The worst pick up players.

[wwharton]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Great job with the pics and animated gif.

BTW, in that gif you can CLEARLY see that your left thumb is putting a side spin on the ball, likely helping push it off to the right also.

[ojandpizza]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Everyone here has already given you really great advice.. But I do want to add one small thing.

While you are practicing with the correct form tips everyone here has already given you, be sure to also find a variation that feels "comfortable" to you.. You don't want your shot feeling awkward or lacking fluidity. One of the most important aspects of shooting is being able to consistently replicate the same shooting motion and release over and over again. And that is way easier to do if you find a rhythm that feels comfortable to you, a motion that you can replicate purely on instinct and muscle memory..

So while you do need to practice with correct form also practice with finding your comfortable spot. There is no such thing as a "perfect shot" and players range anything from Marion and Noah to Curry or Ray Allen.. No two shots are exactly the same, but consistency with your own shot is very important.


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[AC]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Most importantly, work. Work at it. Having the best mechanics in the world would only do so much. You need to be out there taking shots as often as you possibly can.

[lilteapot]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Wow, guys. I really wasn't expecting so much great advice and insight from so many people. I can't tell you guys enough how much I appreciate the help. I've been pretty busy and haven't been able to make it to a court yet and work on it, but trust me I'm taking all your advice to heart.

oj makes a great point. I do struggle with consistency the most. I'll make a few shots in a row and the form might not be perfect but it seems to work for me, then I'll just completely screw up the next shot and my rhythms gone again. I guess it'll just come from hard work and practice.

My guide hand is almost always an issue, maybe my biggest, thanks to P-Dub for breaking it down frame by frame, so obvious how much it's affecting my shot. As to whether most of my shots are too much to the left, right, too strong, too short, honestly they're all over the place because I struggle to have consistent form, but more often than not they're usually too short.

also, I'm not too worried about it at the moment, since I'm just focused on fixing my shot mechanics, but I struggle to shoot comfortably from outside the circle. takes a whole lot more effort for me to shoot from further away, so I almost always use both hands to shoot. Not too worried about that at the moment though, just wanted to see if you guys had any advice for shooting from further away. How to get a better arc, make sure it doesn't fall short too often, etc.

Again, can't stress how much I appreciate all the help.

[lilteapot]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Went to the park and shot around for about a half hour. I took a few videos, but I'll take some more with my iPad tomorrow morning hopefully, so that you guys can see the results of my shots.

Looking at my form, I noticed some things that were still an issue:

1. I was putting my right foot forward too much and as a result, jumped forward for my shots. This ruined the balance of my shot.

2. My elbow still isn't tucked in, and sticks out.

3. My left hand is still affecting the backspin. I need to grasp better control of the ball somehow.

I'll upload a vid soon, but those were the main things I noticed.

[ojandpizza]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Jumping forward some during your shot isn't always a bad thing, if it begins to compromise your balance it will be a problem, but lots of people actually jump slightly forward during their shot.


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[VDusen04]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Went to the park and shot around for about a half hour. I took a few videos, but I'll take some more with my iPad tomorrow morning hopefully, so that you guys can see the results of my shots.

Looking at my form, I noticed some things that were still an issue:

1. I was putting my right foot forward too much and as a result, jumped forward for my shots. This ruined the balance of my shot.

2. My elbow still isn't tucked in, and sticks out.

3. My left hand is still affecting the backspin. I need to grasp better control of the ball somehow.

I'll upload a vid soon, but those were the main things I noticed.

Perhaps you would benefit from the warmup wwharton mentioned earlier (at least I think he mentioned it). That is, standing just a few feet from the rim, squaring your feet and shoulders as you best see fit, and practicing some one-armed shooting (no left hand, just using the right and following up and through).

[wwharton]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Wow, guys. I really wasn't expecting so much great advice and insight from so many people. I can't tell you guys enough how much I appreciate the help. I've been pretty busy and haven't been able to make it to a court yet and work on it, but trust me I'm taking all your advice to heart.

oj makes a great point. I do struggle with consistency the most. I'll make a few shots in a row and the form might not be perfect but it seems to work for me, then I'll just completely screw up the next shot and my rhythms gone again. I guess it'll just come from hard work and practice.

My guide hand is almost always an issue, maybe my biggest, thanks to P-Dub for breaking it down frame by frame, so obvious how much it's affecting my shot. As to whether most of my shots are too much to the left, right, too strong, too short, honestly they're all over the place because I struggle to have consistent form, but more often than not they're usually too short.

also, I'm not too worried about it at the moment, since I'm just focused on fixing my shot mechanics, but I struggle to shoot comfortably from outside the circle. takes a whole lot more effort for me to shoot from further away, so I almost always use both hands to shoot. Not too worried about that at the moment though, just wanted to see if you guys had any advice for shooting from further away. How to get a better arc, make sure it doesn't fall short too often, etc.

Again, can't stress how much I appreciate all the help.

The short shots can be a combination of a couple of things. 1) since we know your guide hand is playing a role, at times it can cause you to "block" your own shot. 2) When you aim at the rim rather than with a good arc, a lot of your power is coming from your tricep (small muscle) when you get much more power from the shoulder... and of course, releasing as you jump can zap some power but I still wouldn't worry about that. 3) Some people start following through before they've completed the process of the shot. It should be the very last thing you do. If you start your follow through while you're still shooting, you will certainly zap a ton of power and kill any accuracy.

