher level play. The sooner the better for fixing shooting form. If your subject player doesn't change ASAP, he may never be ready for varsity play. If his performance in the C team level hurts his team (by missing a few shots, I guess), then that is a very small price to pay.

"Second, the longer you wait to change form, the harder it is to train new habits. Even when you can prove to a high school player that a form change is beneficial, when the pressure is on, he will resort to old habits. Only the exceptional students of the game will willingly change their fundamental habits when they are older."

- Steve Jordan, Coaches Notebook

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"My thoughts on how kids are training are very similar to what Bob Bigelow (bobbigelow.com) has been saying (Ed. note: Steve, Bob and I met this fall in Massachusetts; Bob is an expert in Youth Sports and how they could more effectively be coached). So much time is devoted to game preparation and conditioning ... and so little time is being spent on developing players' skills. Kids are playing too many games and not enough time is being spent on just shooting a basketball. How many kids today go outside and shoot for an hour everyday?

"I recently did a clinic for a youth basketball team, and after I was finished my with my skills segment, the coach had them go right into a game. Just running up and down the court throwing shots from everywhere. Shooting is a skill, an art, and a science which needs to be worked on everyday. There's nothing more satisfying than shooting at the park or in your driveway and swishing shot after shot.

"I sympathize with youth coaches today. The youth sports system puts so much emphasis on winning games that it doesn't allow for coaches to spend the needed time on fundamentals such as shooting. Our kids can run 4-5 offensive plays and zone trap, but they can't hit a free throw.

"Some suggest blowing up the system ... but that's probably not realistic. I suggest working to improve the system. Traditionally town travel teams practice a couple times a week and play games on the weekend. Parents should consider basketball skill and shooting coaches to supplement their kids practice schedule. Working with a coach will focus them more on developing their skills than on winning basketball games.

"And for the kids who might have been cut from an AAU or travel team, they can now gain an advantage by working with a coach who helps them develop their skills."

- - Steve Smith (basketball coach at Forekicks, a Golf and Indoor Sports Complex in Norfolk, Massachusetts)

Tom Nordland is a shooting expert and coach from California via Minnesota. His videos, coaching and writings are inspiring a Renaissance (a rebirth, a revival) in shooting around the world as players and coaches are taught the things that really matter in shooting. A great shooter as a youth, Tom was given a gift of seeing shooting like few have ever seen it. He sees the “essence” of great shooting and how to get there. The good news is that it’s very simple. The few great shooters of today and yesterday mastered simple things, not complicated motions. Improved shooting is now possible for everybody in the game, and mastery is available to those who sincerely dedicate themselves to it. Visit Tom’s website (http://www.swish22.com/) to read of his background and his articles and newsletters, and to view the remarkable endorsements and amazing testimonials for this approach to shooting.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/416647

Basketball Shooting: How We Learn

Recently I had a chance to coach a group of kids in two sessions, two to three weeks apart. When we had some competitive games during the second session, I could see that some had really started to incorporate the new teaching into their shots and others had not. I could see where the shot breaks down after some learning has taken place. Of course it's because old habits are hard to break and some had done more practice than others. But I thought to comment on what I feel can be done to keep the new learning up front rather than slipping into the background.

DISTANCE, SPEED, PRESSURE TOO SOON, MISS A COUPLE

If students move back in distance too far too quickly, the shot will break down and old habits will reappear. If the speed of the shot gets too far beyond a comfortable, slow-at-first "learning" pace, the shot will break down. If pressure is applied too soon and they're not highly confident in the new stroke, the old will take over. If they miss a couple of shots with the newly learned shot, some players will lose confidence.

This stuff takes time to learn to the point where it becomes the dominant "habit," so make sure you know (or your players know) to go easy on oneself. Relax. This stuff takes time! But there is a way to "be" with this process that will help accelerate the learning and trust.

DON'T BE OVERLY FOCUSED ON PERFORMANCE

As human beings, our focus on results, on what's called "performance," is usually so great we will sacrifice everything to get it. And the funny thing is, by trying so hard to get the end result, it actually makes it harder, it sabotages what we want. It often eludes us because you don't get development if all you focus on is the result. Instead work on feel and observation.

AWARENESS WORKS

Awareness of what we do (what could also be called "feel") and feedback of how things are happening is how the body knows what it is doing relative to a goal, and from that feedback loop it develops. Awareness in a physical sport like basketball occurs in the present moment and is a physical feeling, not a thought. Our wishing and hoping for results are thoughts -- they exist in the mental domain. They're about the future (what you want, what you're hoping for) and about the past (past failures or successes), but not about the present. If you are consumed with performance, you will be in the mind and not the body.

