I Teach Players to Coach Themselves and Others in Shooting!

A big part of what I do as a shooting coach is to ... "Teach people to coach themselves and others!" The "Self-Coaching" part of that is huge.

It's one thing to teach people what they're "supposed" to do and then judge them on how well they do it. It's another to teach them to "know" what they're doing and where they want to get (the most effective way to perform an action, for example) and how to get there. Once they "know," then they can coach themselves. They reach a state of awareness where they know what works and what doesn't work. They have a sense of all the possibilities, not just the one action you (or they) think they "should" know.

In the teaching I got from my golf mentors, I learned that when you can "distinguish" an action (definition: to perceive or know the difference in; to characterize; to perceive clearly; to make a distinction, a distinction being the act of making or keeping something distinct or unmistakable), then you are free to self-correct, free to coach oneself, free to learn...

IT'S IN THE PRACTICE!

It's in the practice of a skill where kids will become great at anything. It's not in games, though occasionally breakthroughs can occur there. Rather it's in the hours spent, often by oneself, working on things, that the greatest development occurs. A lot of people are aware that parents these days are too involved with their kids activities, trying to help them achieve things faster and greater. One of the results from that is too many games at young ages. As I've written before, if you're always testing yourself to see how good you are (like in games), there's less time to play and develop. It's like pulling a flower up by the roots to see how well it's growing. Games are for performance, not for trying out different things. Failure is less forgiven when score is being kept. A few kids excel under the pressure of constant games, but the vast majority are hurt by it.

The Swish Method is about learning and (self) coaching. Teach kids to make their own distinctions and you teach them to be independent and self-reliant. That's one of my biggest goals. The other is to help train coaches to coach shooting more powerfully, to teach them how to empower kids in the process of finding their own distinctions. For coaches, it starts with them being learners. As in learning, when you can distinguish things as a coach, then you will know how to teach others.

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 (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.

Master the Release When You Practice Shooting!

I often walk down the street to practice shooting at a friend's house who has a basket on his garage facing the street. The driveway is sloped down and out, starting with the rim about 9 feet high under the basket and increasing to 11', 12' and more as you head toward the street I shoot mostly in close, up to 10-12 away because of that.

I'm constantly working on my Release. Even though I have it mastered, I still return to it when I'm shooting. I'm not really "working" on it, but rather I have fun with it and enjoy seeing perfection (or close to it) come from my shot motion.

What I've come to realize is that this is the best shooting practice, working on mastering the simple Release motion. The Release is the "Delivery System." It's what puts the ball into the basket. It's what controls direction (accuracy) and distance. If it's not completely learned and trustworthy, your shooting is always suspect. That's why you see such mediocre shooting these days at all levels, the release motions are not predictable, reliable, repeatable.

FIND YOUR DISTANCE!

The key thing in learning and beginning to master your Release is to find that one distance for you, where, with minimal leg action (and always the same), you can put the ball into the exact center of the basket with medium high arch all day long, perfect swishes! Of course there will be some variation, but most will be swishes and many will be dead center. When you're really "on," you'll be swishing 5, 10, 20 in a row anytime you wish.

I recommend an open stance. I also advocate having the ball in line with your shooting eye, not the ear or shoulder, as some players do it. And I advocate that the Release be an upward pushing action at the same speed and force every time, with relaxed wrist and hand. This is really easy stuff to learn. If it's not "easy," you're probably doing something ineffective.

Align the ball with your shooting eye as you bring the ball to your Set Point (below the eyes for younger players, above the eyes for stronger players), then with a tiny leg action, maybe just a rocking motion or up on the toes, fire off a medium-high Release. Your hand will bounce a little or a lot when the wrist and hand are truly relaxed. (Very young kids can use a little down-up leg action so they have enough power to get the ball up to a couple feet above the rim and more from that close-in distance. Just make it the same leg action every time.)

MOVE UP AND BACK TO FIND THE DISTANCE

Then just move forward or back until you find that perfect distance for a constant Release and a consistent, medium-high shot to dead center. One of the feelings I suggest you seek is that the shot "can't go any further or lesser." It will just come down into the center of the basket.

