How to Shoot Better in Basketball

Knowing how to shoot the lights out is the real skill in basketball. Yeah, picks and fancy dribbling are nice, but come on. There is no doubt that being a sharpshooter makes you an asset to any team. Remember how Lithuania managed to beat Team USA in the 2004 Olympics? It wasn't explosive dunks or rough defense. It was playing smart, making fakes and confidently taking shots.

To become a better shooter, you'll need to practice and establish good shooting habits. It is something that can be learned, as long as you are willing to change if you have to. Relearning how to shoot correctly if needed may be hard, but it's worth it.

Shooting a basketball is something that almost anybody can do, but to do it skillfully, you need to have the right technique. The technique that follows is the same one used by great professional basketball shooters, and history shows it's probably the best one. For the following you can adapt it to left-handed shooting by switching everything.

Your body should be in a relaxed stance, and you should be comfortable dribbling and holding the ball. To shoot a jump shot, hold the ball with both hands. Then bring your right hand into a lower position, with all fingers outstretched and holding the ball. The left hand is a guide hand, sort of like a calibrating device. The left hand keeps the ball balanced correctly over your right hand.

Bring the right hand underneath the ball and keep the left hand vertical and gently holding up the ball. Your right hand should be bent backwards and your right arm should be in an "L" shape and moved inward so that your elbow is directly ahead of the right half of your chest.

See, the point is that you want to shoot the ball straight ahead of wear you are looking at. When you square up and face the rim, and then shoot, you should at least be sure that the ball will be on that line that connects your center with the middle of the hoop.

When you shoot the ball you will flick your right wrist and outstretch your right arm simultaneously, preferably while jumping, and it's best at the top of your jump. When you shoot you should have a window in between your arms. This is your viewing angle of the rim - you should be focused on the hoop. By jumping you can give extra energy to your shot, your legs will provide a boost. You don't have to jump, but it helps, even if it's a two inch hop.

It is important to perfect your form so that you can concentrate your vision on the hoop. You should outstretch your right hand all the way after the shot, as if you're imagining your arm stretching out like a rubber arm and putting the ball in.

When you shoot you should feel like you have good control of the ball, and that you can be fairly certain it will at least go near the rim. Try to avoid off-balance shots if possible. If you are athletic enough, you can practice fadeaways as they can be extremely effective.

See how the sharpshooters do it. Watch videos of Mark Price, Allan Houston, Ray Allen, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Steve Kerr, and J. J. Redick to see examples of excellent form. They have really hot hands. You can find their videos on YouTube. Those shooters all have the incredible stats - all are among the top in the percentage of free throws and three pointers made. One thing is common about their shooting styles - they all follow through and set up nicely for their shots. And they are very consistent in their form - they don't experiment with different styles. Why should they? When it comes to shooting styles history has proven that their form of shooting works.

To shoot free throws better simply copy the form of the world's best free throw shooter - a really old man who figured it out. Yep, an old guy who reminds you of gramps - not athletic. His name is Tom Amberry. You can emulate his form also whenever you are wide open straight ahead of the rim. It really works!

So now just focus, practice, and keep your form consistent. In games try to shoot when you are open, and utilize fakes and picks to get better looks. Try not to force shots.

Some advanced tips are to shoot a high arc and have a nice backspin on the ball. This is achieved by flicking your wrist effectively and holding the ball correctly - your fingers should be stretched out on the ball and your palm should not touch the ball. The advantage of having a backspin is that the ball has a better chance of going in, as it will slow down its forward motion a little when it hits the rim, instead of bouncing off clumsily.

Having a high arc allows the ball to have a better probability of going in. Think of the ball as a creature with eyes, say - a huge blowfish when it expands. When it's high in the air it can see the rim better, while if it's coming in at a low 20 degree angle it only sees a small sliver of the net. The ball simply can get in easier if it comes down into the rims area at a steeper angle - gravity is on its side. If you've ever seen Shaq shoot free throws you can relate - he shoots it with hardly any arc. So shoot a nice arc - try watching how Dirk Nowitzki shoots and you'll see how it helps. Not only is he virtually impossible to block at 7' tall, but he also has a smart shot. Another benefit of a high arc is that you allow you give your teammates(along with yourself) a better chance to get the rebound. Allen Iverson and Earl Boykins are two short players who always have nice arcs and it helps them make up for their relative shortness.

Another tip is to properly gauge your strength. Like Shakespeare said in different words, know yourself. If you are fresh and just starting a game, shoot normally. Using the backboard should be reserved for layups and perhaps shots near the baseline. When you get very tired and are exhausted, overestimate the strength needed when shooting. Full-court games really tire you out, and the worst thing to do is throw up an air-ball. No excuse for an air-bal.

Furthermore, you should develop a quick release, especially if you are relatively short. It will help in avoiding getting stuffed, and as any basketball player will attest, getting blocked is shame and demoralizes your team. A quick release needs lots of practice. Boykins again comes to mind as an example of a player with a bullet-quick release. The guy is 5'5" and manages to put up double figures night-in, night-out. He compensates for his shortness by shooting quickly and with a lovely arc.

If you are very tall you might prefer to watch Larry Bird, Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic, because of your extra arm length. Peja has a unique form but it works - he's getting paid millions just to shoot. And mainly from the three point line.

Another tip is to figure out your "sweet spot" and shoot from there as much as possible. You get the same three points for shooting a half-court hook shot as you do for an open three right behind the arc, so figure out whether you shoot better from the baseline or from the top of the key. David West was nicknamed the "17-foot assassin" by Chris Paul because of his deadly accuracy from 17-feet out. Maybe you like to shoot from 9 feet out and near the baseline, or threes from from that bend on the arc. Just figure it out and capitalize on it!

Shooting well is the paramount skill in basketball. Coaches may dwell on defense and positioning and X's and O's and Zen or zone, but actually it's simple: put ball in hoop. Get that orange ball in the hoop, through hook shot or alley-oop. Now all you need to do is practice, and apply what you know in your next game. You're wide open - shoot!