Honestly, as you get better with everything already mentioned, you should be able to increase your range as well.

Went to the park and shot around for about a half hour. I took a few videos, but I'll take some more with my iPad tomorrow morning hopefully, so that you guys can see the results of my shots.

Looking at my form, I noticed some things that were still an issue:

1. I was putting my right foot forward too much and as a result, jumped forward for my shots. This ruined the balance of my shot.

2. My elbow still isn't tucked in, and sticks out.

3. My left hand is still affecting the backspin. I need to grasp better control of the ball somehow.

I'll upload a vid soon, but those were the main things I noticed.

I'm sure you know, it'd be impossible for you to consistently fix everything we threw at you right away. Don't get frustrated if it takes a while, and maybe try to focus on one thing at a time. When you shoot around, try taking a set number of shots from one spot before moving to another one. We tend to just float all over the court when shooting around, but if you are working on your shot, it's best to remove as many variables as you can. If that's too boring, just go between the same 2 spots at a time.

Jumping forward some during your shot isn't always a bad thing, if it begins to compromise your balance it will be a problem, but lots of people actually jump slightly forward during their shot.


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This is true, but I find that people that jump too far forward are better trying to do the complete opposite of what they're used to until they get a feel for where they should be. Also, those you're talking about are generally shooting a jump shot and coming down slightly in front of the launch point. If you're shooting on the way up and jumping forward you probably aren't going to be too consistent.

[ojandpizza]

Re: The worst pick up players.

This is true, but I find that people that jump too far forward are better trying to do the complete opposite of what they're used to until they get a feel for where they should be. Also, those you're talking about are generally shooting a jump shot and coming down slightly in front of the launch point. If you're shooting on the way up and jumping forward you probably aren't going to be too consistent.

Yeah I was referring to jump shooters who land slightly forward from where they started their shot. Like when a player take a 3 pointer just behind the line but lands on it or over it. If you are jumping or even leaning forward while in the process of your shot it can cause some issues..

Honestly since he seems to be moving forward during his shot, and his release extends out from his chest/face area rather than upward, I would almost suggest him putting something in front of him and shooting over it. Could help with cutting down the forward movement and help with a higher release..



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[VDusen04]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Can't stand the players that try to steal my snow mound.

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[The 24th Letter]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Just had to post this here.zz

This morning, this old dude was actually arguing that a last shot didn't count because the ball was in the air when the buzzer went off....like, this **** went on for 5 minutes...WTF man...

[lilteapot]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Just had to post this here.zz

This morning, this old dude was actually arguing that a last shot didn't count because the ball was in the air when the buzzer went off....like, this **** went on for 5 minutes...WTF man...

do you play in a league or something?

[The 24th Letter]

The worst pick up players.

do you play in a league or something?

I do actually, but this was just open run.....they bring the mini scoreboard out for us....

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Had no idea people played with a clock during open run. I assumed everyone played up to a certain score with no one keeping time. At least that's how it is up here.

[ggsimmonds]

Re: The worst pick up players.

Several years ago the court I ran on had some quirky regulars.

1. The two best friends. Always had to be on the same team. ALWAYS. And if it was 3v3 and you got stuck on their team you might as well sit down.

2. The space marine. Every time this dude played he would space out or trip out. I don't even know what to call him. One time it was the middle of a game and we were on offense. I was driving and he was wide open on the wing, so I dished it out to him. The ball bounced untouched out of bounds and he was looking in the sky. We asked wtf he was doing and he said he thought he saw a UFO. When he was in the game he was a black hole. dribble, head fake, head fake, shoot. repeat.

3. The on court coach. Dude not even that good but he coaching everyone on their game. Guys that yell out switch from the other side of the court, tell you where to run, etc. It is worse when the "advice" is horrible. One dude even had the nerve to try to offer advice on my shooting form. Told me I unnecessarily fadeaway on some shots (I don't fade, I just sweep and sway and land on my left foot). Everyone laughed because my form is well known as being excellent.

4. The 21 only guy. Never was big on playing teams, only wanted to play multiple games of 21 (we usually run a warm up game of 21 before settling in to the real games). When he did play he just camped out by his 3 point sweet spot.

5. Stockton and Malone. Two older white guys that always wore Jazz jerseys and spent entire games running the pick and roll (well fade actually). It would not have been a problem if they did not get mad when you did something different. Usually we ran 3v3 to 5v5. This led to problems lol. So many times we would waive off screens, so many times they would yell "no, slow it down." Then when we did run the PnR with them they would never roll to the basket. No matter how open the paint is they are taking a 15 to 18 ft jumper. Every time. Good times lol.

6. The bring my girlfriend and mess up the game guy. You guys ever see this? I have no problem with girls watching the games, hell many times we had our girls watching the game, but this guy was different. His gf was one of those center of attention types. Each time she would position herself right under the rim and make it about her.
A sample:
"Omg you almost ran me over!!"
"Well get out of the damn way"
"James you gonna let him talk to me like that?"
--
"Omg ya'll you gotta see this text Mary just sent me!!
--
(in the middle of the game her bf is playing)
"James are we doing X this weekend? Hellllo, are you listening?"
"I'm in the middle of a game babe"
"Well call pause or something"
(she then walks on to the court)

And my favorite...
7. The lets lower the rim squad.
Ugh, I hate you guys. Seriously.