The key to improving your shooting accuracy in basketball is muscle control, not necessarily muscle strength. But if you already shoot well, increasing your muscle strength will lead to better shots from far distances and help you create more shooting opportunities. Ask an expert basketball player or coach to show you how to shoot correctly. After you have the basics down, hire a personal trainer to help you design a weight training program to strengthen your muscles.
Weight Training Basics
The goal of weight training is to increase muscle strength as quickly as possible without damaging your muscles or joints. If you are new to weightlifting, try resistance machines, which force you to use proper form. If you're an experienced weightlifter, use free weights, such as barbells and dumbbells, which exercise your muscles along a full range of motion. For each exercise, choose a weight with which you can perform 12 to 15 repetitions. Increase the weight once you can perform more than 15 repetitions to ensure that your workout continually challenges your muscles. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, and allow your muscles to rest for at least a day after a workout.
Arm And Shoulder Muscles
Professional basketball players have powerful arms and shoulders, allowing them to shoot accurately from a distance and at odd angles. Choose exercises that develop your biceps and triceps, which are the chief muscle groups in your arms. Exercises for your biceps include bicep curls, standing rows, hammer curls and chin ups. Triceps exercises include push-ups, overhead triceps extensions and dips. Many of these exercises incorporate your shoulder muscles as well. Shoulder-specific exercises include dumbbell front raises and dumbbell lateral raises. Using a weighted basketball during your practices also develops your shooting muscles.
Core Muscles
Your abdominal and back muscles are important for creating opportunities for shooting. For example, shooting the ball while you are near your opponent's net requires twisting and turning to avoid the hands and bodies of defensive players. If you can move quickly enough, you can dodge your opponents' efforts at defense and take a clear shot. Abdominal exercises include crunches, sit-ups and lunges. Back exercises include squats, lat pull downs, deadlifts and back rows.
Leg Muscles
Good players use their leg muscles to launch their body upward, adding force to the ball and increasing shot distance. Also, increased leg power might help you jump higher to perform dunks. Squats and lunges develop your leg muscles, especially if you hold dumbbells while you perform them. Use resistance machines that exercise specific muscle groups in the calves and thighs. Running while wearing ankle weights also develops leg muscles.
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