Become a Great 3-Point Shooter

Everyone wants to score more points. So here are a couple easy ways to improve your scoring average:

1.) Take better shots.
Now, this may sound simple...and it is. But it is an important part of being a better scorer. The better your shot selection, the better you're shooting percentage will be. It's a pretty simple formula.

You're probably thinking: hey, I take good shots. Well, do you really? Good shots aren't just shots you take because you're open and haven't shot the ball in awhile. Good shots are shots that are within the scheme of the offense, within your range, and likely within your shooting "spots" on the floor.

For example: if you are a great shooter from about 15-feet out, and around the free throw line, then don't take a 23-footer from the baseline. Or, if you have a really good turnaround jumper in the post, don't try to take a guy off the dribble and shoot a running 8-footer in the lane. Of course, you can't always pick and choose where you'll be on the floor, or what your coach will ask you to do within the scheme of the offense. But you get the idea. Put yourself in situations that you thrive in. Create oppotunities in which you are likely to succeed. Take good shots, shots you are comortable with, shots you are likley to make and watch your scoring average soar.

2.) Become a better free throw shooter.
Again, a very simple concept, but also a very powerful one. Think about it: let's say you go to the free throw line an average of 6 times a game. If you are a 60% free throw shooter, you'll hit 3.6 of the 6 shots. If you are a great free throw shooter (and hit 90% of your shots), you'll hit 5.4 of the 6 shots. The difference is nearly 2 points a game.

In otherwords, work on becoming a great free throw shooter, and you can improve your scoring average by a point or two (or more) a game. Besides, free throws shouldn't be that difficult anyway. Think about it: you get to shoot a 15-foot shot with no on guarding you, and with 30 seconds to shoot the ball (so there is no rush). That's a gimme'. Free throw shooting is really a concentration issue: if you can concentrate and block out all the noise and stress of the moment, you should be able to increase your free throw shooting percentage quite a bit, and in turn, increase your scoring average.

You see great shooters, and I'm talking about the real pure shooters in the game, knocking down shots from all over the court. What is their secret?

Practice and repetition.

Good shooting isn't an accident, doesn't happen by mistake, and isn't the result of half-hearted or lazy practice habits. Really great shooting is the result of shooting thousands, or even tens of thousands of practice shots from all over the court. It is the result of practicing your shot day in and day out, and week after week so that you groove your form, and shooting the ball is second nature for you.

A great shot is the result of establishing muscle memory so that the shooting motion is nearly automatic, and you don't have to consiously think about your shot mechanics...you just shoot the ball with perfect form, just like you've practiced thousands and thousands of times before.

That is really the only way to get good and stay good: use good form, and practice it over, and over, and over again. Then practice it some more. Repetition is the key to grooving your shot during the off-season, and keeping it dialed in during the season.

Quick-shot drills are some of the most important shooting drills you can work on. Why? Because getting your jump shot off quickly can mean the difference between hitting the jumper, or getting your shot blocked.

Scoring the basketball, in many ways, is about getting enough space to take the shot. Whether you create that space by running your defender off of a screen set by a teammate, by driving past the defender, or by getting the defense to back away from you by faking a dribble or making a jab-step, you can't shoot the ball unless you have enough space to get the shot off.

Having a quick shot is really a way for you to be able to take more shots. If the defense gives you a small amount of room and a quick second or two to shoot the ball, you'd better be ready and able to get the shot off fast.

Here is the best drill to help you develop a quicker shot: the next time you go shoot around by yourself, focus on speeding up your shooting motion. Start off by taking a few jumpers at your normal speed. Take notice of how fast you go through the shooting motion. Next, speed up your shot as fast as you can without sacrificing your shooting form. Notice how you are able to speed up your shot simply by focusing on doing it.

Now that you are aware of how much quicker you can make your shot, practice at that speed. Get used to picking up the dribble, moving the ball through the shooting pocket, rising off the ground, full extending and releasing the shot...all much more quickly than you have in the past.

