Free throws should be one of the easiest shots in basketball, but often the free throw seems like a lost art. The release of the free throw shot is one of the biggest keys to being successful in your attempt. It is important for a free throw release to follow good form across the body and be capable of being consistently duplicated.
Shooting Hand and Arm
The shooting hand on a free-throw release should finish high with your fingers spread and pointing down as far as possible, like the hand is reaching in a cookie jar. The arm should be fully extended up in the air above the head. Some shooters take an out-motion with the shot, but finishing up and out is more desirable on a free throw because unlike the jump shot form, you will not be moving your feet, therefore you need to get as much arc as you can from your form.
Guide Hand
Your guide hand should remain close to the release point and be in the same position it was during the entire shooting motion. The fingers should point up and the hand should stay still as your shooting hand pushes the ball through and follows through on the shot. The guide hand should not move forward or to the side, meaning it should not push, help or change the shot in any way.
Feet and Knees
In the free-throw motion, you should be on the balls of your feet with your knees slightly bent. As you release the ball, your knees should straighten and you should rise up on your toes. This allows you to stay balanced and to get your lower body involved in the shot, but not enough to throw off your form. This gives you more strength and support with your free throw for instances when you might be fatigued.
Eyes and Head
Your eyes and head should stay locked on the target during the entire shooting motion, including the release point. Your head and eyes should not move or jerk in any direction because movements like that can throw off the accuracy of the shot. The website Coach's Clipboard notes that you should continue to focus on the basket on the release and not follow the ball or the flight of the ball. This means that you should watch the basket until the ball hits the rim or goes in and do not watch the shot after you release it. Tracking the ball can lead to jerking the head off target, which will affect your accuracy.
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