The Biggest Basketball Shooting Mistakes

By Author: David Willis
Total Articles: 1
Comment this article

Every basketball player who wishes to become an exceptionally remarkable shooter someday should put in tremendous effort through hours and hours of practicing smart basketball shooting drills repetitively in the gym.

Developing a great shot takes years of practice, and players should be willing to put in the required effort. Some of the prominent players like Steph Curry, Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, and Kevin Durant were not born with high-level basketball shooting skills. They gained expertise with consistent catch and shoot basketball practice.

Why should you practice basketball shooting?

Practicing basketball shooting by having championship-level dedication and work ethic is essential to improve your game. Learning how to shoot correctly is vital because :

• It increases your scoring opportunity
• It increases your teammate’s scoring opportunity
• It gains you more points on the scoreboard
• It proves your hard work on your game

It is essential to know the correct basketball shooting drills technique as practicing the wrong approach can land ...
... you in bad situations. Knowing the common shooting mistakes before you get on with your practice is advisable so that you can avoid making those mistakes.

Basketball shooting mistakes (and their fixing methods)

Common mistakes that players usually make when they practice basketball shooting are:

Thumb on shooting hand

The position becomes awkward when players have the ball on the tip of their thumbs while shooting. Such a position makes it uncomfortable to hold the appropriate shooting form.

To fix this, you should focus on resting the ball on the side of your thumb rather than the tip of your thumb. This technique will help you tremendously and help your shots to travel to the center of the rim.

Thumb on guide hand

Some players make the mistake of flicking the basketball with their thumbs on their guide hand while shooting the ball. The chances of ball spraying to either left or right are more by doing so.

To fix this, you can get yourself a shooting strap along with a home basketball machine to keep your thumb and guide hand still by consistent practice. This technique is found to be very useful in keeping things in place.

Not dipping the ball

It is important to dip the basketball for several reasons, including:

• To prevent the upper body from being too tense
• For a better rhythm on the shot
• To ensure a uniform starting point (shot pocket)

To fix this, remember to dip the ball to get that perfect shot.

Unnecessary jerky movements

Jerky movements like twisting the body and fading backward and to the right or left can cause a player to become an inconsistent shooter.

To fix this, you need to evaluate your movements when you’re practicing individual shooting drills basketball. The experts say that jerky movements are caused when:

• Your feet are not aligned properly
• You bring your guide hand down too early (which brings extra movement into the shot, causing a twist)

Ensure you avoid doing these in your practice by taking hundreds and thousands of shot repetitions to obtain a proper shooting form.

Not shooting with proper arc

If you wish to become a pro-shooter, it will be complicated to become one if you have a flat shot. Flat shots reduce the area of the hoop when the ball goes through the rim. It usually happens when players push the ball towards the rim from their chest instead of shooting the ball up into the air.

To fix this, get yourself a home basketball machine to practice achieving a better arc. Ensure that your wrists are wrinkling, elbows are under the basketball, and that elbows finish next to your eyebrows when you release the shot.

In the end:

Keep the things mentioned above in mind as a guide to develop your shot. Do more and more catch and shoot basketball practice, make subtle changes, and find out what works best for you.