For NBA pros, as well as amateurs training on an unregulated basket in their backyard, there is nothing better than the silky, velvety rustle of a jump shot that fits perfectly into the basket. Jump shooting is an art form in which renowned masters such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Reggie Miller and many others have tried their hand. As with all basketball fundamentals, to improve your jump shot you will need to start with basic fundamentals and work your way up to advanced techniques after a lot of training.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Simple Shot
Step 1. Position your body perpendicular to the basket
To start practicing jump shot, first choose a comfortable shooting position (many choose the free throw line, the corners of the paint or a spot closer to the basket). Orient your body towards the basket and plant your feet on the ground. You should align your head, shoulders, waist and feet towards the basket so that you do not have to rotate during the shot.
If you are a beginner, start by training alone - in other words, don't get marked by a friend or it will be difficult to make progress
Step 2. Get into a strong shooting stance
Believe it or not, the placement of your feet and lower body can have a big impact on shooting accuracy, even if these body parts don't make contact with the ball. To assume the shooting stance, start with your feet together and move the foot on the non-dominant side away from the other until they are shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and hips slightly for the flexibility you'll need to jump.
Keeping your feet shoulder-width apart is important for shooting speed and balance. If you keep your feet too close, you will not be able to have a good balance during the shot; if they are too far apart, you will not have enough strength to jump or quickly change direction following events on the field
Step 3. Bring the ball into shooting position
Hold the ball with both hands in front of your chest or face. Spread your fingers and hold the ball with your fingertips for the best possible ball control. Put your shooting hand (the same one you write with) behind the ball, turning its back towards your head. Place your non-dominant hand on the side of the ball, so that the thumb points towards your forehead.
Your non-dominant hand is as important to the shot as the other, so don't neglect it. While it does not give strength to the shot, it is largely responsible for controlling the trajectory and balance. To understand the importance of this hand, when you have learned the basics of jump shooting, try shooting with one hand
Step 4. Crouch, then jump
Bend your knees more and hips until you are almost sitting in the air. Push with your hips and legs to jump. The lower you go, the more powerful the jump will be. One of the most common mistakes made by beginners is shooting from a standing position - in fact, you should only straighten your legs when you get off the ground, not before.
For greater accuracy, when lowering yourself, keep the elbow of the shooting arm close to your body. In theory, this elbow should point towards the basket. If the elbow is not aligned during the shot, it can change the trajectory of the ball, so get in the habit of moving it closer to your body right away
Step 5. Throw the ball
As you jump, bring the ball (which you should still hold with the correct hand position) in front of your body. Start shooting the ball upward and the basket with a parabola, only with your shooting arm. Extend your shooting elbow when shooting, but keep it aligned with your body. You should use your non-dominant hand only to maintain control of the ball and for this you should keep the hand on the side where it cannot affect the trajectory.
Many coaches recommend looking at a certain part of the basket when shooting to improve accuracy. Some recommend the back iron (especially for players who have a tendency to shoot short), others the front iron (for players who often shoot long) and others recommend visualizing the trajectory that allows the ball to enter by touching only the retina. The latter option requires the most concentration, but some people find it produces the best results
Step 6. Release the ball and continue the movement
At the highest point of the jump, release the ball by snapping your wrist down. The ball should roll out of your shooting hand, touching your index finger last. You should finish the movement with your hand and arm in the same position as you would to get some cookies from a jar on the top shelf of the pantry. After letting go of the ball, naturally drop your shooting arm, bend your knees and even when you hit the ground, and get ready to catch the bounce if you miss it!
Try to get into the habit of releasing the ball at the highest point of the jump. While you can still score baskets by releasing the ball early or late, this can worsen the accuracy of your shots. Also, releasing the ball at the highest point of the jump allows you to take advantage of the most advantageous shooting position - it will be more difficult for the defenders to block you if you release the ball from a higher point
Part 2 of 3: Increase Versatility
Step 1. Start shooting close to the basket
In a real basketball game, of course, you won't always be able to take easy, straight shots from the free-throw line or from the corners - the defense works to stop you from taking those shots. To work on your versatility as a shooter, start shooting from all positions on the court. You will soon find that you shoot much better from some positions than others, but you will only become an effective shooter if you can shoot from all over the court, so practice!
