The worst pick up players.

[VDusen04]

Re: The worst pick up players.

I am struggling to understand those who insist upon playing "grass out", "pole out", or "no outs". I had not really run into this at any point of my life but have now come across it multiple times this year alone. We have sidelines, we have baselines, they're legitimate lengths, why are we ignoring them? Still waiting on Brandon Jennings to stroll up in the pre-game captains huddle and declare, "Okay, tonight we're gonna go cameramen and scorer's table: new boundaries."

[cavsfan2]

Re: The worst pick up players.

I am struggling to understand those who insist upon playing "grass out", "pole out", or "no outs". I had not really run into this at any point of my life but have now come across it multiple times this year alone. We have sidelines, we have baselines, they're legitimate lengths, why are we ignoring them? Still waiting on Brandon Jennings to stroll up in the pre-game captains huddle and declare, "Okay, tonight we're gonna go cameramen and scorer's table: new boundaries."

Are you playing with fourth graders or something? Lol

The only "no outs" I've ever seen is in half court games where the line at the center of the court isn't out unless it would've been a backcourt violation. Even that is pretty rare though.

Another player I hate is the "don't touch me" guy. If you have the height advantage and are posting up at every opportunity physical contact is kind of expected. Get over it.

[VDusen04]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Are you playing with fourth graders or something? Lol

The only "no outs" I've ever seen is in half court games where the line at the center of the court isn't out unless it would've been a backcourt violation. Even that is pretty rare though.

Another player I hate is the "don't touch me" guy. If you have the height advantage and are posting up at every opportunity physical contact is kind of expected. Get over it.

Well, as I said, it's not something I see every day. They're usually out-of-towners, mostly from the city. I had a couple of friends tell me about a group of guys who showed up a few years ago and when one was called for being out of bounds, expressed disbelief, "Y'all don't play grass out?!" We always laughed about that. But then it happened to me twice this year. Flummoxing.

And yeah, the physical player who hates when people respond to their physicality with physicality can be a little maddening.

[lilteapot]

Re: The worst pick up players.

This is my jumper. Would appreciate some tips. Just a clip from a longer video I took on my phone, if you guys think I should post more then I will.



<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/U41L0Vg9mFE" allowfullscreen="" height="315" width="560" frameborder="0"></iframe>

I couldn't find a good place to put my phone to get a good video, so I managed to stick it onto padding for the stanchion lol. anyway this is a video of a missed shot so if you see anything wrong with my shot mechanics I'd love some advice. Looking at this clip, it looks like I'm shooting on the way up and from my chest which might be why I bricked this shot and airball so many others lol.

[AC]

Re: The worst pick up players.

You also have one foot a pretty decent distance in front of the other. Try to keep them even. Also keep that elbow tucked in and at a 90 degree angle. You have the beginning of a nice follow through, but try and keep it going until the ball hits the rim and make that cookie jar motion with your hand.

Has all the beginning of a nice shot, though.

[lilteapot]

Re: The worst pick up players.

You also have one foot a pretty decent distance in front of the other. Try to keep them even. Also keep that elbow tucked in and at a 90 degree angle. You have the beginning of a nice follow through, but try and keep it going until the ball hits the rim and make that cookie jar motion with your hand.

Has all the beginning of a nice shot, though.

So should my right foot be completely even with my left or slightly above it?

[AC]

Re: The worst pick up players.

So should my right foot be completely even with my left or slightly above it?

It depends on the person, but I'd at the very least make them closer than they are now.

[lilteapot]

Re: The worst pick up players.

It depends on the person, but I'd at the very least make them closer than they are now.

Got it, I'll try and take a video tomorrow and record my results. Appreciate the help!

[beast10]

The worst pick up players.

[VDusen04]

Re: The worst pick up players.

This is my jumper. Would appreciate some tips. Just a clip from a longer video I took on my phone, if you guys think I should post more then I will.



<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/U41L0Vg9mFE" allowfullscreen="" height="315" width="560" frameborder="0"></iframe>

I couldn't find a good place to put my phone to get a good video, so I managed to stick it onto padding for the stanchion lol. anyway this is a video of a missed shot so if you see anything wrong with my shot mechanics I'd love some advice. Looking at this clip, it looks like I'm shooting on the way up and from my chest which might be why I bricked this shot and airball so many others lol.

