The importance of shooting in the game of basketball has never been a question. Perhaps now more than ever, though, the NBA is dependent on the rippling influence of marksmanship. With a growing majority of defensive systems intent on going under ball-screens and overloading the strong side of the floor to limit dribble penetration, good shooters have never been so valuable to constructing effective offense.
Basketball is a copycat game, and coaches at all levels across the globe look to the principles applied in its best league for guidance. So why not learn to shoot as best you can? The folks at I Love Basketball make doing so look easy with an awesome instructional video that’s sure to have you knocking down trey after trey in no time.
At several different points in the video, Coach Rocky says that there’s no right or wrong way to shoot a basketball on the whole. What’s most important, he says, is that a motion and the resulting shot is consistent. That instruction couldn’t be more accurate. Reggie Miller’s stroke pales in comparison to Ray Allen’s aesthetically, but that hardly means one is better than the other – they’re just different. And as long as the ball finds the net at an acceptable clip (which varies upon age and skill level, of course), a shooting motion that doesn’t look textbook is hardly of consequence.
Coach Rocky goes through several drills of varying difficulty used to hone your shot, too. All players would be helped by the “perfect shooting” exercises, and those at an advanced level can incorporate slick dribble moves like the “Hardaway crossover” before further sharpening their jumper.
I Love Basketball’s video is full of useful information, but it won’t be worthwhile unless applied on a consistent basis. The best shooters work every day by taking hundreds and hundreds of jump-shots. And if you do that under the guidance of Coach Rocky and I Love Basketball, you’ll surely be able to count yourself among them.
(Video via ILoveBasketballTV)
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