5 Tips to Hit the Winning Shot in Basketball

There are only 10 seconds left on the clock. Your team is depending on you to take the winning shot. Do you know what to do to win? Can you hit that winning shot? The vast majority of people can not. The reason for this is not because they do not have the talent. They do not have the mental makeup most of the time.

The vast majority of basketball players would prefer that the other guy take that last shot. That can have lasting effects on a basketball player. You must have the desire to take the winning shot to be successful at it. Think of the greats of the game over the past several decades.

How many times did you watch Michael Jordan shoot the winning shot in his career? From his game winning shot to secure the national championship in 1982 for Carolina, to his absolute devastation in the pros of the Utah Jazz and others, Michael Jordan wanted the ball when they needed the winning shot. That was at least half the battle right there.

The first key to hitting the winning shot is wanting to be the one to take it. The next thing is to practice the winning shot with regularity. You should have experienced this situation in practice a million times before you ever see it in a real game. Set up game-winning scenarios in practice and work on what you would do. Creating it on the fly is sure to lower your success rate. Know what you are doing by repeating the things you have practiced.

Another important thing about hitting the winning shot is to know your go-to move. This is the move that you go to when you absolutely must have a bucket. Before shooting a game winning shot, you will have spent the entire game matched up with someone else. You know at this point which moves they are unable to stop, and which moves they are good at stopping. Draw on this when you choose your winning shot.

When you go to actually shoot the shot, remember the basics. Square up your shoulders to the hoop, get good rotation on the ball and follow through. Do not shy away from contact by a defender, because you may win the game with free throws. Many people do not realize that Jordan and others won many games simply by being fouled on the last shot. They won far more that way then by shooting and making the winning shot.

Hitting the winning shot is something that even the least talented players can do. The key is to believe in yourself, practice the scenario and go to what you do best on the offensive end of the floor.