I Got Rhythm

My 8 yr old grandson wants to shoot hoops every
time I turn around. It's hard to break him of the
habit of holding the ball low though. Shooting from
the hip might have worked in the Wild, Wild West,
but it's not the way to shoot a basketball.

It starts in younger players who feel they don't have
the strength to get the ball to the basket. I've seen
those same kids hit 8th or 9th grade though, and
they're still bringing the ball up from below their
waist. That's just asking for a block party in high
school. Much better to teach them right as soon as
you can.

Here's what Dr. Hal Wissel has to say about that:

"Rhythm is more important than strength in
shooting.

Although sometimes we have younger players use a
smaller ball and shoot at an 8.5' basket, we also have
7 year olds making shots at a regulation basket by
using the down and up action of the legs.

[Either way they don't teach shooting from the hip.
Ed.]

Confidence is the most important factor in shooting
but rhythm is a close second. Rhythm and range
come from the down-and-up motion of your legs
rather than from lowering the ball or stepping into
the shot.

Start with your knees slightly flexed: Then bend
your knees and fully extend them in a down-and-
up motion. Saying the keywords DOWN and UP!!!
(with confidence and rhythm, emphasizing the word
UP) to trigger your leg action.

Let your legs and shooting arm move together. As
your legs go up, your arm goes up. As your legs
reach full extension, your back, shoulders and
shooting arm extend in a smooth, continuous
forward and upward direction toward your target.

It is important to keep the ball high with your
shooting hand facing the rim."

From my experience keeping the ball high takes
some getting used to, but after a couple of days of
practice it feels very normal. It fosters a quick
release and also provides less margin for error.

To get more great teaching like this and more
importantly to see it in action you need to glue
your eyeballs to Hal's 'Confidence, Rhythm, and
Mechanics DVD available now at:

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

Shoot For the Stars,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. When you're shooting off the pass the down
motion of the legs comes just before the catch and
the shot goes up as the legs go up providing for a
quicker more accurate release.

To find out how to use Hal's highly effective
shooting methods and footwork in real world,
game-time situations you need his second DVD
- 'Off the Pass, Off the Dribble, and In the Post.'

That is exactly what you need to be a shooter
who can create his own open looks. That's also
available now at:

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

Make Every Shot Count.