When you find that special distance for you, with practice you'll find you can make shot after shot after shot, sort of effortlessly. You can close your eyes and do it just about as well. A great exercise is to teach yourself to shoot with your opposite hand and do the same exercise. You'll probably find your "off" hand is weaker and you have to come closer by a few inches or a foot or more.

This is joyful stuff. Swishing shot after shot on command shows you how awesome your physical body is. Keeping it all simple is important. Shooting CAN be very simple, the basic stuff, that is. Flying, leaping, moving shots are more complicated, and take more coordination and practice. But to just stand there 4', 5', 8' away and just drill shot after shot after shot is relatively easy. Add some leg power and there's a medium-range jumper or free throw. Add a lot of leg power and there's the 3-point shot.

WHEN YOU HAVE A RELEASE...

When you have a Release you can count on that is pretty much on-line every time and which controls distance by simply varying the arch, then you've got something. Then, as you move around the court, you simply add leg power, align the ball with the eye as long as you can as you bring it up to the Set Point (or dip it, if you catch it high), and fire off the Release, varying the arch at the last instant. Swish!!!

The Release is the Delivery System. It puts the ball into the basket. The job of the wrist and hand is simply to cradle the ball and keep it on line with the action of the shooting arm. And remember that the legs power and stabilize the whole thing. Great shooting to you!

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 (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.

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An Object In Motion ...

I had a revelation in 2004 when I was out shooting for fun at a neighbor's basket. The partial thought that came into my head was that "An Object in Motion tends to stay in motion ..." This is an old law of physics we all learn in high school and which came out of the blue these decades later. When I Googled the phrase "Object in motion..." I discovered it's called "Newton's First Law of Motion" and its nickname is "The Law of  Inertia."   The basketball corollary I'd like to add is, "A basketball in motion AND IN LINE WITH A BASKET tends to stay in motion AND IN LINE until acted upon by an outside or unbalanced force."

The point is that the longer and stronger the ball is in motion and in line, the more accurate will be your shooting. The concepts of momentum and inertia explain that. One way to experience this law is to shoot early in the jumping motion (or down-up motion of a free throw or set shot) and see what happens. Most great shooters I've seen shoot on the way up, very early in the body/leg motion. If you hesitate, then you have to re-start the motion from where you stopped or slowed it down (the Set Point usually), and accuracy is more difficult.

PLAY WITH THIS AT A WALL OR WITH A FRIEND

Ideally at a wall that's free from wires, overhangs, doors, windows, etc., shoot in different ways and see what works best. Pick a spot on the wall so you can get a feel for accuracy. Also, have the Set Point in line with the eye, either below the eyes for younger players, or above the eyes for stronger players, and let's assume you're shooting on the way up.

Now bring the ball up in different ways to the Set Point and shoot. Bring it up off line from the right, like up in line with the ear or shoulder, then get it to the Set Point and shoot. Notice how you have to "create" accurate direction from the Set Point and beyond. Now bring it up the left side to the S/P and shoot, noticing the same thing. Now bring it up in line with the shooting eye for as long as possible and shoot. Notice if your accuracy is greater, if it isn't easier to hit the target line.

NOW HESITATE TO SHOOT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS

Now, instead of shooting on the way up, bring the ball to the S/P and HESITATE before shooting and see what happens. Even if you bring the ball up in alignment with eye and basket, notice that you have to CREATE accuracy FROM the Set Point. The momentum, the inertia, gained from shooting in one motion, from the legs and arm action, is lost. You have to start over, and it's easier to push or pull or throw the ball off line.

IT'S NATURAL TO WANT TO DIP THE BALL

If you catch the ball in the general area of the Set Point, it's a natural thing, in my opinion, to want to "dip" the ball down and back up. This is the instinctive way our bodies have to get the object in motion and in line. Shoot some shots from the S/P without dipping and see how your accuracy and consistency are. I'll bet you'll feel kind of lost as far as direction. Sure, you can do this perfectly some of the time, but it's very easy to lose connection with the target. Then shoot again on the way up and see what that feels like and what the result is.

These exercises will teach you the things that matter, and alignment early and long and catching and using the leg muscles early along with any arm dipping will give you superior accuracy and consistency in my book.

Tom Nordland is a shooting expert and coach from California and 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. Read of his background and his articles and newsletters, and to view the remarkable endorsements and testimonials for this approach to shooting.