In general, you should be able to score from anywhere within the three-point line and just beyond. You will never be expected to be able to shoot from three feet behind the three-point line, so don't worry about improving your accuracy on these ultra long range shots
Step 2. Use the board for shots at an angle
In most cases, the defense will try to deny you an easy and direct path to the basket. For this reason, you usually won't be able to shoot for a basket exactly in front of it, but there will be a corner. From these positions, it is more difficult to score net-only baskets, so most players try to bounce shots off the board. This slows the ball and directs it towards the basket, increasing the achievement percentages.
Believe it or not, scientific research has been done on this aspect of jump shooting. The results indicate that the best angled shots are those that hit the backboard in the upper center of the square behind the basket. As the angle of fire increases (i.e. the player shoots more to one side), the ideal spot on the board moves up and away from this center point diagonally (in other words, who shoots from the right side of the field, he should try to hit the backboard higher and to the right of the upper center of the square
Step 3. Aim for the basket for front shots
When you have the ability to take a direct front shot at the basket, research shows that the benefits of using the backboard are small. In these cases, try to make a basket by touching only the retina. It won't be easy to score like this at first, but with practice it will become intuitive.
A front shot that you will need to try often is the free throw. These are the only shots you can take without being marked by a defender, so it's important to become good enough to be able to hit them with great percentages. On average, NBA players score about 75% of free throws attempted; for high school level players, this percentage is closer to 50%
Step 4. Give a good parable to your shots
As the ball approaches the club, the angle of its trajectory has a big influence on the hit rate. Shots that come from higher (with higher parabolas) are more likely to score points. In reality, however, it is rather difficult to control shots with parabolas that are too high. As such, players looking to perfect their jump shot should look for the best balanced shot - a mid-height dish that is easy to control.
Preliminary research has been done on the effectiveness of the different shooting parables. According to this research, the minimum angle to score a goal-only basket is about 32or - with a regular basket and a men's ball to hit only the retina at this angle, the shot must be perfect. Conversely, shots with a large parabola (e.g. 55or) are very difficult to control - even a tiny mistake can send the ball off target. According to this research, the best angle for most shooters appears to be around 45or.
Step 5. Practice three-point shooting
A good three-point shot is an added bonus for the team - if you manage to score regular shots from behind the arc, the defense can't help but mark you everywhere on the pitch, freeing other teammates. For this you will have to spend a lot of time on your three-point shot. These shots can be very difficult - the extra power needed to get the ball to the basket makes it more difficult to control the shot - but it's worth it.
Don't forget to move around the court when trying three-point shots. One of the most difficult shots in basketball is the corner three. In these shots, you are forced to score without the help of the backboard. If you can master these shots, you will be a constant threat to the opposing team
Step 6. Train with a partner to put pressure on yourself
As much as you can train on your own, you can't replicate the experience of a defender trying to stop you. Once you are familiar with jump shot, ask a friend to mark you as you shoot. Remember, in a real game, the defense's job is to prevent easy shots, so the more you practice against your teammates, the better.
Shooting with a close-marking defender can be really difficult - you'll need good dribbling and ball control skills to create the necessary space between you and the defender to shoot, so don't neglect those fundamentals
Part 3 of 3: Learning the Advanced Techniques
Step 1. Try the dribble shot
Basketball is a very fast game. During a quick fast break, for example, attacking players don't have time to stop, calmly line up and take the shot when they're ready - instead they have to penetrate to the basket and shoot in the third half or take an immediate jump shot. In this case, it will be useful to learn how to run, stop and pull in one smooth motion without pausing. If you master this skill, it will be very useful, because you can take shots from anywhere on the court without giving the defense time to react.
