March/April 2019 - 15

The 12 sins of shooting
1. Don't have both hands on the ball at the
By Ed Palubinskas, contributing writer
8. Don't let the guide hand and thumb face 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.
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.
12. Don't believe you can't be a great shooter or
scorer. Shooters are developed through practicing
perfect principles.
Practicing shot selection with
shooting machines
Coaches can create separate drills in each of
the shooting zones. Have players line up in one of
the zones, and use your shooting machine to feed
passes to the players in line. Instruct players how
you want them to attack the basket or defender to
create a scoring opportunity.
'D' shots
The D area is catch-and-shoot space, not a dribble
area. We want our 3-point shots to come in rhythm and
uncontested. On an aggressive closeout or fly-by, we shot
fake and relocate for a D shot. We also drive to bring help,
creating offense for others.
We create D shots through transition; inside-outside
feeds from the post; deliveries from the C-area; and off
of single, double or staggered screens. We also use outof-bounds
plays, off sets for 3-point shooters, fill from
behind on dribble-drive, and pick-and-pop action.
The game plan
Our priority is to attempt and make as many A shots as
possible in each game. We follow by looking for B shots,
and then D shots.
It's extremely important that players understand the
difference between good, bad and tough shots. We
constantly work with our players in practices, individual
workouts and film sessions to educate them on the what,
where, when, and why of shot selection.
As a coach, you must teach your players:
* Who: Which players get to take the most shots.
For example, line players up in the C zone. Use
your shooting machine to feed a pass to the first
player in line, and ask them to beat their defender off
the dribble to make a pass to a player in the B zone,
who takes the shot. Repeat to give your players
experience in creating shots for their teammates.
* What: Identify each player's range and limitations on
the court.
* Where: Which spots on the floor we want our shots.
* When: We want ball movement before shots are attempted.
* Why: This is dictated by score, shot clock, game clock
or the " hot hand. "
We try to eliminate bad shots. We accept the fact that we
will take some tough shots, but ultimately we're trying to
create as many good shots as possible. At halftime of every
game, we post our shot chart for all the players to see.
Our coaching staff constantly tries to teach players the
importance of shot selection. The players must understand
where we want most of our shots to occur, the acceptable
percentages from the four areas on the floor, and how to
create uncontested A, B, and D shots. When you spend
time each day to teach and educate your players on shot
selection, you start to eliminate bad and tough shots while
making your players more conscious of taking mostly
good, uncontested shots. We're not interested in shots we
can make; we want shots we can't miss.
Marc Comstock is the boys basketball coach at Grass
Lake High School in Michigan.
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March/April 2019

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