I really liked how high Rick Barry got on his free throws. Amazing!
I really liked how high Rick Barry got on his free throws. Amazing!
Did we really get this far without a cinder block test being suggested?
SDSU kid almost blew it by jumping as high as he did on that last shot.
“Coach said no 3s.” - Zion on The Block
We tried to tell you you have to jump when a guy is guarding you and it's not what you do when you're wide open.
I don't think it's the most limiting factor that has ever occurred in Jump shots. Being a bad jump shooter is. I posited in my screed, nay diatribe on jump shooting that jumping high isn't required. I did also own that perhaps I don't jump any higher because I can't. It is in play.
Watching the Syracuse game because I wanted to take a look at the three that Mitchell took in the mid first half to see if it looked different than what I have seen from him on the year. It did. He has a bit of a hitch in his jumper normally that is somewhat reminiscent of the pause that Charles Barkley had in his golf swing. It brings everything to a stop and you have to restart from a very odd position when you have that level of hitch. This jumper didn't look anything like that. It looked very smooth with fewer moving parts from his arms. He also jack-knifes his waist and this jumper didn't have that. As other posters have said, it also looked like it had more arc. That was very astute. It did. He's trying to remake his jumper and make it what I would call quieter. The fewer moving parts you have in a jump shot the fewer things can go wrong. Another way to say that is don't do things with your legs, your feet, your elbows, your hips because introducing moving parts leads to more opportunity for breakdown. Make your jump shot simpler. It's really hard to do and I think we are watching him try to work through it. I know people don't love it, but he's got to take some in games. One to three per game is something he simply has to do to work through this. And he's too talented in other aspects of the game for us to complain about those shots.
I'm glad Sage mentioned Hal Greer, who shot jumpers from the foul line so he would only need to practice one kind of shot. And I recall he shot about 80% from the line so it worked for him. A lot of extra effort though.
He's the only one I can think of though.
There's plenty of variations, but I believe the best shooters always have the smoothest and most repeatable strokes. That can come naturally or through repetition, usually both. No matter what, there has to be a good wrist snap which gives the final 10% of effort and adjustment. There are many body positions but the stroke still gets input from the legs, torso, arms and wrist/fingers. They all work together and can compensate for any number of body positions or distances. Its all about mechanics and also mental approach. I always thought of the ball as a point of mass, not a sphere. You're simply pushing that point of mass into the cylinder. Trajectory is just an outcome of all of that. There's an optimum trajectory which results in higher percentages with the least effort.
It might be fun to hear from Coach Lucas about his Dad’s flat footed “jumper “
John Lucas was a special talent
Even better skills ,perhaps, on the tennis court.
Agree with the 'hitch' comment. He's always had that. It just seems like it is so much work, like Barkley's golf swing.
Watch McCain's shot if you want to see the exact opposite. It looks like it requires no effort whatsoever. Like Ernie Els's swing, or Freddie Couples.
McCain's shot is quick and perfectly smooth. There are no extraneous movements. Zero.
Thought this might be a good thread to mention that some South Koreans are banking free throws because you can shoot flatter and harder. I haven’t tested the theory myself.
https://youtu.be/42d39A1MAp8?si=lHI34xxWWh6uaybD