The 11 sins of shooting

Keep these 11 tips in mind when teaching players about best practices for shooting.

1. Don’t have both hands on the ball at the moment of release.

2. Don’t shoot without having the index finger of your shooting hand on the center of the ball.

3. Don’t release the ball until the shooting-arm elbow is directly under the center of the ball.

4. Don’t pull back the shooting forearm before the ball reaches the basket.

5. Don’t drop the shooting arm below the forehead. The shooting-arm bicep shouldn’t be near the ear after the shot. The shooting arm should be located at about a 50-degree angle to the floor.

6. Don’t have a floppy or swaying wrist after a shot is released.

7. Don’t bend fingers (check for knuckles) or point the shooting-hand fingers toward the floor.

8. Don’t let the guide hand and thumb face the basket after the shot. Hold the guide hand almost motionless.

9. Don’t have soft or closed fingers after the shot. Keep the shooting hand’s fingers firm and wide.

10. Don’t have too much movement of the body’s joints. The firmer the joints, the more consistent the release. Only three joints should bend (four, if you include the raised toes). The knee, elbow and wrist should all bend almost immediately at the same time.

11. Don’t shoot the ball with a flat arc. If the ball hits hard off the inside back of the rim, then the shot is flat.