(This is from my experience: I am not an expert)
- Do not shoot with two hands
Many people I see shoot and chuck the ball with two hands. This causes the ball to go everywhere and is very inaccurate. This girl on the right is shooting it incorrectly. You can tell that she plans to shoot with the fingertips of both her hands and power it forward. This is not correct.
The right form should look like the ball is under one hand that is bent at a 90-degree angle. If you are right-handed, you should have the ball in your right hand. If you are left, then you should have the ball in the left. It should look like your other arm is supporting the ball for balance. The picture on the left is an example of good form.
-90 degree angle on arm
-left arm supporting ball
-not shooting with two hands -arm is not centered too much to the left or right
2. Jumping Forward
Another thing I see a lot is jumping forward. Jumping forward can actually affect your shot a lot. One reason why you may be jumping forward is that you are chucking the ball from a far distance, or you are not using your arm as much as your legs. The best thing to do while shooting is to jump straight up and have a strong enough arm to shoot the ball from a far distance. This will take a lot of practice, but you’ll get used to it if you work hard enough.
3. Following through
Following through is also very important. According to http:/drdishbasketball.com, “It is necessary for developing a fluid shot and building muscle memory. Holding your follow-through also ensures that your shooting motion does not end early. If your shot ends early it can slow down your shooting motion, which can negatively affect your range, ball rotation, and accuracy.”
One thing you may notice in NBA follow-through photos is that the ring and middle finger are slightly lower than all the other fingers. The two fingers are an indication that you are shooting correctly.
(All photos show the NBA players having two fingers lower than the rest)
4. Body Alignment
Body alignment is very important. The ball should not be too much toward the left or toward the right. If the ball is favoring one side, the ball will probably head in the opposite direction or to the left more. Wherever the ball moves, it will not be accurate unless it is lined up with your shooting arm.
5. Height
The height of the ball when shooting is indicates important information about your form as well. If the ball is too high then you are probably shooting upwards with the ball. if the ball is barely getting in the rim, then you are probably pushing your ball flatly. In this picture, I would try to resemble the green line the most. The blue is a bit too high, but I would understand if it were that high for a half-court shot.
6. Stance
When shooting, you don’t want to have your knees to be touching each other or being your feet being too far out. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and your feet should be in a slightly staggered stance, meaning that your shooting hand’s foot should be slightly forward and your other foot a little bit back. You should also have a straight back and your legs bent.
That’s the end of the article! Don’t forget to aim!
Haha, surprisingly those work pretty well at times!