But our bodies need to be present -- what we could call "in the body" -- in order for us to create and sustain high performance. It's like a "Catch 22." You can't get there by focusing solely on performance.

PERFORMANCE CAN BE AN "INTENTION" RATHER THAN A "GOAL"

In my training to be a golf coach, my mentors and fellow coaches and I often talked about the difference between an Intention and a Goal. Here's what I've come to understand. They may seem like the same thing, but there is a difference. Let me go through a scenario to explain it (and I realize these are just my definitions of these terms).

A GOAL is something we want and we strive to get. We usually work to find a way to make it happen. We might want to kick a soccer ball into the goal or bowl a strike, or we could have a goal to put a basketball into a basket from certain spots on the floor. With this goal in mind, we then "try" hard to get it. We kick the soccer ball with our leg in a specific fashion, or we roll the bowling ball down the alley with a certain spin, or we use all of our physical stuff to send the basketball up toward and, hopefully, into the basket. We try to manipulate our experience with this end goal in mind.

An INTENTION is softer than a Goal! It implies that there is a result we want (like the goal, to put the ball into the basket), but it is achieved by sense of "Letting Go," not by trying or trying harder. It assumes that the body knows how to do things and the more we "let" the body free to do its thing, the more likely the result will be accomplished. It can be scary at first, this idea of Letting Go to get the most effective results, but once you've seen how effectively and naturally it works, it will be something you'll keep coming back to and wanting to recreate.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

If you find yourself oscillating back and forth between your old shot and your new possibility, here's a way to approach it that's more powerful than just "trying" to fix things. Remember that Trying doesn't work! (Reminder: by "Trying" I mean the extra, non-helpful things we do in our attempt to make something happen. As Yoda put it (something like this) in Star Wars when he was coaching Luke Skywalker, "Do or do not do; there is no try!"

INCREASE AWARENESS OF THE TWO DIFFERENT SHOTS

Intentionally shoot your "old" way. Then intentionally shoot the "new" way. Compare them, contrast them. Remember that awareness is always helpful, it is the master tool for learning. And doing more of it can't screw you up. Only when you "know" something like a shot motion fully and intimately can you choose to do it in a different way, what's called "Learning."

Observe your old shot, with "quality" awareness. Welcome it, love it just the way it is. You don't want it to continue, but it is a part of you, it's how you survived in that activity, doing the best you could at the time. Now you know of new possibilities, but the old can't be erased that fast. The more you experience and understand what you've been doing, the more quickly you can abandon it and more forward.

STRETCH YOUR EXPERIENCE / EXAGGERATION, EXTREMES

Stretching your experience will help. For example, let's say you want to change the location of your Set Point from it being "way overhead" to a position with the back of the ball more near the front of your head. Besides just paying attention to feel it, consider exaggerating it. Take it further back than normal and then take it back more in front. Position it higher than normal and lower. Take it more to the right, more to left. Shoot with those different starting points. Can you feel these different positions? If you can, the expanded awareness you now have will give clearer and clearer feedback, which leads to greater and quicker learning.

Then observe your new shot with that same level of awareness. How do the two strokes differ? Where do they differ? When do they differ? Which feels more comfortable or effortless? Which produces the best results? The more you know physically (and mentally), the better. The new stroke should give more effective results or there is no reason to switch to it. So let's assume that's the case.

Once you feel exactly what's happening with body, ball and target, you're ready to "choose" the new shot. It will give you all the benefits you want. If it still eludes you, slow the motion down more and more until you become more "super" aware. Then the learning will be stronger and the time to learn to trust the new shot will shorten.

DON'T JUST KEEP SHOOTING HOPING FOR BETTER RESULTS

If you find yourself getting lost in results -- and doing anything and everything you can to try to get them -- stop!!! Doing the same thing over and over expecting (or hoping for) different results is the definition of insanity, as described by writer Rita Mae Brown. If you catch yourself doing that, stop, and then start over. Shoot and truly observe what happens! Review the principles you're working with and repeat the progression you learned that empowers the new stroke. Watch yourself shoot now and see if the new stoke holds. If it fails and the old shot reappears, stop again and start over again. Your body and mind are magnificent. They won't keep doing something you don't want to do unless you get lost and stop feeling, stop being aware.

