{"id":5434,"date":"2026-10-27T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/axeosport.com\/blog\/?p=5434"},"modified":"2026-09-17T11:03:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T09:03:51","slug":"improve-basketball-shot-technique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/axeosport.com\/blog\/en\/improve-basketball-shot-technique\/","title":{"rendered":"Why some shots always go in (and how to copy them)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On every playground there is that one player whose shot seems remote controlled. Talent? Rarely. To improve your shot<\/strong>, the coaches’ recipe comes down to three words: mechanics, repetition, measurement. A repeatable, aligned motion, built through intelligent sets rather than hours of random shooting. Here is the complete breakdown of the shot, the invisible mistake that sinks 80 % of amateurs<\/strong>, and the 20 minute programme that pushes percentages up.<\/p>\n\n

The mechanics, segment by segment<\/h2>\n\n

1. The base<\/strong>: feet shoulder width apart pointing at the rim, knees bent. The power of a shot comes from below, never from the arms: that is why late game shots fall short once the legs are tired.<\/p>\n\n

2. The shooting hand under the ball<\/strong>, fingers spread: the ball rests on the fingers, not on the palm. A rainy day should fit between palm and leather.<\/p>\n\n

3. The guide hand<\/strong> on the side, stabilising and NOT PUSHING: a wandering guide thumb<\/strong> is the number one cause of shots leaving sideways.<\/p>\n\n

4. Alignment<\/strong>: ankle, knee, elbow and wrist in the same vertical plane facing the rim. The famous “elbow under the ball” of basketball schools.<\/p>\n\n

5. The follow through<\/strong>: wrist snapped, fingers towards the rim, the hand dipping “into the cookie jar”. Hold the pose until the rebound: it is the best detector of a finished motion in existence.<\/p>\n\n

The shooting arc, the invisible mistake<\/h2>\n\n

Sensors installed in NBA arenas have settled an old argument: the optimal arc sits around 45 to 50 degrees<\/strong>. Yet the vast majority of amateurs shoot flat, at 35 degrees or less. The geometric consequence: seen from the ball, a flat shot “sees” an oval, shrunken hoop, and the bounces are merciless. A high shot sees an almost round hoop: the target literally widens<\/strong>. The practical marker: at the top of its curve, the ball should rise clearly above the top of the backboard. A partner filming from the side is enough for the diagnosis, and the correction is worth weeks of training.<\/p>\n\n

The 20 minute programme, three times a week<\/h2>\n\n

– Form shooting, 5 minutes<\/strong>: shots from one metre out, one single aim, the perfect motion and the net snapping. It is the professionals’ warm up, for life, even in the NBA.<\/p>\n\n

– Around the paint, 5 minutes<\/strong>: five mid range spots, ten shots per spot, counting every make<\/strong>. Data creates progress, impressions hold it back.<\/p>\n\n

– Catch and shoot, 5 minutes<\/strong>: catch and release in rhythm, feet ready before the ball arrives.<\/p>\n\n

– Off the dribble, 5 minutes<\/strong>: one dribble left, one right, clean stop, shot.<\/p>\n\n

The 70 % rule for stepping back: if you make fewer than 7 shots out of 10 at a given distance, moving back is premature. The three point shot is won at mid range<\/strong> first: it is frustrating and it is exactly how Curry started.<\/p>\n\n

The three false good ideas that cap percentages<\/h2>\n\n

Before the programme, a detour through what you should stop doing. Shooting tired, first of all: the 100 shots thrown up after an hour of games engrave a degraded motion, quality always beats volume<\/strong>. Changing mechanics every week, next, following whatever tutorial comes along: a motion needs six weeks of stability to settle, so pick a school and stick with it. Neglecting the shot on the move, finally: lay ups and floaters make up half the points in amateur games<\/strong>, and almost nobody works on them outside of warm ups.<\/p>\n\n

Shooting a lot without breaking the machine<\/h2>\n\n

Five hundred shots a week load the wrist, the shoulder and above all the knees: repeated take offs manufacture the shooter’s patellar tendinitis<\/strong>, a classic of end of season. Three simple protections: a gradual build up in volume, eccentric quadriceps strengthening, and listening to the signals, discomfort that persists 48 hours equals rest. Footing counts as well: shoes with dead grip turn every stop and shoot into a slide, and our guide to basketball shoes<\/a> details the criteria that protect.<\/p>\n\n

And the logic of volume applies to cover as well: anyone who trains seriously insures themselves seriously. The licence caps out on actual costs, while a personal accident insurance for basketball<\/a> policy takes over on long running physiotherapy and time off<\/strong>: tendinitis that drags on for six months is a dedicated player’s story, so you may as well go through it covered. An online quotation<\/a> takes barely longer than a set of free throws.<\/p>\n\n

Correcting the most common shooting mistakes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Mistake<\/th>\nConsequence<\/th>\nCorrection<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Elbows flared out<\/td>\nIrregular trajectory<\/td>\nElbow under the ball, aligned<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shooting with the arms only<\/td>\nLack of range<\/td>\nDrive from the legs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Guide hand too active<\/td>\nBall pushed off line<\/td>\nIt stabilises, it does not push<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
No wrist snap<\/td>\nLittle spin, hard bounces<\/td>\nFinish the motion towards the floor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eyes on the ball<\/td>\nLoss of reference<\/td>\nLook at the rim<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Percentage is a habit<\/h2>\n\n

A reliable shot is not a gift: it is a simple motion, repeated cleanly, measured honestly in a notebook. Twenty minutes three times a week, the arc corrected, the follow through held: in three months your defender will have to close out on you at seven metres, and your whole game will open up behind it<\/strong>. That is exactly how players “whose shot seems remote controlled” are born: they simply counted their shots for longer than everyone else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On every playground there is that one player whose shot seems remote controlled. Talent? Rarely. To improve your shot, the coaches’ recipe comes down to three words: mechanics, repetition, measurement. A repeatable, aligned motion, built through intelligent sets rather than hours of random shooting. Here is the complete breakdown of the shot, the invisible mistake […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,151],"tags":[250],"class_list":["post-5434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performance-training","category-stories-behind-the-scenes","tag-basketball"],"yoast_head":"\nImprove your basketball shot: technique and drills<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hand position, alignment, shooting arc, follow through and a 20 minute programme: the complete mechanics for improving your basketball shot.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/axeosport.com\/blog\/en\/improve-basketball-shot-technique\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Improve your basketball shot: technique and drills\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hand position, alignment, shooting arc, follow through and a 20 minute programme: the complete mechanics for improving your basketball shot.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/axeosport.com\/blog\/en\/improve-basketball-shot-technique\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Sports Journal \u2013 ATS Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-27T07:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/axeosport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ameliorer-son-shoot-basket.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1535\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nuteci S. 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