free throws

We are in the NCAA National Championship for 2008. I have been watching and seeing that these kids, just like those of my generation, do not know how to shoot free throws.

I am going to let you know the secret of teaching foul shooting.

Part I. Physics

Look at the places in the body, from the floor to the release point, where motion (variation) can take place:

1. toes/toe joints (up to 30 points)
2. ankles (2)
3. knees (2)
4. hips (3)
5. shoulder (1 or 2)
6. elbow (1 or 2)
7. wrist (1 or 2)
8. fingers/finger joints (15 to 30)

The main point, from the point of view of physics, is to reduce the variation at as many as possible of these joints. The problem with most players who have troubles with consistency in free throws is that they learned how to shoot before they were full-grown. In order for kids to get the ball above the basket, they have to use their legs. They just don't have the arm strength to do it any other way.

Unfortunately, old habits die hard. They go on to college (or even the pros) and still habitually use their legs to push the ball up and, as a result, add several points of variation to their free throws, yielding inconsistency.

My goal in re-training these athletes to be more consistent in free throws, is to get them to make every joint from the floor to the shoulder to be almost rigid. That means the joints from the shoulders to fingertips are the only moving parts in the basket-shooting machine. Everything else should be constant.

Part II. The mind.

Many athletes have some weird ideas about shooting free throws, bordering on superstition. Getting control of the mind is at least 80% of the battle to get consistency in free throws.

The first thing I do with an athlete who wants to improve his free throw percentage is to ask him or her to go to the line and take a shot, while I watch what they do. Most of them, knowing I am going to try to teach them what is wrong with their shot, will put all their concentration into it, and make it.

That is what I am hoping for. I say, "OK, you don't need a shot coach. Just do that same thing every time you stand at the line." I ask them to take another shot. Most seem to miss this one. Sometimes, they hit it, and I ask for another, and another, until they miss.

When they miss, I ask them what they did differently, that time.

They never know. But I do. You see, after years of observing young athletes shooting free throws, I am able to see what they do differently from one time to another.

They may breathe differently. They may bounce the ball a different number of times, or not bounce it at all. They may "dance" before they shoot, i.e., step from side to side, or bounce their weight from one leg to another. They may dip their knees or extend their toes. There are literally hundreds of things they can do differently from one time to the next.

It is true that if they do everything exactly the way they did it when it went in, it will go in, again.

There is a very small percentage chance that something else can affect their shot: the air conditioner may go on or off and change the wind resistance; a butterfly may flap its wings in Japan, and that gust of air can move molecules that move molecules that move molecules that ... move molecules that go through the open door to the gym and cause the shot to be blown off course. That is only a possibility, but it is why I do not think it is possible to shoot 100% free throw percentage. As a matter of fact, I only set the bar that I expect from my shooters to be 95%.

There are some things which are not under control of the shooter, but these are few in number, and include differences in the environment. For example, a different kind of backboard or goal than what one is accustomed to, a hostile crowd, etc., or other differences, can affect some shooters. But these things can be zoned out by concentration.

So getting the athlete to learn to concentrate and focus only on the goal and to control the physics of his or her shot, is the key to shooting three throws.