No two jump shots -- or the basketball players who shoot them -- are exactly alike, but all players can improve the consistency of their jump shot by executing simple shooting mechanics. To get consistent results from their shots, players must consistently perform the same shooting routine, regardless of fatigue or their defenders. Players who consistently and successfully shoot a jump shot are a constant threat to score, as well as valuable assets to the team.
Step 1
Prepare to fire your shot quickly and accurately by setting your feet and aligning your body in a proper shooting stance before the ball arrives. Plant the foot on your non-dominant side with toes pointing toward the basket, and keep the foot on your shooting hand staggered just behind, ready to step into the shot. Square your hips and shoulders to the basket in line with your planted foot, and raise your hands in front of your chest, presenting a target for the teammate who is passing you the ball.
Step 2
Catch the ball in your balanced stance with your hands in front of the body, and then raise the ball into a shooting position as you elevate to shoot. Lift your elbow and keep it aligned with your shoulder, but do not swing your elbow or the ball out to the side. This horizontal movement, instead of the efficient, straight-line motion toward the basket, increases the odds your shot will miss to the left or to the right.
Step 3
Utilize the strength in your legs to create the arc on your shot. From your balanced stance with feet slightly staggered, jump straight up in the air in a powerful but controlled motion. At the highest point of your jump, release the shot and land on the ground in a vertical motion, instead of leaning forward toward the basket or fading away to the side or backward. Falling forward or backward increases the likelihood that the shot will fall off the front or back of the rim, while fading to the side increases the chances your shot will miss left or right. As you create more arc on your shot, you will improve your chances of getting a "shooter's bounce" off the rim, even if your shot doesn't initially swish through the net.
Step 4
Release the ball and follow through on the shot using a quick, efficient motion that will direct the ball straight to the basket. At the point of release, your elbow should be at approximately eye level, with the palm of your shooting hand underneath -- but not touching -- the ball, facing toward the hoop. Use your non-dominant hand as a guide, held in a perpendicular angle to your shooting hand. Flick your wrist and feel the ball spin off the middle two fingers on your shooting hand, which should snap downward after the release of the ball on the follow-through, as if drawing the arc the ball will travel to the basket.
Step 5
Remember exactly how your body felt on a successful jump shot. Repeat that motion over and over again. As you practice the proper mechanics of shooting, your body will become more comfortable with those motions and turn them into muscle memory. When you attain muscle memory, shooting in the pressure-packed environment of a game will feel smooth and instinctive, and you won't have to think about how to shoot properly .
Tips and Warnings
- Know the spots on the floor from which you feel most comfortable and effective shooting the ball, and then look for shots from those specific areas in games. Whether your sweet spot is in the lane, at the elbow of the free-throw line, on the wing or in the corner, focus on those shots first. Then add to your range.
- Don't focus exclusively on shooting from three-point range. An effective three-point shot is a valuable asset to any team, but it should not be the only shot in a player's arsenal. Practice shots from close range, medium range and long range in equal proportion to make yourself a total package as a shooter.
Member Comments