Help Again - I'm Still Stuck

What do you do if you've tried and tried and your
shooting isn't getting any better? Something's not
clicking, but you don't know what.

First of all, relax. Try polling your subconscious
again like I talked about yesterday. You may not
get instantaneous answers, but be patient. You
can't force a response. Your inner man or woman
will not be bullied. Answers come in flow, not
through striving and trying harder.

And you may not be ready to hear the answers yet
either. You may need to grow and mature in some
area on the inside before you're going to see results
on the outside. Give yourself plenty of time to grow.
And look and see if there are any areas of internal
change you have been resisting.

Keep working on your fundamentals too though.
Being in motion toward your goal is critical. Doing
nothing is a sure fire way to get nothing. Remember
too you won't hit your goal in one fell swoop. You
will zig zag all the way to mastery, picking up
feedback all the time and correcting your course.

You'll have to experiment. See what works for your
and what doesn't. This weekend I tried one tip from
Hal Wissel's shooting fundamentals DVD, and it made
a huge difference. It may not have the same impact
on you. You'll just have to see, but here it is.

Instead of holding your off or support hand on the side
of the ball try moving it around in front of the ball and
slightly under. Think of it like a tee your shooting hand
is going to drive off of.

Hal doesn't say you have to do this. He just suggests
you try it. I found my support hand on the side
sometimes pushed the ball a bit. That usually led to
some side spin and made it harder for my shooting
hand not to twist. I had to really work at keeping it
straight which then tensed the shooting arm more than
it needed. Trying it Hal's way made it much easier and
natural for me to shoot straight.

That's the way things are. Something little like that
will make a huge difference. You just have to keep
on seeking and you will find answers.

Coaches can help expose your blind spots and point
you in the right direction, but you have to discover
what works for your body type, your musculature,
and maybe even your temperament. There is no
way to shortcut taking personal responsibility for
becoming better shooter. Success is always a
personal journey, and success in shooting is no
exception.

Shoot for the Stars,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Hal's DVD
for young kids although he and his sons Paul and
Scott do teach kids in their camps. While they could
learn from it I'd say it's most relevant to physically
mature shooters, both men and women. Say high
school age and up. It shows coach working with
NBA players and prospects at one of his SHOOT IT
BETTER mini camps.

Hal is well known for his ability to develop players,
and he shows you how to get the most out of your
natural stroke. If you're ready to absorb his
experience and wisdom, he's ready to turn you into
a better shooter. You can get started pronto at:

http://www.deandelker.com/wissel.html

Copyright, Delker Enterprises, Inc. 2006