I'd say the good news is your feet are pointed straight at the hoop and thus, your shoulders are mostly square. You'd be surprised how often that is not the case amongst developing shooters. Squaring to the hoop is huge so it's good you have that established. You also have a smooth process, as opposed to different parts of your shot occurring at odds with one's own momentum.

On the flip side, AC's right on the money, those feet probably need to even up a little bit. Typically (but not always), the right foot of a right-handed shooter is just slightly ahead of the left. Your foot is so far forward that you may threaten the squared shoulder base you'd previously established.

Above all else, I'd like to address the placement of your hands, particularly the function of your lefty. The job of the left hand is to provide stability for your shot - all the way up to your release. If you watch your shot closely, you may be able to see that your left hand seems to squirt a little then jut wildly away from the ball itself. I can't tell if the left hand is affecting the flight of the ball though. It almost looks like you're removing your left hand before the stabilization job is complete, leaving your shooting hand to handle the responsibility of both aiming and projection.

With that in mind, you may also be able to tell how your right elbow is a touch crooked. Like AC alluded, I'd recommend trying to bring that elbow inward a little bit. I always liken it to creating a catapult. How would one go about creating a structure to fling things in a straight line? They'd implement a straight arm, which is what keeping the elbow in does for your shot. If your elbow is crooked, as it appears in the brief clip, that may lead your body to naturally counteract that crooked motion by using that left hand as a part of trying to shoot a straight shot, which creates a very complicated and imperfect process.

Something I do while practicing, to keep my guide hand in check, is straightening it out completely, like a karate chop...



...I then hold the ball and perform jumpshots while my left hand maintains that position throughout the shooting process. This ensures that my left hand does not become involved in the actual projection aspect of the shot, only serving as a form of stability. My little brother even went as far as to create a paper plate glove, so he'd have no means of using his left hand as anything but a stabilizer.

Lastly, I'd recommend a higher follow through. If you pause your video at the right part of the two second mark, you may be able to see that your shooting hand is pointing almost straight in front of your body (akin to a zombie). You then correct this by snapping your arm upward a touch higher, but the damage has already been done. I was always taught to shoot as if I had to fire out of a telephone booth. If you shot with the zombie follow through while inside this thing, what would happen to the ball?



That said, the snap of your wrist is solid and that is also quite important to the shooting process, so you've got a number of things going for you there.

For easier reading, here's a quick summary of suggestions:

1. Reduce the drastic space between your right and left foot

2. Use your left hand as a guide hand only, all the way up until release

3. Straighten your right elbow to allow your arm to project something straight ahead

4. Elevate follow through for increased arc, touch, and release space

[AC]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Guys online charge $80 for "jump shot improvement guides" that aren't as good as what VDusen just laid out lol

[702]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Seriously, I need to.get a video of my jumpshot.

[lilteapot]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Fantastic advice VDusen, thanks! I like that everyone's giving me similar feedback, lets me know what I need to work on most.

My guide hand does tend to affect my shot a lot of times, so it helps to know that having more balance on my shot will help it. Haven't been able to try out your advice yet, but I'm confident it'll help Thanks again!

[wwharton]

Re: The worst pick up players.

This is my jumper. Would appreciate some tips. Just a clip from a longer video I took on my phone, if you guys think I should post more then I will.



<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/U41L0Vg9mFE" allowfullscreen="" height="315" width="560" frameborder="0"></iframe>

I couldn't find a good place to put my phone to get a good video, so I managed to stick it onto padding for the stanchion lol. anyway this is a video of a missed shot so if you see anything wrong with my shot mechanics I'd love some advice. Looking at this clip, it looks like I'm shooting on the way up and from my chest which might be why I bricked this shot and airball so many others lol.

VDusen did a great job so I'll try just adding to what he's already said... or maybe come from a different perspective.

Whether or not your feet should be square depends on how you shoot. You shoot with the ball pretty much right in front of your face so having your feet even will be really uncomfortable. For a point of reference, you probably want your right foot about 6 inches ahead of your left. And then your body should be about square to your feet. This makes it easier for you to keep your elbow straight (if your shoulders are completely square to the basket, it's harder to get your elbow straight if you shoot from right in front of your face). Something I do with kids is have them hold the ball as if they are ready to shoot with their elbow in a comfortable position, and then turn their shoulders until the elbow is straight. You'll see it's not a big difference, but it's enough to help you with control, and the next problem... that left hand.

