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NBA elite shooter Doug McDermitt was asked, "Doug, what makes a great shooter?"
Doug McDermott was quick to answer:
Balance
A short memory
Short memory = Mental skills.
Toughness. Self-Belief. Resilience.
But that’s for another time.
This article breaks down the importance of balance in shooting, and how you can improve it.
You’ve built your form.
You’ve added your range.
Now you are up to the final stage of becoming a professional-level shooter.
Building that balance.
Below are three reasons every great shooter works on their shooting balance:
Shot Accuracy
No shot taken in a game is ever the same.
The momentum of the ball is different.
Your fatigue in your legs is different.
Your body's movement is different.
Great shooters find ways to shoot with balance no matter the circumstance.
"Perfecting the art of a balanced shot in basketball is the foundation of shooting accuracy. It's the equilibrium between control and finesse that propels the ball towards its mark with unparalleled precision." - Kobe Bryant
This focus will improve that problem.
Shot Consistency
Do you miss random shots by a large margin?
This is your follow-through.
Being off-balance changes your follow-through.
All great shooters have a consistent aim at the hoop.
Consistency comes from your balanced base.
No matter how much Klay Thompson moves before his shot, he always finds a way to shoot the ball with great balance.
This allows him to shoot the same follow-through every time.
Any basketball player can make a shot.
Great shooters make shots consistently.
In-game decisions
With 6 seconds left on the clock.
4th quarter.
Your teammate passes you the ball on the 3pt line.
It’s decision time.
The defender runs at you to block your shot.
With confidence and balance.
You use a shot fake.
The defender jumps by you.
You take another dribble to the left.
You square your feet up.
2 seconds left on the clock.
You let the ball fly.
You land under control.
1 second left.
Swish.
The game is over.
You win it for the team.
This wasn’t possible without balance.
The secret to becoming a great shooter is simple.
It's not a complicated science.
But.
If you don't practice with a plan you will make your shot worse.
That's why you are here.
To learn.
Here are 3 steps you can follow to improve your shooting balance:
Body strength
Balance = Control
You need control over your body.
This is a human skill that can be improved.
How long can you stand on one foot?
Can you catch a tennis ball while on one foot?
Do you fall over when someone bumps you?
Start simple:
Brush your teeth on one foot.
or.
Throw a tennis ball against the wall on one foot and catch it with one hand.
Do activities that challenge your hand-eye coordination while you're balancing.
Every day Jordan Crawford for the Tasmania Jack Jumpers does one foot balancing on a bosu ball while catching a tennis ball.
Here are some more basketball-specific exercises.
Toe touches.
Touch the ball on your toe while bending the leg as much as possible. After touching your toe shoot the ball.
Split stance ball handling.
(This will be on the Pursuit of Excellence App for free.)
Weight room exercises:
Lunges.
Push-ups.
Pull-ups.
Planks.
Sprinting hills or stairs.
At the end of the day, basketball is a physical sport.
Skill work, physical work, and mental work all overlap in development.
Footwork training
Footwork is the foundation of your balance.
Everything starts with your feet.
You have heard great coaches always use the saying” Fight for your feet,” when it comes to shooting on the move.
You have to work to get your feet under you before you shoot.
This is how you create balance and strength to shoot consistently.
Challenge your footwork and movement while always concentrating on your landing.
A specific shooting drill you can start with:
Spin the ball to the side of you.
Aggressively step with your inside foot towards the ball. (Your foot closest to the basket.)
Plant the inside foot as you catch the ball.
Spin your other foot around to square up towards the ring as you rise for your shot.
Land on both feet, in balance, the same place you shot the ball from.
Eyes to the ring
Finding the ring with your eyes helps your body align itself.
Whether you’re dribbling with your head down, or running off a screen.
The moment you start to rise for your shot, you have to lock in on the rim.
All great shooters find the ring.
It doesn’t matter what defense is being thrown their way.
They may not look balanced.
But at the peak of their shot, their eyes are locked in on their target.
No defense distracts them.
They are balanced.
To practice this:
Use drills that incorporate a live defender.
My favorite drill is:
Have one person under the ring with a ball. One person on the free-throw line facing the ring. And one person on the three-point line.
The 3pt line player will quickly move along the 3pt line, once they move, the person under the ring passes them the ball.
This signals the defender on the free throw line to chase the shooter and try to block them.
This is a great drill to work on balance.
Creating balance in your jump shot is the most difficult skill to improve.
It is a lifetime project.
But with daily practice, you can get there.
Continue to develop your strength.
Do daily footwork drills.
When you are working on finishing or shooting, focus on getting your eyes to the ring.
Thank you for reading.
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