Sports admin  

5 tips for making that bad shot when the basketball game is on the line

Free throws continue to determine many basketball games, but the teaching of how to shoot free throws has stayed pretty much the same for decades.

In high school, he averaged 22 points per game, but was afraid to go to the free throw line. It always crossed my mind that I could hit a 20 foot shot with someone in my face, but would miss an uncontested 15 foot free kick. It wasn’t until I finished playing basketball that I found the answers to why this was so.

In short, when I shoot from the field, I used instinct. But when I went to the free throw line, I thought about technique. You see, my instinct as a player was much better than my technique. And what did I do at the free throw line? I thought about the “correct” technique. In my case, good free kick technique didn’t match my instinctive shooting style…so I tied for a pretzel down the line and missed a lot of key free kicks.

My unique story is that I stumbled upon my “knock-on foul-shooting style” the same day after my last NCAA college game. As? Well, even though I didn’t understand it at the time, it was because that day I was no longer “trying to get it right” (square shoulders, bend knees, etc., etc.). And what happened? I relaxed and my instinctive free kick showed for the first time. From then on I was deadly from the line.

Here’s how to get in touch with your instinctive free kick BEFORE the end of his career:

Tip #1: Watch game tapes and see what quirks he has in his jump shot. This is immediate advice on how you may need to adjust your free kick.

Tip #2: Find a move that puts you in your comfort zone. Mine was tilted back and to the left. This threw me off balance, but it freed up my right shooting hand to do what I used to do… shoot while off balance (I leaned to the left when shooting from the field). When I finally shot this way from the line, it felt like butter.

Tip #3: If you’re feeling really unbalanced in the line, have your eyes checked by a behavioral optometrist. I had Convergence Insufficiency (CI) which greatly affected my free throw. I had no idea CI was wreaking havoc on my free throw shooting ability. My leaning to the left was my natural compensation for this problem.

Tip #4: When you’re in front of a large crowd, imagine yourself in your most comfortable practice spot. I once thought of being in my backyard and successfully hitting 2 free throws to win a game (unfortunately forgot to use this visualization again).

Tip #5: Practice instinctive free kick shooting, not correct free kick technique. If you are already a good player, you know how to shoot. The key is to find your ONE MOVE that makes everything else click into place. You’ll know when you find it, so FIND IT! Once you find your enabling move, just think about it…and let the shot happen on its own.

Teaching how to shoot free throws instinctively is key to preventing many players from “drowning” on the line. Most shooting coaches and physicians teach technique when the true response lies at the subconscious or instinctual level of the individual player. Unleash that instinct and the player will thank you and remember for a lifetime.

Leave A Comment