There Are No Secrets To Successful Free Throw Shooting

by Ronn Wyckoff, Free Throw Master, and Natl. Basketball Shooters Assoc. (NBSA) Secretary & Fo nd!n" Me#ber Beca se we don$t know what we don$t know, #ost coaches and %layers are & st not aware of what #echan!cs #ake for a s ccessf l shot and therefore are not able to translate th!s !nto the!r teach!n" or %ract!c!n". The a"e old attent!on %a!d to feet, elbows, al!"n#ent, etc., are all well and "ood when work!n" w!th 'ery no'!ce %layers. The older and #ore settled !nto techn!( es the shooter beco#es, the less those !ss es are !#%ortant and the #ore deta!ls of #echan!cs and a #ore esoter!c #!ndset r!se !n !#%ortance. Most %eo%le st!ll bel!e'e and ( ote an old a)!o#, *%ract!ce #akes %erfect+, and those coaches and %layers adher!n" to th!s flawed th!nk!n" cont!n e to ad'ocate lots of %ract!ce. Well, lots of %ract!ce !s h!"hly reco##ended, howe'er !t$s how the shooter %ract!ces that w!ll deter#!ne cons!stent s ccess. ,f the #echan!cs that work for a s ccessf l shot are not e#%loyed !n %ract!ce then acc racy w!ll st!ll be h!t-and#!ss (% n !ntended.) Th!s br!n"s to #!nd another old a)!o#, as the def!n!t!on of !nsan!ty, def!ned by Na%oleon /!ll !n h!s book at the t rn of the last cent ry, *Th!nk And 0row R!ch+, "oes to work. /!ll states that, !f we kee% do!n" the sa#e th!n" o'er and o'er a"a!n, e)%ect!n" a d!fferent res lt, we are %ract!c!n" h!s def!n!t!on of !nsan!ty 1 a #odern day *M r%hy$s 2aw+, !f yo w!ll. ,f we kee% do!n" (read, shooting) the way we always ha'e, we kee% ha'!n" the sa#e res lt. Th!s works for both s ccessf l and ns ccessf l shooters. Shoot!n" h ndreds of free throws e'ery week, wh!le e#%loy!n" #echan!cs that del!'er a s ccessf l shot, #eans a shooter w!ll be %ract!c!n" s ccess and b !ld!n" shoot!n" hab!ts that set that shooter a%art fro# the crowd. Why do so#e free throw shooters see# to del!'er an effortless, acc rate shot, wh!le others do not3 2ook at the!r del!'ery #echan!cs and for# for the answer. These shooters shoot !n "a#e t!#e & st as they %ract!ce and beca se they %ract!ce %erfect!on, the!r "a#e t!#e res lts are s ccessf l (o'er 456). 7ery few #!ll!ona!res !n the %ro ranks ha'e free throw %ercenta"es o'er 896. The NBA as a "ro % !s act ally less than ten %ercenta"e %o!nts abo'e the a'era"e h!"h school %layers$. We$re talk!n" a "a% fro# :9-;96 at all le'els of %lay. So, !t be"s to be known why sen!or shooters shoot so # ch better than yo n"er %layers3 ,s older better3 ,s there so#e secret they know that act!'e %layers do not know3 The answers are not co#%le). Sen!ors #ay shoot #ore shots, s%end #ore t!#e e'al at!n" and hon!n" the!r shoot!n" sk!lls. Sen!ors %oss!bly ha'e a

d!fferent %ract!ce eth!c, s%end!n" the t!#e needed to shoot tho sands of shots wh!le d!sco'er!n" what works or doesn$t work, ha'!n" d!sco'ered and %erfected the!r !nd!'!d al techn!( es. To !ll strate th!s, , recently s%ent a weekend co#%et!n" w!th so#e of the best free throw shooters !n the world 1 all o'er the a"e of 59 1 at the World Sen!or 0a#es !n St. 0eor"e, <T. ='er >99 shooters, 59-89 years of a"e, %art!c!%ated and !t took 846 shoot!n" to & st %lace th!rd. (, know, beca se , took the th!rd %lace, #ak!n" 84 of the >99 free throws , atte#%ted.) After the World Sen!or 0a#es Free Throw ?ha#%!onsh!%, , asked @d Aal b!nskas (the w!nner), #y fr!end, #entor, co-fo nder of the NBSA and nar" ably one of the best free throw shooters !n the world 1 what do yo th!nk are the f!'e #ost !#%ortant deta!ls for s ccessf l free throw shoot!n"3 /!s answers (ed!ted) are below. >. ?o#%lete knowled"e of all sc!ent!f!c %r!nc!%les that relate to shoot!n"B C. Mod!fy, rect!fy any bad beha'!or that does not workB D. Eo # st nderstand why yo #!ss any shot and why !t ha%%enedB F. A%%ly all the %!eces !nto one s#ooth o%erat!n" n!t or shoot!n" #echan!s#B 5. Aract!ce t!ll yo reach yo r da!ly "oal - 89G>99, 85G>99, or whate'er, and fro# where'er yo want to !#%ro'e. Ne'er th!nk of #ak!n" the basket. Foc s on key #echan!cs. Aal b!nskas then addedH >. Th!nk stra!"ht. Follow the stra!"ht and narrow %ath and !t w!ll lead yo to St. Aeter who w!ll o%en the %early "ates beca se there are 'ery few % re shooters !n hea'en. C. Ne'er th!nk of #ak!n" the shot. Eo donIt ha'e eno "h t!#e to th!nk of #ak!n" the shot when yo ha'e #ore !#%ortant th!n"s to do - l!ke control the shoot!n" #echan!s# (ar#, hand, f!n"ers, wr!st, etc.) Jnow thyself. D. For"et all the "arba"e abo t foot %lace#ent, and all t rns, d!%s, sways, etc., and th!nk of where the r bber #eets the road. 2e"s donIt #ake baskets. ,f th!s was so, how co#e "er!atr!cs w!th broken h!%s can be %erfect shooters3 F. There # st ne'er be any lateral!ty of #o'e#ent, es%ec!ally !n the f!n"er &o!nts, wr!st and forear#. 5. M!nd o'er #atter, %rocess o'er %rod ct, al%ha o'er o#e"a.

My own %r!nc!%les (#echan!cs), to add here, e'en tho "h there !s so#e red ndancy to @d$s, areH >. W!de-s%read f!n"ers on the ballB C. 0ood body balance thro "ho t the shot and no lateral #o'e#ent of the shoot!n" hand, wr!st, ar#B D. A stra!"ht release fro# the shoot!n" eye to the basket, br!n"!n" the ball back toward the forehead and then % & o tB F. F ll e)tens!on of the shoot!n" ar# and f!n"ers toward the basket wG release of the shotB 5. A shot arc between FC-F5K. So, !f there were secrets, they$d be %ro%er foc s, %ro%er #echan!cs and %erfect %ract!ce of both foc s and #echan!cs. For #ore !nfor#at!on abo t free throw shoot!n" techn!( es, and free throw news, '!s!t the NBSA webs!te, htt%HGGwww.nbsashooters.co#.