Shooting the ball more quickly will allow you more scoring opportunities. Work on quick-shot drills like this and your offensive game will take off.

There is nothing more frustating than to be having a great game, only to have to sit on the bench because of foul trouble. You need to be out on the floor, not sitting on the bench watching the action.

Now, during the course of a game, you'll likely get called for a couple of fouls. That's normal. If you are playing tough, aggressive basketball, you'll most likley end up committing a few fouls here and there. But the key is to avoid silly fouls. Silly mistakes add up quickly, and before you know it, you're sitting on the bench next to the coach, missing out on lots of quality playing time.

Silly fouls are things like reach-in fouls on defense (you should play defense with your feet, not your hands), over the back calls while crashing the boards (go after rebounds with power and aggressiveness, but don't try to jump over a guy that has better position than you), or moving screen fouls (you need to be stationary when setting a screen). These are more mental than physical mistakes: you know better than to reach on defense or to try jumping over someone for a rebound.

Avoiding foul trouble isn't just luck. Good players do sometimes get into foul trouble, but it is not the norm for them. Good players play smart, and playing smart means avoiding silly fouls like we just talked about.

Avoid silly fouls and you'll stay in the game. You can't score, rebound, or block shots sitting on the bench.

Being a great rebounder, like most other parts of the game of basketball requires more than just physical ability. This is true of most other sports as well. An athlete that really excels at their sport and separates themselves from the competition demonstrates a combination of physical talent, mental skill, fierce determination, and a tireless drive to succeed.

Which of these areas is most important? That's debatable, and there's no real answer. Without at least a baseline level of physical talent, a player will be hard-pressed to really compete at a high level or excel on a consistent basis. On the other hand, having a superior level of physical ability without adequate resources in the other areas leaves us with one of those amazing athletes that can't seem to "live up to their potential", seems to continually fall short in the clutch, and never really becomes the great player their talent led us to believe they would become.

So let's get to the question at hand: what makes a great rebounder?

Physical Skill
- There's no question that strength, jumping ability, explosiveness, conditioning, and timing are extremely important.
- Block-out technique is also vitally important.

Mental Focus
- This refers to the somewhat hard to define area of "the intangibles" and "knowledge of the game".
- Things such as anticipating when a shot is going to go up.
- Knowing, through experience and observation, where a rebound is likely to come off the rim.
- Anticipating which direction the opposing player is likely to move in an effort to grab the rebound.
- The ability to focus throughout a game (block out every time on the defensive end, go for the board every time on the offensive end).

Determination and Drive
- The competitive desire and drive to compete for every rebound.
- The drive and desire to battle the opposing player and win out over them.

All three of these areas contribute to success as a rebounder. But it all comes down to some very basic concepts: wanting to dominate the boards, focusing on every play, and working hard to make it happen.

A big part of being a great rebounder is timing. Knowing when to release the box out (on the defensive end of the floor) and explode up for the ball, and knowing when to explode past the defender and leap for the ball (on the offensive end) are important elements of being a great rebounder.

How can you develop your timing? With some simple, but effective drills: the put-back drill and the backboard toss drill.

Put-back and tip-in drill
The put-back drill is a drill you can do on your own, or with teammates. Start with the basketball in the lane, around the dotted line. Toss the ball up off the backboard and leap up, snatch the rebound out of the air, and go back up for a power lay-up. Next, toss the ball off the backboard and tip the ball in with either hand while still in the air. Do these drills from both sides of the basket. Also, when throwing the ball off the board, vary your tosses so that sometimes it comes cleanly off the backboard, and other times, it hits the rims or bounces off to the side. In this way, you'll get used to adjusting to odd rebounds and odd angles.

The backboard toss drill
This drill can also be done alone, or with teammates. In this drill, you'll stand to one side of the basket. Toss the ball off the backboard, towards the other side of the lane. After throwing the ball off the board, you'll quickly step towards the other side of the lane, leaping up high to grab the rebound, and come down strong, and on balance. Then go up strong for a power lay-up.

