Improving Your Game: Free Throw Shooting

Poster child of missed free throws.

The free throw is probably the easiest shot in the game of basketball. You have plenty of time to prepare yourself, and no one is guarding you. Yet, plenty of NBA players just can't seem to put the ball in the rim when they get the opportunity. Here are some pointers if you're having some foul shot woes.

Relax

Just relax and take your time. Most players miss their free throws because they have the tendency to rush their shot. No one is urging you to hurry up, especially your teammates. Catch your breath, clear your mind, and prepare for the shot. Just remember, they're free. Relax.

Form

Free throws are all about form. If you watch some of the worst free throw shooters of all time, most of them have a technical flaw in their form. It all comes back to fundamentals! Here are some things to look for:

• Bend your knees - Bending your knees will give you a lift in your shot. Not doing this will most likely make your shot flat.
• Square up - Squaring up will give you a straight look at the basket.
• Follow through - This one is the most important. Look at the best free throw shooters in the game. They follow through so their shot can arc as best as possible.

Setting Up A Routine

Free throws are all about consistency. It's like waking up in the morning. Usually you have a set routine to do things, and 90% of the time it usually works. That's how you should view free throw shooting. Most NBA players have a routine, no matter how silly or wacky. If the routine works for you, use it! Just make sure you're not doing the routine to showboat, since that will break your concentration.

Some examples of free throw routines. Side note: Does anybody know what Karl Malone is saying?

Concentrate!

For a few seconds, take time to clear your mind. Forget the noise. Forget the jeers. Forget the situation in the game. No matter if it's the last free throws to win the game, or you're just practicing in the gym, a clear mind is the best way to knock down the shot. Extra thoughts in your head will just complicate things.

PRACTICE!

As the old saying goes, "practice makes perfect." Hitting the gym, working on your form, and setting up your routine will greatly increase your chances of hitting those free throws. Your teammates will thank you for it later!

Need more pointers on your shooting? Why don't you check out our other tutorial on improving your jump shot! You can find it here : Improving Your Game: The Jump Shot

Improving Your Game: The Jump Shot

Sorry for throwing you under the bus.

Quickly, name me the top five guards of all time.

Now tell me one thing that they all have in common?

You guessed it, shooting.

Shooting the ball is something that is so fundamental, yet many players have yet to perfect it. To be a great player, you have to know the fundamentals and mechanics of shooting. Imagine how many players in the NBA today would be dominant if they had a decent jump shot? (Yes, I'm looking at you Rajon Rondo.) 

Thankfully, shooting is something that you can work on at the later stages of your basketball career. Players work long and hard on their jump shot in the off-season so defenders won't play off of them. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant didn't have a reliable jumper early on, but they developed it through their career and it made them that much harder to stop.

Take it from this guy, he knows a thing or two about basketball

Shooting opens up many opportunities, and makes you less predictable on offense. It also adds longevity to your game. Shooters tend to have long careers (ex: Reggie Miller, Ray Allen) and are always of value to a basketball team. Here are some pointers to improve that jumper of yours.

Mitch Richmond, pure shooter.

Shooting starts from the ground up.

Shooting is one fluid motion. Notice the best shooters in the game? They don't look like methodical robots that have to take things one movement at a time. It's almost like an art form. Here are some things to look at if your jumper seems a little off.

1. Square up! - If your feet are crooked from the start, then that's one major thing to fix. Make sure your whole body is lined up so you have a direct line of sight to the basket. 
2. Bend Your Knees - By bending your knees, you will get more lift in your shot.
3. Balance - If you think that throwing up fadeaways and leaners will improve your shooting ability, then prepare to ride the bench. A balanced shot is the key. Why make things harder on yourself, when you can just square up and go up for the jumper?
4. Be Quick, But Don't Hurry Up - If you have the opportunity to take your time and follow your mechanics, then do it! You should always be quick with the basketball, but don't sacrifice form for the sake of speed.
5. Use Your Off-Hand As a Guide - Hand positioning is key. If you look at all the great shooters, you'll see one consistency. Their always using their off hand as a guide. Don't make it a habit of using both hands to shoot.
6. Release - You should release your shot at the peak of your jump, so your defender will have a hard time blocking it (unless you have a 4 inch vertical, then it wouldn't matter much) and be sure to follow through! 

All of the pointers I just explained are shown in this example. Example: Peja Stojakovic

Be Comfortable

A players jump shot is like a fingerprint, no two will ever look exactly the same. (Just look at Reggie Miller or Dirk Nowitzki) Just remember to do what's comfortable to you. As long as your jumper is fundamentally sound, you'll have the best chance of putting the ball in the basket.

Shooters Mentality

If you really want to improve that jumper, then don't be afraid to shoot! If you miss your first two shots, just think to yourself that you'll make the next eight. If you're a shooter and you're not shooting the ball, you're doing a disservice to the team.

Hit The Gym! 

“You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” - Michael Jordan

You won't get better by just reading about improving. Go hit the gym and hit those shots! There are various techniques and drills you can do to improve in the video below (by the all time leader in three pointers, Mr. Ray Allen himself)

Remember, fundamentals are key on the basketball court, so go out there and polish your jumper. You'll be ripping the net in no time!