free throws

[Craptacular]

As I'm watching the Badgers predictably play like a bunch of middle-schoolers on the road, Alando Tucker reminded me of one of the biggest problems in college and pro sports.

Free throw shooting.

Seriously how can anyone in major college or pro ball shoot less than 70% from the line? I don't care about how big Shaq's hands are. I don't care how few times some players get to the line. Alando Tucker is shooting 47% from the line for the season, but he's beating Shaq (44%). Tim Duncan is shooting a whopping 66%. Hell, Portland shoots 68% as a team!! How can guys who get to the line so often be so $hitty at shooting FTs? http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/images/smilies/mad.gif

[Karlifornia]

Shaq broke his wrist as a teen and cannot put his hand at that 90 degree angle, so he uses some less-effective shooting method..or so I've heard.

[Rich1033]

Its no fun if you cant jump in the air, come on now.

[st.cronin]

I don't understand why nobody ever tries to shoot free throws underhanded.

[miami_fan]

Lack of practice and lack of real consequences for missing free throws.

[Craptacular]

Lack of practice and lack of real consequences for missing free throws.
I would think the real consequence is costing your team games because you can't convert a gimme. However, I do blame coaches who don't make their players shoot 200 FTs or more a day in practice.

[Barkeep49]

Back when I played basketball competitively I used to shoot hundreds of free throws a day and the best I could ever get my average up to was the high 50s. It was always very discouraging to be so bad at something which should be such a gimme.

[miami_fan]

I would think the real consequence is costing your team games because you can't convert a gimme. However, I do blame coaches who don't make their players shoot 200 FTs or more a day in practice.

Yes costing your team a game is a consequence but for most college kids not enough of one. We have all seen a kid miss a layup/dunk or blow a defensive assignment, and the coach rips him a new one and pull him from the game. That is a real consequence for some of these kids. You don't see that with missed free throws.

[Groundhog]

I don't understand why nobody ever tries to shoot free throws underhanded.

I'm generally probably a ~70% FT shooter, but I went through a funk where I couldn't hit a FT to save my life. During one game I was shooting particularly poor from the line (like 0-6), so out of frustration I shot it underhand... and it went in. I kept shooting like that for about 3 or 4 games and I was probably at around 60%, but our big guy hated me shooting it that way because they ball never rebounded 'properly' after a miss.

I think that if I kept it up and practiced it I could get the underhand shot up to about an 80% accuracy, but it's really unnatural because the shot is completely propelled by your arms rather than your legs. I think it's better for your all-round shooting game to always shoot the ball with proper form.

[st.cronin]

I'm generally probably a ~70% FT shooter, but I went through a funk where I couldn't hit a FT to save my life. During one game I was shooting particularly poor from the line (like 0-6), so out of frustration I shot it underhand... and it went in. I kept shooting like that for about 3 or 4 games and I was probably at around 60%, but our big guy hated me shooting it that way because they ball never rebounded 'properly' after a miss.

I think that if I kept it up and practiced it I could get the underhand shot up to about an 80% accuracy, but it's really unnatural because the shot is completely propelled by your arms rather than your legs. I think it's better for your all-round shooting game to always shoot the ball with proper form.

I'm not a basketball historian, but didn't the last guy in the NBA to shoot underhand set records shooting that way? It just seems odd that nobody else would even try it, particularly somebody like Shaq, who really could hardly be any worse.

[stevew]

I'm not a basketball historian, but didn't the last guy in the NBA to shoot underhand set records shooting that way? It just seems odd that nobody else would even try it, particularly somebody like Shaq, who really could hardly be any worse.

Im pretty sure Rick Barry shot FT underhanded and he was like a dynomite percentage on them.

[Butter]

Duke @ Clemson last Saturday, and Duke shoots your average 75% or so on about 20 FT's, while Clemson goes something like 5-20... less than 30% for the game. If they shoot even near 70%, that game comes down to the last possession, as it was Duke won by 10.

[rkmsuf]

shooting in general is lackluster

[larrymcg421]

Minnesota has a guy who shoots 17% from the line. Has a really ugly shot, too.

[MikeVick7]

I don't understand why nobody ever tries to shoot free throws underhanded.
Cause it's not "cool."

[hoosiergoody]

the biggest reason imo is lack of focus by the shooter or lack of emphasis in general by coaches. I hated the fact that I couldn't hit 60% in high school. It really only cost us in one game, and it haunts me still. lost by 5, shot 5-12 from the line. Played center, so I shot more FT's than the rest of the team combined. No one ever worked with me to improve. Tried shooting 100 a day, didn't help. Many (jr high/hs) coaches probably cannot really teach shooting techniques, and the older we get, the harder it gets to correct bad habits.

[judicial clerk]

In the movie Blue Chips there is a scene where Nick Nolte's character is in a gymnasium having a conversation with the school's athletic director, played by Bob Cousy. During the conversation, the athletic director is shooting free throws. He makes probably fifteen in a row and he never misses. According to Nolte, they did the shot in one take.

[Ben E Lou]

I would think the real consequence is costing your team games because you can't convert a gimme. However, I do blame coaches who don't make their players shoot 200 FTs or more a day in practice.I recall three ways that they were emphasized at our practices.

1. We had to shoot 10 immediately after doing suicides. If you didn't make at least seven, you were doing another set of suicides until you went 7 for 10.

2. We shot at least 100 every day.

3. We weren't allowed to leave the gym at the end of practice until making 15 straight.

When we shocked the state by upsetting #1-ranked Central of Talbotton in the playoffs my junior year, as a team we made something like 23 out of 27 free throws in the game, and we were 11 for 11 in the last four minutes. Talking to the guys from Central after we pulled another upset in the next round, they were saying how they were in the stands telling everyone who would listen that if the game was close, we'd pull another upset because we wouldn't miss our free throws.

[miami_fan]

I recall three ways that they were emphasized at our practices.

1. We had to shoot 10 immediately after doing suicides. If you didn't make at least seven, you were doing another set of suicides until you went 7 for 10.

2. We shot at least 100 every day.

3. We weren't allowed to leave the gym at the end of practice until making 15 straight.

When we shocked the state by upsetting #1-ranked Central of Talbotton in the playoffs my junior year, as a team we made something like 23 out of 27 free throws in the game, and we were 11 for 11 in the last four minutes. Talking to the guys from Central after we pulled another upset in the next round, they were saying how they were in the stands telling everyone who would listen that if the game was close, we'd pull another upset because we wouldn't miss our free throws.

We had something similar to this when I played and I use something relatively similar when I coach. I can tell you that this is more of an exception than a rule today.

[hoosiergoody]

after 20 minutes of suicides, we were either puking or punching the guy who would miss the free throw... by that time it was hit one and we are done... too bad that coach didn't last long, because that was our best ft shooting year (freshman year).

[Buccaneer]

FTs don't make highlight films or appear on rap videos.

[miami_fan]

FTs don't make highlight films or appear on rap videos.

Tell that to the kid from Memphis who missed his free throw at the end of the conference tourney last year ;) That was on every highlight films in America that day