GAMES AND PRESSURE SITUATIONS -- BUILD INTO SLOWLY

Remember that in the pressure of competition is not the place to learn a new stroke. It needs to be approached in a non-threatening practice environment first and then in practice game situations before you will truly trust it under "real" pressure. If you have a coach, tell him or her, or tell teammates that you're working on a new stroke and you want to test it under pressure but you know it may go awry. Ask them to be patient with you. (You can reciprocate with your teammates when they are working on new things.) With that approval, if it's appropriate, then you can really "go" for it and let go of attachment to results.

The freedom to fail will help you break through to a new level. Expect to miss a bunch of times when you first expose the new stroke to a real (or imagined) pressure situation. Breakdowns are inevitable, but with practice and patience, very soon the new shot will become trusted, will become the automatic response and you're on your way.

INTENTIONS AND AWARENESS

Remember, you are in control of this! Your intentions are driving you. Your awareness and feedback system are the tools. But you have to get and stay awake to your experiences!

Tom Nordland is a shooting expert and coach from California via Minnesota. His videos, coaching and writings are inspiring a Renaissance (a rebirth, a revival) in shooting around the world as players and coaches are taught the things that really matter in shooting. A great shooter as a youth, Tom was given a gift of seeing shooting like few have ever seen it. He sees the “essence” of great shooting and how to get there. The good news is that it’s very simple. The few great shooters of today and yesterday mastered simple things, not complicated motions. Improved shooting is now possible for everybody in the game, and mastery is available to those who sincerely dedicate themselves to it. Visit Tom’s website (http://www.swish22.com) to read of his background and his articles and newsletters, and to view the remarkable endorsements and amazing testimonials for this approach to shooting.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/439022

NBA At It Again!

Originally published February 01, 2007

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la méme chose!"

This is a French saying that says, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." I thought of this as I watched the first two evenings of the new NBA season last week, the beginning of the 2006-2007 season. I was kind of naively hoping I'd see better shooting. With everything so new, and new arrangements of teams, new rookies, coaches changing, I thought perhaps another summer of shooting practice might improve the level of shooting in the League.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!

NEW SEASON ... SAME OLD MISSED SHOTS!

Missed shots and missed Free Throws were as evident as ever. Most of the players, obviously, hadn't been spending time during the off season looking for shooting help. Does anyone even care any more?

I made a spreadsheet of the Free Throw and 3-Pt shooting for each of the 30 teams that played in the first 15 games of the year. It was pretty revealing. (I wish they had a statistic for non-3's taken from, say, 5 feet away or further. That would really shock people. Including dunks and layups and tip-ins with outside field goals confuses the issue. Take away the easy ones and the Bigs -- and the League -- would be pretty embarrassed by their stats for outside shots.)

71.7% FROM THE LINE, 31.5% FOR 3'S

Overall in these 15 games, the teams averaged 71.7% from the line and 31.5% from the 3-pt arch.

FREE THROWS 71.7%:

For the Free Throws, the team performances went from a low of 50% (Cleveland shooting 15 for 30 in a win, if you can believe it, against the Wizards) up to 92% (Philadelphia making 23 of 25 against Atlanta, who shot a nifty 19 for 22 themselves, 86.4%).

I don't know how 71.7% stands relative to previous years, but it's pretty poor in my book. For players as gifted as these guys, who play as much as they play, to make fewer than 3 out of 4 is disappointing, to say the least. Maybe these days 72% is considered "pretty good," but in the old days it would be considered mediocre. Further broken down, 13 teams shot 70% or lower, and 5 teams shot 60% or lower.

Here are the box scores for the worst 13 performances from the line:

13 for 22

Tom Nordland is a shooting expert and coach from California via Minnesota. His videos, coaching and writings are inspiring a Renaissance (a rebirth, a revival) in shooting around the world as players and coaches are taught the things that really matter in shooting. A great shooter as a youth, Tom was given a gift of seeing shooting like few have ever seen it. He sees the “essence” of great shooting and how to get there. The good news is that it’s very simple. The few great shooters of today and yesterday mastered simple things, not complicated motions. Improved shooting is now possible for everybody in the game, and mastery is available to those who sincerely dedicate themselves to it. Visit Tom’s website (http://www.swish22.com) to read of his background and his articles and newsletters, and to view the remarkable endorsements and amazing testimonials for this approach to shooting.