Free throws are important to winning games. As such, one needs to hone the skills, so that while shooting free throws at the end of the game they will sink those freebies putting their team on top. Here are four tips that will help one become an ace free throw shooter.
Free Throw Shooting Routine
A pre-shot routine will help clear mind and tap into muscle memory, something extremely important to being a good free throw shooter. Since early days of playing competitive basketball, always flip the basketball with backspin twice before collecting and taking the shot. It is what feels comfortable. It is up to the player to find what routine feels best and then repeat it every single time whenever going to the line.
Shooting Free Throws as a Chain Reaction
When shooting a free throw start by bending the legs, extending, and then moving the arms upward until the basketball toward the hoop with a good follow through is released. Think of this process as a chain of events, where timing is critical. The best free throw shooters have this timing down to a science, which is why they rarely miss. While poor free throw shooters struggle with making sure each link of the chain is in sync.
Practice, Practice, Practice
One of the most enjoyable personal competitions is to see how many free throws one can make in a row. This is a great simple game for a couple reasons. The first is that by shooting a bunch of free throws one is going to develop the muscle memory necessary to be a good shooter at the line. Secondly, the pressure of each free throw slowly builds as one gets closer to their personal consecutive makes record, which allows them to better handle the pressure of an in-game situation. Make sure to do the pre-shot routine each time when doing this drill.
Envisioning One Is By Oneself
This last tip is more about the psychology of shooting free throws. When at the free throw line during a game envision that one is by oneself shooting the free throw. Also imagine to be at the place where one generally practices their free throws. This is often the driveway with one’s own hoop, or at the local gym. Mentally taking oneself to where they would’ve have practiced their free throw shooting will alleviate pressure, and they will fall back on the important muscle memory that made them a great free throw shooter in the first place.
By making a point to practice these guidelines, there’s only little doubt that majority will improve their free throw shooting in short order.
