5 Tips To Become A Better Basketball Shooter
So you want to be a better basketball shooter? It’s not just an innate skill that some people are born with, but anyone can improve their shot through practice and the proper advice. Here are five of the best tips on how to become a better basketball shooter right now.
Tip 1: Visualize the shot
Practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent. This saying rings true in the shooting. Before you go on to your actual shoot, you must visualize a successful outcome; if you do not envision it, it will not happen. Visualize exactly where you are, who is guarding you, and everything that could affect your shot. This will allow your muscle memory to take over as soon as you begin shooting. If there is an obstacle in your way such as a player, imagine passing them to get open for a better shot. By doing so, you become accustomed to thinking about every aspect of a shot when practicing alone instead of waiting until game time to prepare mentally.
Tip 2: Take 100 shots per day
Regular practice is critical to becoming a great shooter. Shooting should become an automatic action, and a good way to achieve that is by practicing every day. For example, an average NBA player will take around 500 shots per day in order to stay sharp during a season—that’s more than 100 shots each day! One thousand shots a day may sound like overkill, but many athletes swear by it. If you’re looking for immediate improvement, you have to practice shooting frequently—in fact, it can be counter-productive if you stop practicing or take too much time off between sessions because muscle memory starts to fade after several days of not shooting at all.
Tip 3: Understand your strengths and weaknesses
What’s your favorite type of shot? Pull-up jumpers? 3-pointers off of a pick and roll? Corner 3s? catch-and-shoot threes from a spread floor? While practicing your game is an important part of getting better, you need to know your strengths and weaknesses before you can properly identify where to get better. If you want to be an elite shooter, make sure you regularly take catch-and-shoot shots from all over – practice getting open from a distance so that when your defender plays you tight, you’re prepared to get off good looks at different points on the floor. You want to be comfortable shooting no matter where you are on it, so know what feels best for you.
Tip 4: Watch film on players you admire
When a basketball player can watch films of players who excel at shooting and compare their mechanics to his own, he is able to break down what exactly it is about those players that allow them to shoot better than him. Seeing how shots were taken in various situations and how various players handle pressure helps players learn what works for them and what doesn’t. The watching film also helps motivate players by showing them how good they could be if they simply had proper shooting mechanics and practice their shots often enough.
Tip 5: Know when to stop practicing
Some people have a tendency to over-practice or work too hard. In the end, if you aren’t making progress, it’s important to call it quits and rest. If you’re feeling burned out, your energy levels are low, and you simply aren’t performing at the level you desire, stop practicing and rest for a day or two. Remember, more is not better. When in doubt about how much time to spend practicing: less is more. Take frequent breaks and know when to quit for the day. It will help prevent burnout and keep your mind fresh for when it really counts: during competition. It will also make practices more productive; less wasted energy from those who don’t need extra conditioning! Recovery is just as important as the practice itself!
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