Perfect Shooting Form
Great NBA shooters including Kobe Bryant, JJ Reddick, Stephen Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant demonstrate perfect shooting mechanics in the video below.
Their perfect technique is the result of years of practice, taking hundreds of shots per day.
You will notice some small differences in their mechanics including release point, but pay very close attention to the following fundamentals that they, and all great shooters, have in common:
- Square Shoulders: Notice how their shoulders and feet are square to (or facing) the basket as they shoot (not sideways). And they stay square throughout the shot (no twisting).
- Eyes on the Target: Notice how their eyes stay focused on their target throughout the shot. Even in the clips from actual games, with defenders and hands in their face, their eyes remain focused on the target.
- Shooting Elbow In: Their shooting elbow stays in as they raise up for the shot (not sticking out to the side).
- Ball Rests on Fingertips: Kobe and JJ Reddick talk about this specifically. Great shooters hold the ball comfortably in their fingertips (not in palm of their hands).
- Jump in the air: All of the great shooters in the video jump in the air when they shoot. Some jump higher than others. Kobe and JR Smith for example, elevate higher than Dirk Nowitzki (who is 7 feet tall), but they all use their legs and jump providing both rhythm and power.
- Loose Wrist/Wrist Snap/Follow Through: Watch the wrist action for all of these great shooters. Notice how their wrist stays very loose and how they snap their wrist at the top of their jump to release to ball. This wrist action generates the tight backspin rotation that all great shooters have. It also allows them to shoot with great touch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcEV62TxQ_Y