To accomplish this shot, start by dribbling at high speed towards the basket. As you approach the free throw line, step out a few steps to one side. Perform a two-stroke stop in rhythm with your run and bring the ball up with both hands. Without hesitation, crouch, jump and shoot. Practice this movement until you can do it without stopping
Step 2. Try a jump shot in a turn
What to do when you receive the ball and a defender marks you from very close and prevents you from penetrating to the basket? A move that allows you to get out of this situation is called a turn shot. To do this you will need to fake a start in one direction, then tack in the opposite direction and shoot as soon as you are facing the basket. In most cases, you will be able to create enough space to shoot without risking a block.:Shoot a Jump Shot Step 14-j.webp
To take a turn shot, start with your back to the basket and the defender very close behind you. Dribble and back towards the basket and stay low, until you get to a comfortable shooting distance. Take a step in the direction of your shooting hand as you move the foot of the non-dominant side back slightly. Perform a quick turn on your non-dominant foot and immediately take the jump shot
Step 3. Try a fade away or fadeaway shot
Many of the NBA's top players have masterful fadeaway shots. As the name suggests, to perform this shot, you need to jump and lean away from the basket. This technique allows you to move the ball away from the defender, creating space for the shot and making it difficult to mark. However, the difficulty of away shots goes up a lot, so they are often considered a fundamental that belongs only to the best (or selfish) players.
- To perform an away shot, start with the normal shot or turn shot motion. As you jump, push up and back, creating space between you and the marker. Tilt your back back to create even more space. Line up with the basket in the air and hold the ball just above your head. When you reach the top of the jump, pull by snapping your wrist.
- Note that it takes a lot more wrist strength to make a pull away, because a lot of the leg push is lost in the back jump.
Step 4. Try the fake shot
An important trait for the best shooters is knowing when not to shoot. By using your feints masterfully, you can keep the defenders on their toes. More importantly though, a convincing feint can open up shooting possibilities against a tightly marking defender.
- To perform a fake shot, crouch as you normally would. Bring the ball in front of you and get ready to jump. Start climbing, but stop before jumping. If your defender falls in the feint and jumps, you can quickly dribble past him or take the time and jump so you don't have any opposition.
- It is important not to leave the court with your feet during the fake shot. If you did, you would be committing an infraction of footsteps.
Advice
- Always be convinced that your next shot will hit. Even if you missed 20 shots in a row, trust that the next one will be fine. It may not seem important to you, but mental safety is essential to adopt a correct technique. In other words, if you are not sure that you are scoring, your mind and body will not perform the shot perfectly.
- Repetition will help you build muscle memory. Keep practicing and shooting will start to succeed naturally!
- Do weights. The shot starts from the feet, so don't forget to train your upper and lower body. By strengthening your upper body you will have more control over the initial position of the ball and its release.
- When you get better, don't trust your skills too much and never take hard shots. Even the best shooters in the world only score about 40% of their long-range shots in real matches. Choose good shots when you are unmarked and if in doubt, pass.
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Here are some reasons that can lead to the error:
- Your feet may have been too close, preventing you from jumping all the way and staying perpendicular to the basket.
- The ball may not have started at the correct height prior to the shooting motion.
- Your feet may not be completely still, and your weight may have shifted sideways when the ball is released.
- You released the ball too early or too late. Timing is everything.
- Always remember that if you are close enough to take a shot, you are close enough to score it
Warnings
- Don't think about anything other than sending the ball into the basket. You will hesitate if you think too much. You won't have great body balance for your arms and legs will stop working in tune. Shoot like the pros.
- Complete the move, but never force it - regardless of your height, if you keep shooting on the iron or against the board, stop. Focus more on correct technique.
- When you bring the ball up before you release it, never take it behind your head. You may be able to score some baskets this way, but ultimately you will limit your shooting distance and the regularity with which you shoot. Move the ball only upward, and at the last moment forward.
