Top 6 reasons you’re a streaky shooter
What if I told you that you’re not as bad of a shooter as you think? Sure, you might miss your first few shots at the free-throw line, but that doesn’t mean that your next 10 are doomed to fall short as well. There are several reasons why you may be streaky, and none of them are negative! Mastering how to play through the pressure and prove your doubters wrong will help you take your game to the next level, regardless of what your statistics say about how well or poorly you shoot in a particular game or even over an entire season.
1) Thinking too much
Every athlete goes through periods of inconsistent play. Some experience it more often than others, but even basketball greats like Michael Jordan could have an off night from time to time. Unfortunately, one common cause of these ups and downs is thinking too much on the court. When your mind wanders to what may happen instead of what’s happening in real-time, it can affect your ability to play at your best. One way to combat overthinking is by always staying focused on playing within yourself—the game won’t always go as planned and that’s okay. Remaining at peace with accepting whatever comes next will allow you to respond accordingly without stressing about why things didn’t go exactly as planned.
2) All about your form
Having a good shooting form and practicing it will help you become a better shooter. If you want to become consistent, you need to spend time each day with your jump shot. A consistent shooting form will do wonders for your shooting consistency because it’s harder to break bad habits than it is to develop good ones. These five tips will help you learn and improve your jump shot, so you can have a more effective weapon on offense.
3) Muscle Memory
Another reason you may be a streaky shooter is that you haven’t fully mastered the physical movement of shooting. If that’s the case, practice, practice, practice. Shoot on your own and replicate game-like situations as much as possible. Remember: The more you practice, the harder it will stick. So get in the gym!
4) Lack of confidence in your shot
There are many ways to improve confidence and shooting with confidence is one of them. Mental preparation can be a huge factor in whether you make or miss a shot. Visualizing every shot will help you become a better shooter because you’ll be better able to predict where your shots will go if you’ve visualized taking that same shot over and over again. Some players find it easier to visualize making every shot, while others will prefer to see themselves missing every other one. Regardless of what works for you, visualization can take practice and patience. Once you become familiar with it, though, it can help lead to tremendous improvement at any age.
5) Put in the time!
Everyone knows that LeBron James is one of the most gifted basketball players to ever grace the court. It’s a widely held belief that he was born with his uncanny skillset, and that it’s all been effortless for him from day one. The truth is quite different: Like every NBA player, James spent thousands of hours in practice to get where he is today. He has long days on the court in front of his coach and other professionals learning skills and working on shooting techniques. And then there’s time away from the court—time spent studying game film, reviewing drills, and practicing in other ways when no one else is around to watch.
6) Get an online coach!
I’m a huge proponent of getting an online coach to teach you basketball shooting skills. After all, if you want to become a better shooter, why wouldn’t you hire a shooter? They will help you fix your shooting mechanics and give you feedback on how to make small adjustments for quicker shot release and increased accuracy. Coaches also provide mental motivation when you feel like giving up. When things get tough in practice, just remember that someone else is there for their own personal development, just like you are! You don’t have to go it alone; instead, get yourself an online coach! You’ll be surprised at how much easier it is when someone shows you exactly what they see in your game so that together, as a team, we can work on improving your shot.
If you want to level up your shooting accuracy, we got you. We created the 6ixShooter Academy. A one-stop basketball training program to help elevate your game and become an unstoppable shooter with coach Seth McCoy a.k.a 6ixShooter. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
