Of all the skills a basketball player needs, free throw shooting is probably the easiest to master. A free throw is always the same shot; whether you are on your home court or away, in a gym or in a park...it's always the same distance. What is the difference between a good free throw shooter and a poor shooter? Repetition, repetition, repetition!! The good free throw shooter has trained his 'muscle memory' - and that is really all a free throw is - a memorized shot. The more you practice your free throws, the better you become. So, repetition and hard work makes a great free throw shooter! (Remember, hard work is a positive thing!!!)
Free Throw Shooting Tips
1. Relax
If you are not relaxed, you will not perform to the best of your ability. A freethrow must be shot while feeling relaxed. Yeah, yeah, it's easy to feel relaxedearly in the game, but how am I supposed to feel relaxed when I need to maketwo free throws to tie the score late in the game? Believe it or not, shootingfree throws in a relaxed state can be learned. How?...- Always practice free throws using proper form and fundamentals.
- When you are shooting free throws, add some competitiveness to the
situation. Pretend each practice free throw is the game winning shot and/or give yourself a punishment for missing the free throw (such as 10 push-ups, a full court sprint, etc).- Compete against a teammate/training partner.
- Come up with your own ideas that will help. Dare to challenge yourself now
and games won't seem so difficult.2. Routine
Establishing a consistent routine may be the most important aspect of freethrow shooting. It is not enough to simply step up to the free throw line andgo through the motions of your shot. A routine you are comfortable with mustbe performed in the same manner on every free throw; in practice and ingames. The same routine each time will give you comfort no matter what thesituation is in a game. As an example here was/is my free throw shootingroutine once I received the basketball from the official (I also stepped backfrom the free throw line between and before each free throw attempt):- Spin the ball between both hands and slightly up into the air; dropping to triple threat stance upon 'catching' the ball (the ball never actually leaves my hands though).
- Deep breath(s) while spinning and bending knees (stance).
- Exactly 3 rhythmic dribbles.
- Grab ball and rhythmically bend knees a few times, getting into a comfortable stance.
- Deep breath again.
- Shoot basketball (swish, of course!)
My routine shown above does not mean it has to be your routine...it's simply anexample of a free throw shooting routine to give you an idea of what should bedone. Whatever routine you follow, the same thing must be done every singletime you shoot a free throw!3. Positive Focus
Following the very moment you are fouled, the focus and positive self-talk mustbegin. Every single time you are going to shoot a free throw, tell yourself thatit is going in. If you say to yourself, "I hope I make this", chances are you willnot make it. 'I hope' is leaving it open to missing the shot ... know, KNOW, thatthe shot is going in. Visualize the shot going in; in your mind's eye, see it'swishing' through the net! Then, step up to the free throw and really 'see itswish'!4. Clear Your Mind
Besides your positive thoughts and maybe a technique reminder or two, keepyour mind clear. If you are thinking too much, you may be opening yourself upto too many negative thoughts and/or causing added pressure. If you step tothe line saying something like, "Ok, bend my knees, keep the elbow in, breathedeeply, follow through, smile pretty, I hope my shorts stay up, sheesh we coulduse this point here, I hope coach doesn't sub me out" you will be causingunnecessary anxiety. Feeling anxious will not allow you to be relaxed. Justgive yourself one or two reminders...don't overthink at the free throw line!5. Take Your Time
By rule, you are allowed 10 seconds to shoot your free throw. 10 seconds isplenty of time to complete your routine (whatever routine you come up with).Do not rush your shot -- take your time, be patient, and relax.Coaching the Free Throw
As a basketball coach, you should set defined free throw percentages for each individual player and also for the team as a whole. This will help players have something to strive for during practice sessions. If you believe a certain player should shoot 80% from the free throw line, they will now have a defined goal to strive for when shooting. If the player knows what goal he is trying to achieve, he will more than likely work harder and keep his focus and concentration during free throw shooting practice.
There will also be times in which you, as the coach, may need to tweak or fine-tune some aspects of a players free throw. It is important to be patient and not do a complete overhaul of their shot...at least no all at once. Focus on one aspect at a time to keep the players confidence level up. Too much all at once may enhance any lack of confidence a player has at that time. For example, if a player shoots with the elbow out, no knee bend, no follow through and no arch, just pick one of those aspects and work on that until corrected. Then choose another one ... and the next ... and so on.
I also find it inherently important to keep track of each player's free throw shooting percentage...not just in games, but also in practice. Chart and record free throws every time you work on free throw shooting in practice. This will help each player know exactly how well he or she is actually shooting. It wil also help the player to work with a purpose...he will have a specific goal in mind and will not simply go through the motions.
Along those lines, I also like to incorporate 'competitive' free throw situations during practice. By competitive, I mean placing a consequence on a free throw. For example, some days after our warm-ups we will do some running based on how well (or poorly) we shoot free throws. I might make a free throw worth a 10-second sprint (sprint to baseline and back), a full 4-line sprint, or anything else. I will either pick a player or allow a player to take the challenge himself. If he misses, we run...if he makes we don't run. Another example; while we are all at separate baskets during a free throw practice session, I may choose to call out a players name. We all stop shooting and watch. I will pick however many players I feel like that day and, as a team, we must achieve our team free throw percentage goal. Anything short of that will require the consequence. Making free throws 'competitive' can really give the player an idea of a pressure situation. When a player makes his free throw, the team gets excited -- it's a positive situation. When a player misses, it still needs to stay positive, but they will begin to learn to shoot under pressure.
I must also mention that these competitive/consequence free throw situations do not need to used all the time. I find that when we aren't shooting well, sometimes it can actually keep the poor shooting going. There are days in which I just want the focus to be on the free throw itself, not on what may or may not occur because of a miss.
Having a good free throw shooting team doesn't just 'happen'. If you don't want to lose games because of missed free throws, make sure you are giving adequate practice to shooting them and teaching how to shoot them as needed or required.
Free throw shooting is an all-too-often overlooked skill within the game of basketball. As players, we certainly 'play', work on skills such as shooting and ball handling ... but how much do you really work on shooting free throws? As coaches, how much do you actually 'teach' free throw shooting and how much time do you spend working on it in practice? Free throw shooting can so often directly correlate between a win and a loss that it is imperative we do not neglect this facet of basketball. Look at a box score from any basketball game sometime -- if a team lost by three and shot 2 for 11 from the free throw line, how might they have done if they shot 6 for 11 (which is still a very low free throw percentage)? Sure, maybe there were other reasons that led them to a loss, but to me, free throws are just that -- FREE THROWS! As in 'Free'; no defender disrupting your shot, no worries about getting a shot off quickly, and always shot from the same distance -- it is a wide open shot! It's quite simple; make more free throws--win more basketball games! This article will delve into the technical and mental aspects of shooting the free throw.
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