I can see from the shot that your left hand creates problems for you, even if it's unclear whether or not it did in the video. The way you release it probably causes you to push the ball with your left thumb as your following through with your right hand. When you practice, line the ball out and then pay attention to the spin. If you're getting a side spin, it's usually bc the left hand is spinning it out of your hand. Try holding the ball so your right thumb is creating a T with your left hand. It will be hard to balance the ball for your shot if you don't have the right position, forcing you to straighten your elbow more, and will help you keep the left hand from effecting the shot.

More assumptions, it looks like your feet are so far apart because you're trying to jump forward on your shot. It's like a subconscious idea that you have to jump forward (and release on the way up) to get the ball to the rim. You want to jump straight up, and maybe even slightly backward (to reinforce the idea of not jumping forward). This will help you get a higher arc and with distance accuracy in general. That big step forward you take, instead try a step with your right foot almost in place, with a big push off straight up.

That takes us to the next part, your follow through is probably aimed directly at the rim. The phone booth is a great example for visualization. I personally just think "push UP not OUT". If you take that step in place and push up off your right foot, let the rest of your body follow that motion in the same direction. Look at the rim, shoot up. Obviously you're not shooting over Shaq but with practice, you'll find the comfortable balance.

You do shoot on the way up, but I wouldn't worry about that right now. Shooting at the top of your jump helps with a lot of things, but most importantly, it allows you to need less room to get off an open shot. Your shot's not ready for worrying about that level of detail, just work on your form and pay attention to your misses. Is it often long or short? Do you miss to the left or right? Is the ball usually spinning sideways? Not spinning much at all?

A couple of things I still do to this day (since I tend to be rusty every time I step in a gym these days), first thing I do when getting on the court is take a bunch of shots with one hand and no jump from about 3 feet away. I'm working on getting a good back spin on release, getting a good arc, making sure I'm shooting UP, etc. Then I'll move back just short of the foul line and incorporate my legs but continue shooting with one hand. Pay attention to how it feels to have your elbow straight, using your shoulder to push up and keeping your hand parallel to the floor all the way through release. Since you may unknowingly rely on your left hand so much, this will probably feel really strange and difficult for a while. Then when you add your left hand, try to stick your left elbow almost straight out (makes it harder to NOT have it in proper place on the ball), pulling it slightly off as you release.

Your real shooting form doesn't have to match that exactly, but it's great practice so you can feel when you're screwing up and see how the ball reacts to it vs proper placement.

[P-Dub]

Re: The worst pick up players.

This is basically what everybody said, I just want to give you some visualizations.

Here is your elbow out and your right foot forward. Good form on your left arm.


You will see this causing your shot to flare out a bit to the right as your arm straightens out in front of the shoulder rather than in front of your head.

Notice your hand is in front of your face on the first frame, and then it is moves a bit out to the right.

Good wrist release with the palm down, but that arm action possibly causes your right wrist to chop almost perpendicular to the ground. To try focus on using your index finger as your release finger. It is the strongest finger of the hand. On top of that, your left arm flares out and up. The high trajectory of your guide arm is one I would practice for the release arm, as you are releasing a bit out in front of your body, rather than up, giving you a flat shot trajectory.




I also noticed your left foot is getting off the ground before your right foot. Which leads to your square landing, which is how you should be before your shot.


Lots of compensation going on here.

Instead of stepping into your shot with your right foot, try lightly tossing the ball up out in front of you with backspin so it will come back to you a bit after the bounce, and then lightly hop towards the ball with both feet, catch it and fire from there. Simulating a catch and shoot.

The elbow, wrist/finger, trajectory, and guide arm are comfort things that require practice.

The most important thing to remember regardless of form, is making point A to point B in a straight line with the net. So, point A being when you have the ball at/above your head, point B being when the ball comes off your fingertips. Everything else is finding out what works for you as far as comfort and success. You only shoot the ball halfway, gravity takes care of the rest.