Basketball 101- "My Shot Is Broken"

I have had a player shoot 50% from the field for five straight games, then have one game where they go 1 for 8 from the field. The next day in practice the player comes up to me and says, "Coach, what's wrong with my shot?"

I have had a player miss their first two shots of game. During the first time out the player will say to an assistant coach, "I can't make anything tonight, my shot is broken."

I have even had a player miss some shots during pre-game warmup, and have their dad come down to the sideline to "fix their shot."

I once had a father tell me that they had worked so long with their daughter's shot that the parent claimed,”I know exactly what was wrong anytime my daughter misses her shot. It is so frustrating not to be able to talk to her after each shot.”

Considering all of this, how should one respond to a player who says,"My shot is broken."

BAD SHOOTER- I once had a shooter who looked good when they shot, their form seemed good, but they consistently made only 15-20% three point shots. At first when they would miss shots, I thought they were just having an off night. As time went on, I realized that they were not having an off night- they just were not a very good shooter. 

So how does one respond to them when they said,"My shot was off last night, what's wrong with my shot?" 

The important thing was to sit down with them and help them understand who they were as a shooter- "You did not have an off-night, look at these stats, this is who you are as a shooter." If they were a 15-20% shooter, I could probably have picked out a half-dozen items that they needed work on. Probably one of the first things for them to work on was their shot selection.

They did NOT have an off night. That is who they are, they probably should shoot less until they are able to change their shot. So the two messages are: 1) Right now, you are NOT a good shooter, 2) With work you can change your shot. 

SHOT SELECTION- The first thing to address if a shooter is struggling is decide if they are taking bad shots? A coaching adage for a shooter, “Are you a good shooter taking bad shots, or are you just a bad shooter?” Sometimes in the excitement of a game, or the excitement of a grandpa yelling,"Take a three." - kids can take bad shots. 

The phrase that I liked to use with a player who was taking bad shots, “Is that a shot you practice?”  Sometimes I might yell that to them while they were on the floor, other times I found it best to pull them out of the game to make sure they heard me when they were on the bench next to me. And if a grandpa was giving bad advice on when to shoot, being removed from games might make them less likely to give bad advice in the future. 

In terms of shot selection- just because you can make a certain shot does not qualify it as a good shot. The classic is the young player who hits a three from 10 feet off the arc. That doesn’t make it a good shot. Yes they “can” make it, but making it 1 of 6 times doesn’t qualify it as a good shot. 

MECHANICS- Some players want to analyze every single shot they take in a game. The player who does this is thinking too much and not just playing. Yes, some general advice to a shooter in a game is good- “Follow thru,” “Lift, your shot is flat,” “Don’t rush.” In general, I would say the shooter who tries to break down their form or mechanics during games is a shooter who lacks confidence.

Earlier I mentioned the dad who claimed he could see the error in everyone of his daughter's missed shots. I assumed he thought when I found this out that I would want to hire him as an assistant coach. I can only imagine how “in the zone” his daughter ever got with his instructions racing thru her head. My reply to him was, “If you are seeing mechanical issues from shot to shot in your daughter, obviously she has not shot enough shots on her own to develop a solid muscle memory.” Missed shots are not all mechanical errors, sometimes the brain misreads. 

RHYTHM- The number one reason a player may struggle (especially in the summer) is that they don’t get in a rhythm as a shooter. Even if they have camps or practices, it is unlikely they have the opportunity in the summer for the shooting practice they will have during the regular season. They don’t get the practice reps coming off certain screens like they will in-season. 

This year in the Olympics, Steph Curry was struggling as a shooter. There was not something wrong with his shot- his shot was not broken. During a typical NBA season, he was getting 15-25 shots every night. He was dribbling the ball up or touching the ball on 70-80% of Golden State’s possessions. He touched the ball a lot, and in each game he was in a rhythm. In the Olympics he was getting 7-10 shots per game, and touching the ball on only 40% of their possessions. Quite simply he was not getting into a normal rhythm.

There was a HS player who shot over 80% from the line. They went to college and were upset because they were only shooting 62% from the line. There was nothing wrong with their mechanics. In HS they averaged 10 free throw attempts per game, and in college only 2 free attempts per game. They never got comfortable and in a rhythm from the ft line. 

The player who struggles in the summer may find they are not getting in a rhythm. It may be that in a summer league game they are getting only 4-5 shots each night, and those 4-5 shots may be separated by 10 actual minutes of real time. Pretty tough to be in a rhythm and a feel for the game. 

REPETITION- If a player feels their shot is broken, one of the first questions should be- “How many shots are you getting up on your own time?” One of the biggest difference between a good FS player and a good Varsity player, and then the difference between a good Varsity player and a good College player is in their shooting percentages. And the difference in their shooting percentage is a result of them getting more practice shots up. Good HS shooters in the off-season (that is spring, summer, and fall) are generally making about 300 shots per day x 5 days per week. Good college shooters are generally making about 500+ shots per day x 5-6 days per week. You will always have a “broken shot” if you are shooting less than this!

If you are unhappy with your shot, most likely you should be unhappy with the number of shots you are taking in your workouts. Shooting is like weight lifting, you can't shoot for a month in the Spring and become a good shooter. You have to keep shooting throughout the year. 

Sadly, some players think that once camps and leagues end in June, basketball is over until November. If they don't keep finding time to shoot, they are apt to tell someone next November,"My shot is broken."

MENTAL- Sometimes shooting is not about mechanics, it is about what is going on mentally. An 85% free throw shooter who consistently shoots 60% in the last two minutes of game is not dealing with mechanical issues but is dealing with mental issues. 

The player who has too many voices in their head- the coach has told them about their follow thru, dad is telling them about their arc, a teammate tells them that their grip looks bad- that player probably is not going to shoot well. They have too many voices and are doing too much thinking.

SHOOTERS SHOOT- Great shooters don’t overthink. Great shooters don’t worry if they have missed several shots in a row. Great shooters do what they do- they shoot when they are open. Great shooters don't say something is wrong with their shot, they have confidence that the next shot will go in. Confidence comes from having shot and shot and shot on their own. 

CONCLUSIONS-

1- Have a single voice for your shot- your coach.

2- Start close to basket to warmup and focus on basic form shooting.

3- Get on the Gun and get in your repetitions.

4- Don't take weeks or months off- in the Spring find time to shoot, in the Summer find time to shoot, and in the Fall find time to shoot. 

5- Don’t over analyze and over think each game.