Nowadays, basketball coaches are preaching, “raise your set point” and “shoot above your head”, all too often. They insist that this will prevent you and I from getting are shots blocked. But the truth of the matter is, while that may be true, this doesn’t mean that this makes it a great, effective way to shoot most shots. I will back this up with my own personal experience.

This pet peeve is something I am starting to see develop (even in myself)! Whenever I adopt a traditionally high set point (above the eyes), 3 things happen:

1. My shots become flatter and hardly swish

2. My shots become more difficult to control

3. Airballs

These all things that we obviously don’t want (especially those airballs).

During my last senior mens game, I noticed that I was setting the ball quite unusually high. I’m not quite too sure why, but maybe it was because of the mere fact that everyone was setting it high, as well. Monkey see, monkey do, I guess. And, it was our first playoff game for our division.

Long story short, my shooting wasn’t so hot. I airballed three of my three-point shot attempts. I had a hard time shooting with a higher arc and I had many shots that were just way too short. Plus, I just generally had a tough time controlling the flight of the ball. It would go left, when I needed the ball to go right. When I needed the ball to go high, it would come short on me. I probably went 2 for 10 that game.

I’ve come to realize that the secret reason to why having a set-point too high becomes a killer is because you, in effect, you strip away lots of potential distance that the ball can travel to the basket. It’s like shooting a basketball with less power: you don’t put enough power into the basketball, it doesn’t travel very far. If it doesn’t travel very far, you have to either lower the arc so that the ball still has a chance to make it to the basket without airballing the shot or use muscles that I call your “last resort” muscles: your wrist and hand muscles.

I know I continue to tell you guys this over and over, but it’s simply flat out true. The more you power your shot with your wrist and hand muscles, the less accurate you will be. These muscles are very fast-twich and highly sensitive (look at the research done by Tom Nordland if you want to know more about this). They don’t need to be necessarily powering your shots if you are shooting from mainly your leg drive, like we always talk about.

So, What Do I Recommend?

Try using a set point that is low enough that it doesn’t cause your shots to become too flat or difficult to control. I personally now set the ball at eye level or slightly below eye level. It gives me plenty of power and range, which gives me more swishes!

But, this is a personal thing that you must figure out for yourself how low you want to go with your set-point. It’s not very difficult to implement and can do wonders for you shooting! Trust me.

Michael Tran

For example, say you wanted into better your soccer kicking accuracy. Would it make sense to follow “good kicking form” because it is suppose to promise you good form, even though it hinders your power and freedom to turn and kick? Would it make sense to square up to kick? Would it make sense to become “a robot” by kicking a certain way all the time?

I don’t know about you, but when I play soccer, I just kick the ball and see which ways of kicking are giving me better:

-accuracy

-power

-consistency

-easiness

In effect, I am better off focusing on quality ball flight rather than kicking form.

The same goes with basketball. Focus on quality ball flight (that is, high arc, consistent accuracy, lack of aiming variables, etc) than shooting form.

In my ebook and DVD, I uncover ways that help you become more aware of ways that give you quality ball flight. NO more following strict, dogmatic rules that make shooting difficult.

NO More:

-squaring up

-goose-necking your shooting arm

-L-Bend in the shooting elbow

It really isn’t that difficult.

Then, once you play around with ways of give you quality ball flight, just simply look at the hoop at shoot! No more thinking about your shots anymore. In fact, your body should feel like it is automatically releasing the ball without you putting your body in a position to release it a certain way.

Give it a shot. Send me an email if this works for ya!

Michael Tran
www.theshooterstouch.com

Eugene

P.S. Purchase our Shooting package HERE
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