Become a Good Jump Shooter

It's simpler than you think. A good jump shot is compact and has little or no extra movement. When trying to become a better shooter, focus on the essential aspects of shooting form, then practice this form over and over again until it is automatic.

Steps

  1. Bend your knees and square your shoulders to the basket, have a wide stance and bend your knees. Always make sure you are balanced when shooting.
  2. Always remember to jump straight up. Never jump to the side, forward or backwards (If you are not trying to.)
  3. Explode upward and shoot the ball on the way up.
  4. Your elbow must remain straight when shooting. That means your elbow is always pointed in the direction of the basket.
  5. Concentrate on flicking your wrist straight. Hold your follow-through until the ball goes through the hoop. All of the ball's momentum and spin should come from your wrist. The power for the shot is provided by your legs.
  6. A good jump shot has a high arc that reaches its highest point 2/3 of the way towards the rim. When shooting, think of your shot as going up and out. The balance of the two is what makes a jump shot go in.
  7. For your follow through, when you are releasing the ball, snap your wrist so your hand looks like you are about to put it in a cookie jar. This gives the ball backspin.
  8. Remember to focus on beef. B is for balance, E is for eye, E is for Elbow and F, is for Following through. Remember to always face the basket and be balanced.
  9. Always land facing the rim. Never at the wall or have your feet pointing anywhere else than the rim.



Tips

  • When you make several shots in a row or swish a shot without touching the rim, remember the form you used and the mentality you had when you shot it. Try to replicate that shot and you will find that it happens more often.
  • Practice your foul shooting with the same form as your jump shot. You will find that the jump shot and the foul shot help each other. If you are having trouble shooting your jump shot, go to the free throw line and concentrate on replicating that form in your jump shot.
  • Develop a shooter's mentality. Don't choose to shoot, choose not to shoot. A good shooter takes every open shot but does not force shots that are not available.
  • Get to the court as often as possible. Play with a friend if possible, having the person feed you passes from different parts of the floor.
  • When shooting, pretend you are standing in a telephone box without a roof. You have to shoot the ball up and out of the telephone box, this will help you with the arc of the ball.
  • Learn to catch and shoot quickly. Have your hands and feet in the "ready" position when you receive a pass so that you can go right up.
  • As your progress in your jump shot, practice hitting shots on the run. Stand at the 3 point line and throw the ball up so it bounces at the foul line. Run in and retrieve the ball at the opposite elbow, pivot first and then shoot. Practice doing this from both sides of the floor.
  • Before taking any jump shots, practice your form without a ball for several minutes. Then practice form shooting with the ball, without leaving your feet. Bend your knees deep and follow through on your shot. After this, practice jump shooting, working from the paint out. Don't start shooting threes right away and don't shoot threes exclusively. Although threes are the most popular shot in basketball today, a good jump shooter can hit his mid-range jumpers. A player who can hit jumpers inside the 3 point line is much harder to guard then a player who only hits threes.
  • Practice shoot fakes and jab steps so you get the feel for shooting out of a stand still.
  • The most important part of any jump shot is confidence. You must be confident in your form and confident that every shot you take is going to go in. As you develop this confidence, you will find that the ball seems to go in more often and difficult shots become easier.
  • Always take your jump shot as if you were playing in a game. A good way to remember this is "take game shots at game spots at game speed."
  • Always follow your shot. As soon as your feet touch the floor after a jump shot, run towards the basket and leap towards the rim. Out of the all the players on the court, you will have the best idea of where the shot is going to miss.
  • Use the board whenever possible. When shooting a bank shot, aim for a spot on the backboard instead of aiming at the rim, and shoot the ball high and soft off the board.
  • If you miss long try shooting at the top of your jump, or simply shoot higher
  • When staring to shoot/warming up your shot, practice your form without trying to shoot it near the rim. After, stand near the net, and do a couple jump shots, take a step back once you feel ready.

Warnings

  • A good jump shot will not come easily. It takes repetitive practice and good form to become an accurate shooter. You can't expect to make all of your shots.

Shooting Drills

Start from {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} out from the rim and shoot about 25 shots that are made. As you start making these close range shots your confidence and form will both improve. After taking these shots, start shooting a bit further away from the rim in various positions on the court and make around 100 shots in practice. However, you must remember that you shouldn't feel as if your shot was forced. This happens when you start taking shots that are beyond your range. This will not only mess up your form but also make you less confident of your shot in game time situations.

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Sources and Citations

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