Basketball is a game of precision and accuracy. Players need to be able to shoot with both hands and from various distances and angles. Shooting better in basketball is about more than just making a shot; it’s about being able to shoot at a moment’s notice, which you can learn with basketball training equipment, like a shooting machine.
The following are a few tips for shooting better in basketball:
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Proper foot placement
Proper foot placement is paramount to shooting correctly. However, it can be challenging for many people, particularly with today’s major footwear fashion trends. This is why we recommend getting the proper basketball footwear before starting your training.
Alternately, you can try practicing barefoot at home. That will get you used to having your feet placed close together. This is essential to not feeling there is too much space between your feet or toes when you’re on an actual court.
Once you get comfortable enough, ensure that your index finger always points toward the hoop and not away from it. The correct form creates an upward angle; if your shot misses that angle by more than a few degrees (say 20 or 30 degrees), you probably weren’t using the proper technique.
The way you stand when shooting is essential. The basketball hoop return must be centered directly under you. If you lean forward or shift your weight onto one leg, it throws off your shot and wastes energy.
Keeping your feet shoulder-width apart helps keep you steady and solid and enables quick lateral movement for defensive purposes. Your toes should point slightly outward, but not so much that they’re turned out. That can cause unnecessary strain on your knees and ankles.
While most people think about their arms when shooting a basketball, proper foot placement is equally important. You want to be balanced before releasing your shot; otherwise, you’ll fall over after every missed attempt.
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Proper grip
Don’t grip your basketball too tightly. Hold it with just enough force to maintain a good level of control. Too much pressure will throw off your aim and cause your shot to go wide or drop short of its target.
Take note of how firmly you’re holding on during practice and try to relax or dial back if necessary. It may take some trial and error, but eventually, you should be able to land more shots around the rim if you allow yourself some extra room for error.
Also, remember to keep your elbow locked and firm throughout each shot—don’t let it flail about freely as you shoot. You want your arm muscles to be supporting and stabilizing rather than moving independently from one another.
Keep these two principles in mind when practicing, and make sure you’re always aiming straight ahead when shooting at a hoop.
You want to focus on keeping your arm steady, not wobble it around until you find an angle that feels right (which happens when players shoot without locking their elbows).
Practice that way until shooting feels natural and comfortable—it’s important not to fight against what comes naturally while learning new skills.
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Follow-through
Many things can affect your shot—your grip, how you hold your arm and wrist, and your body position. But none of them matters if you can’t shoot with proper follow-through.
The most important thing is to keep it simple. You need to think about shooting straight up as you release. If you try for anything else—like getting extra height on your shot or holding your follow-through longer than usual—you’ll be more likely to fall short of making a basket.
It’s always better to aim for consistency when shooting, not necessarily for height or other special effects. Having a good follow-through will help ensure that your shots have great form every time.
Developing a high-arc shot can make it easier to shoot better and follow through with your shots. The more consistent your shot is, especially when you’re on target, the more effective it’ll be—mainly when shooting from beyond 15 feet.
But many players don’t get enough height on their jump shot and thus have difficulty following through with their release. This can lead to frustration or even injury. In addition, overcompensating for an incorrect shot form could result in imbalances that strain muscles or tendons.
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Practice makes perfect
The only way to improve your shooting percentage is through practice. The more you do it, the more you will eventually build muscle memory, making better shots second nature.
Hence, practicing with a machine can be helpful because it lets you shoot whenever you want without having another person present. It allows for improvement by getting rid of distractions and helping with muscle memory.
One suggestion would be to set up one side of your court with just cones or markers and use them as targets when shooting into the net. Then, move those targets farther away each time you play until they are back where they started.
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Use a machine to train.
When you want to improve your shooting, it can seem easy to head down to your local basketball gym and get hooping. But is there any value in doing that? Well, yes—and no.
The things you learn from these hours of practice will have a tangible impact on your game. But machine-assisted training takes it up another notch entirely by making you far more consistent with every shot and showing you exactly what areas of your game need improvement.
If you want to shoot better in basketball, start using a shooting machine. The most significant advantage of machines is their consistency. With machines, you know how hard to push and how many reps to do because they give feedback right away.
And when a ball leaves your hand and heads toward the rim, you know exactly where it’s going because they also show you instant video replays and charts detailing all kinds of data about each shot, like speed, trajectory angle, footwork sequence, and power.
Conclusion
Training with a shooting machine allows you to shoot from any angle and quickly work on your form with precision. It ensures that you have the control and consistency to take your shot from good to great! This article discussed five tips on using it to improve your game in basketball.
