Division 3: Shooter Sets DIII Scoring Record with 89 Points

Yes, this happened.  Yes, I was apart of this.  Yes, I was on the team that lost.  No one mentioned that the other team had only had 7 players, because two of ourguys had gone down with ankle injuries the day before.  Grinnell had a total of 23 players! That being said it was an awesome, exciting game, and I wouldn't take it back for a second.  I learned so much from watching Griffin Lentsch pull 55 shots!  Talk about a shooter, his range was infinite and he always was getting up high on his shot.  Best form on a shot that I have seen in person.  I was the top scorer for my team, but had sixty to go to catch his... pretty ridiculous right?   All seven of our guys were toast after this, but were coming back on monday and going to kick some tail!  Anyways, just wanted to check in, been so busy with basketball haven't had time to post!

Taylor Allan Shooting

I want to take a break from tips on shooting today to refer you to the best shooting expert in the field today.  Taylor Allan has, by far, the best program if you want to learn and increase your shooting ability.  I have been doing his training for a little over two years now.  My results have exploded since I began his program.  I went from barely averaging five points in college to doubling that to ten points.  Now that our main scorer graduated last year my scoring isn't going to skyrocket even more.  The program will challenge you to make shots that are difficult so that when you enter a game  you will be extremely prepared to hit any shot.  Also, he goes into mechanics, strategies, moves, and basically anything you need to become as he calls it a "prolific shooter."  I'm only one of a hundreds that have been positively impacted by his training.  If you want to improve your scoring average than click on this link...Taylor Allan Shooting or you can click on the link on the side.

Basketball Footwork: The 1-2 Step

The 1-2 step is the generic beginning to a basketball set shot.  Basically, I use this whenever I'm faced up against a defender and I'm going to shoot in his face.  To do the 1-2 step you just take your pivot foot and step into your shot.  This means you must step into a balanced position with your feet shoulder width apart.  This cant also be done when you make a move.   You just always have to set your inside foot first.  The outside foot should always be the one that is planted second.  This is key even when you don't make a move.  Now, go get some shooting in at the gym! I know I'm going to, first game tomorrow!

Basketball Footwork: The Drop

    There are two footwork possibilities when your pulling up for a jumpshot in basketball.  First is what I like to call the drop, which is what I'm talking about today.  The drop is my preferred footwork technique when shooting a jumpshot.  Second, is stepping into your shot.  I call that method the step in, and I will talk about that tomorrow.  The drop is an important part of every great shooters repertoire.
    The drop is a very quick and balanced way to get off your shot.   When your performing the drop your goal is to plant your two feet and immediately being your jumpshot.  This can mean pretending to drive by starting to make a move to the hoop, but then dropping into a jump shot.  Or it can mean coming off a screen and dropping right into your shot. In fact, I would recommend using this method if you want to get off a quick shot after coming off a screen.  The drop is an extremely effective, quick way to get off a shot.  One person who uses this method almost everytime is Jimmer Fredette.   In the video below he uses the drop every time he shoots as opposed to the step in. 

Shooting Mechanics: Conclusion/Footwork

     From the feet to the neck, all of these posts on mechanics are important.  However, don't worry if your mechanics aren't entirely perfect.  You are striving for perfection, but in the end feeling comfortable with your shot is just as important.  Even the greatest shooters don't have completely perfect form.  When you do get to the comfortable shot that feels and looks great, then you need to focus on shooting the same way everytime.  All the great shooters always have the same motion when they pull up to shoot, no matter if it's from 20 feet or 30 feet.  This brings me to the next important part of shooting, footwork.      
    You may have heard many people say that Kobe has the best footwork in the NBA.  The first time I heard this I was confused as to how that could make him a better shooter or scorer.  It turns out footwork has huge importance in shooting.  Footwork includes how you approach your shot such as, dropping into your shot as opposed to stepping into your shot.  My next posts will continue with shooting footwork.  These posts will include what footwork to use, when, and how to use it to your advantage.

Shooting Mechanics: Neck

Yup, the neck.  It's actually important when your shooting a basketball.  This neck being in an incorrect position is a common problem.  I often see shooters cocking their necks when they go up for a shot.   However, you want your neck to be in a straight line with your spine for a few reasons.  One, this means less movement of the eyes when your elevating to shoot your shot.  Two, cocking the neck often means your looking at the ball, not the hoop, when your shooting.  Different people have different preferences on where they want to look when they shoot.  The best places to look are generally the front of the rim, the back of the rim, or even just at the hoop in general.  However, you don't ever want to look at the ball when your shooting.  Third, this can throw off the balance of your body.  You can practice enough and make it feel balanced if your neck is cocked, but it's much better to just avoid the problem altogether.  Therefore, try to keep the neck straight as much as possible and you can avoid all of these problems. Also, I haven't posted a video in awhile so I wanted to drop one on a player I greatly admire.  Deron Williams is not only a phenominal shooter, but an amazing athlete, passer, and dribbler.

Shooting Mechanics: Finishing the Shot

The chain of power from starting from your foot has now reached your hand.  Following through unleashes all of the power that has built through your body.  First, as you may have known, you must flick your wrist.  As every coach says, "finger in the cookie jar".  Pretend like your young again and all you want is that last cookie.  You got to seriously reach in to get that cookie!  Second, you want the ball to roll off your index finger.  This is how your hand aims toward the hoop.  You should finish with that index finger pointing at the hoop.  Remember, the key to a great follow through is to get in that cookie jar and have that ball roll off the index finger!