‘Handys’ VS. ‘Army’ In Free Throw Shooting

By, Ed Palubinskas
“Shooting Surgeon General”
 

Some things happen by accident and great ideas crop up every day while inventions make life easier and more convenient. Thank God for the inquisitive mind, dedication to a cause and the determination to see dreams become reality.

One such accident happened to me at a basketball shooting clinic while working with a varsity girl and a junior boy. Both happened to be working on the same flawed free throw shooting principle which was a display of lateral movement of the wrist joint on the moment of ball release. A definite no-no.

I have said many times, any ‘lateral movement’ of any body part, or the body in general, is not recommended as it adds more calculations for the mind at the moment of release. I understand that all players jump, hang, and move sideways (laterally) during a shot, to avoid possible offensive fouls, and there is nothing wrong with a display of athleticism. I am just saying that the chances of desired accuracy are reduced.

Millions of players suffer from at least one or more technical or mechanical shooting dysfunctions relating to shooting free throws. Not only is it bad to have your wrist move laterally during the release but it is also detrimental to raise or drop the wrist once the ball has been released. Wrist movement can be very subtle and difficult to detect by the shooter, especially if they are not cognizant of the value of the wrist joint.

Common sense says that the forearm needs to be 90 degrees to the floor. On the extension, during the shot, the wrist joint can drop downward toward the floor, up and back to towards the head, or to the right or left with varying degrees. It only takes 1” of movement of the wrist in any direction to cause distance and direction irregularities. An analogy would be to imagine shooting a rifle and after you line the barrel with the target, try sneezing as you pull the trigger. It is impossible to keep the barrel perfectly still.  Same principle with the shot. Liken the peep sight or end of the gun barrel with the shooting wrist. In both instances, a projectile is fired. It is imperative to shoot the ball straight, even though in basketball we do have a smaller margin of error to deal with.

While working on the boy’s free throw shooting, I was stressing how important it was to have the forearm (from wrist to elbow) at 90 Degrees to the floor and locked in at between 45 and 50 degrees to the floor at conclusion of the shot. Remember Newton’s law: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Or, in other words, “the angle of release equals the angle of ball entry”. A flat shot is usually distinguished by the rattle of the ball within the rim. Any rattle means the shot arc was too flat. An acceptable entry is the ball only hitting the inside of the rim once and gently at that.

This is a mental and spatial recognition and a physical awareness of where the wrist should be. Another point of reference is the inside of the wrist below the thumb. The wrist should line up with the center of the rim, if your shooting pocket has the ball about 2 inches above the forehead and between the eyes. This way, the front center of the rim, the inside of the shooting wrist and the eyes form a ‘straight line’. If your shooting pocket is near the chin, nose, shoulder, etc., or even on top or behind the head, like Kevin Garnett, then obviously you will lose the ‘straight line’ sight of your ‘gun barrel’.

If your shot pocket is not on the ‘straight line’ concept then your shot tendency will be too ‘army’ (too much or unnecessary arm movement). Also, an incorrect ‘shot pocket’ creates a longer shot, as measured from the elbow joint, from the beginning of the shot to the end of the shot. For example, a junior high hoopster may inevitably shoot from the chest, because of a strength factor. While, if you have ever watched Rasheed Wallace’s shot (now with the Boston Celtics), you will notice that his shot pocket is about a foot or so above his head which makes his shot length very small as measured from the elbow to the basket, from beginning to end. My personal shot length is 6”.  Rasheed’s is probably about 3”, and usually a younger, physically weaker player will have a much longer shot, which makes for more chance of error.

Remember, the portion of the shooting mechanism from the shoulder to the wrist is responsible for most of the power, lift, thrust, trajectory, etc. (legs included). The accuracy is generated from the wrist to the fingers - mostly fingers, which control the flight direction by making each finger accountable.

So, if your shot is too ‘army’, then you need to recognize this and become more ‘handy’.  Just remember, the value of a ‘handyman’. He is good with his hands on a lot of things. We want you to limit your blame for missing, right down to the fingers and hand which is easier to correct. “Your world is in your hands”, literally. Basically, one simple method of improving free throw shooting and field goal shooting is by really concentrating on keeping the wrist joint locked at the moment of release, with no more than a quarter inch movement in any direction. It is almost impossible to avoid movement ‘100%’, but you must force the issue for best results. If you lock and leave your arm up in the ‘follow through’, with fingers spread, no bent knuckles and in a firm dictatorial fashion, then you will have a solid well conditioned shot.

 Another crazy thing I have learned is that if any part of your shot is ‘soft’, or ‘loose’, or too ‘army’, during or after the finish, then the rebounds are fairly ‘bouncy’. If you learn to shoot with a firm, or ‘handy’ but not stiff, release your shots will be softer and truer and the rebounds, if any, will be gentler on the misses. This is a strange concept, but so true.

Being more ‘army’ definitely provides the power for your required distance, but being more ‘handy’ will result in better direction and elevated accuracy, especially in free throw shooting.  About 80% of shots are off-center, or crooked, which is a result of poor directionality, due to lack of accountability with the respective fingers responsible for shot mastery.

Whatever works, your goal is to attain the highest level of excellence.

About Eddie P.

*Guinness world record in 2005- 1206/1265 free throws in one hour.
*99% free throw shooter for 25 years.
 *Invented Smartball Shooting System to dramatically improve shooting skills. *NBA draft 1975
*Olympic scoring champ 1976
*2nd leading scorer in '72 Olympics
*College All- American.
*Led all Colleges, Pros and High Schools In free throw % in 1972- 92.4%.
*Selected All- World in '78.
*LA Lakers Shooting coach 2000-1. NBA champs.




 

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