I dislike the term "back to fundamentals" because we don't ever leave fundamentals. After this week's practices, we need to spend more time on basic shooting. Frankly, struggling with players shooting the ball correctly is better than having more success with poor form.
Coaches at every level are frustrated by an inefficient offense, especially from a low shooting percentage. Finding solutions demands a dual track - focus on better form (form begets function) and better shots.
Shot selection. Every player should know not only what is a good shot for them but for each teammate. Quality shots come on balance, in rhythm, in range, and not closely guarded.
Range and shot selection. You build range from the inside out. But you also have to work on developing a variety of 'game shots', coming off screens, shooting off the dribble, and finding basketball moves that will create separation to get you to your finish.
More on mechanics. Have ten toes to the rim. Kevin Eastman has a saying, "Eyes make layups and feet make jumpshots."
The dominant foot should be slightly ahead of the non-dominant foot. I was taught to have shoulders square to the basket, but an equally valid theory has the lead shoulder in front. Both elbows should be in, "squeezed" together. The guide hand is on the side of the ball but not pushing the shot, and the ball should rest on the finger pads, not the palms. The arc of the basketball (scientifically) is optimized at 53 degrees and 3 Hz (revolutions per second). This has been proven with basketball 'shooting machines'.
Power (distance shooting) comes from your legs.
Targeting. Pete Maravich discovers targeting in the third video.
Appropriate warmup. Few things make me as crazy as seeing players come out to "warm up" their shot by shooting perimeter shots.
Steph Curry shows both concentration and technique shooting what I call 'flips'.
You need to have enough separation to get your shot off. But Redick starts his workout by making 25 layups from each side to cement his form.
Form shooting helps "purify" your shot. What it does is lay down myelin around neural "highways" in the brain making your action quicker and more reproducible.
Elena Della Donne has the highest Player Efficiency Rating in professional basketball history. The narrator discusses the 1-2 (versus the 'hop'), and Della Donne's technique involving the turn (shoulder in front), dip (of the ball), and sway.
We're going to devote half of next week's Monday practice to shooting mechanics and shooting development.
