7 Tips To Improve Your Shooting Mechanics

Are you ready to transform your shooting? Then you’ve first got to go back to the basics and focus on the mechanics of your shot. You can use these 7 basketball shooting tips to start shooting the rock even better:

Keep Your Eyes On the Target

Many players will focus on the flight of the ball. Don’t. Find the target as early as you can, and keep your eyes focused on that.

Pay Attention To Your Balance and Your Stance

Your feet need to be shoulder-width apart. Your knees should be slightly bent.

If you like a stance that’s more open, then your shooting foot should be forward and your non-shooting foot trailing behind. If you like a stance that’s more square, then both of your feet should be facing the basket.

Analyze Your Grip

Your fingers need to be spread apart enough to balance the basketball in just one hand, and the ball should sit right on your finger pads. Leave a bit of space between your palm and the ball.

Give Smooth Delivery

When you shoot, the ball should start going right up with no dipping. Your elbow needs to be right under the ball, and your shooting hand needs to be in direct line to the rim.

The ball needs to stay in front of you and should not go behind your head at all. Your body should release all with the shot: your legs, your core, and your arm all coordinated with one graceful movement. Your elbow and wrist should expand in a straight line to the basket.

Pay Attention To Your Upforce

Make sure the ball is released before you reach the top of your jump. Your legs generate upforce, so use them! You should always land in the same spot that you left.

Improve Your Follow Through

Your wrists need to be very relaxed, and your fingers need to be pointed at where you shot the ball. You should be able to see your fingers at the top of the backboard. Make sure you hold this position until the ball hits the target.

Always Correct Your Shot

It’s easy to slip into bad habits. And the more you do a bad habit, the deeper ingrained it becomes in your mechanics. If you see a problem with your mechanics, then work on fixing it immediately. It’s the only way you’ll avoid turning one mistake into a bad habit

Training Tips For Proper Ball Handling

Here are a number of important points that will lead to better and more efficient ball handling:

1. Spread the fingers wide and make your hand as big as possible. This gives you more coverage and control on the basketball. It also allows your finger pads to maintain contact with the ball and keeps the ball out of the palm of your hand.

2. Dribble the ball as hard as possible. The longer the ball is in the air, the more exposed it is to the defender. By dribbling the ball hard, it stays in your hand longer and gives you more control.

3.Protect the ball at all times. Keep your free arm in an "arm bar" position; with your elbow bent and your forearm flexed and in front of the ball. Many defenders will not attempt to steal the ball or try to disrupt your dribble if you are protecting the ball.

If the defender does attempt to disrupt your dribble while you are protecting it, the defender has no access to the basketball and will get out of position when trying to get a steal or deflection. Also, the defender might pick up a cheap foul trying to come through your arm bar.

4. Keep your eyes up. See the floor. This gives you opportunities to see double teams coming and time to make the quick pass to avoid traps. You will see open teammates and be able to get them the ball at the appropriate time. This also allows you to fake out defenders with your eyes, which can freeze help-side defenders and allow you a clearer path to the basket on dribble penetration.