These drills are effective for helping you develop your timing, while also working on balance and leg strength.

Playing inside is tough. The lane is filled with lots of bodies and flying elbows. But you can make a name for yourself in the paint. Here are 3 keys...the 3 secrets to dominating down low:

1.) Footwork
Most of the game of basketball is about good footwork. But this is especially true when you play in the post. Offensive post moves are usually successful or not because of footwork. Defensive post play is also keyed off of using great footwork. And boxing out and rebounding is, in large part, dependent on having good footwork.

2.) Strength and toughness
Playing down low is a rough game. Most of the time you're in the paint, you'll have bodies draped all over you, people hanging on your arms, or you'll getting bumped on your way up for a shot. That's just the way it is. So you have to play with strength and toughness. Playing in the post is not a place for the weak or timid. But strength isn't just in the size of your shoulders or arms. Strength means playing tough, knowing how to use positioning and leverage, and being aggressive.

3.) Power and quickness
The 3rd secret to dominating the inside game is using power and quickness. Power means exploding up for rebounds or put-back shots. Power means exploding up for a turnaround jumper or baby hook shot.

Quickness means making post moves quick enough to keep your defender off-balance. It means making your offensive move fast, but under control. Quickness means making a quick step towards the basket for good rebounding position, or to cut your opponent off from getting good position.

Great post players use solid footwork, are strong and tough, and make quick, powerful moves inside. Work on integrating these 3 secrets into your game and you'll become an even greater force down low.

Using your body to protect the ball on offense is a very basic part of being a good offensive player. Pro players use this technique because it is so effective at giving you space to shoot the basketball.

For example, let's say you're on the perimeter, dribbling the ball to the right side of the floor. You should dribble with you right hand, with your left arm slightly extended (an "arm bar"). This keeps the defense away from the ball. They are separated from the ball by your body width, and even slightly further by your slightly extended arm. Simple stuff, but not all players apply this concept throughout the game, to the various other moves in which this concept is very important. Here are some examples of other times when using your body to protect the ball comes into play:

- Anytime you go hard to the basket for a lay-up, use your right hand (from the right side of the floor), and your left hand (from the left side of the floor). Again, a simple concept, but many people don't do this. Also, use your off-hand and body to keep the defense away from the ball. If the defense does go for the ball and tries to block the shot, they'll have to come all the way across your body, and will most likely get called for a foul.

- Anytime you're in the paint, shooting a close-in shot, use your outside hand to shoot the ball, and keep your body parallel to the baseline (when possible) during the shooting motion. This keeps the defense as far away as possible from the ball while you shoot.

For example, say you pick up a loose ball in the paint to the left side of the basket, with the defender to your right. Hold the ball firmly with both hands, but keep it to the left side of your body (to the outside and away from the defender). In this position, the ball is protected from the defender by your body width. As you go up for the shot, keep it to the left side of your body, away from the defense. Again, if they try to block the shot, they'll have to go completely across your body, and will likely get called for a foul.

If you were to keep the ball to the right side of your body (towards the defense), or if you turn your body inside, towards the middle of the floor, you actually make it much easier for the defense, giving them an opportunity for a steal or a blocked shot.

Here are some tips for becoming a better dribbler.

1.) Practicing the right way means doing things at game speed, and in game-like situations.
Don't go outside and just dribble around at half-speed. That will help you, but not much. Practice at full speed, at game speeds to really make a difference and improve your game.

2.) Work on keeping your head and eyes up while you dribble. Don't look down at the ball. When you're in a game, you want to be able to see your teammates and opponents (in other words, have good court vision), so you need to keep your head up and not look down at the ball.

3.) Also work on staying low to the ground, keeping the dribble low, and having good control in terms of changing direction if and when necessary. And always keep the ball on your fingertips. You get better control and power on your dribble when you keep it on your fingertips.