Learn from the Memphis Tigers mistakes at the Foul Line

I have always felt free throw shooting is one of the most important aspects at the end of a basketball game. The poll on this site shows that most readers feel the same way. Here is a video of the free throw shots that Chris Douglas Roberts and Derrick Rose missed at the end of the NCAA championship game:



If you watch Douglas Roberts' shot, you'll see that he bends his legs properly, but his shot starts from his arms and body and not from his legs. That is why the shot is short. In addition (and Billy Packer points it out), he leans backwards after the shot not following through the whole shot, which takes momentum off the shot as well. You'll also notice that Derrick Rose backs off the free throw line before the shot is complete. The momentum to push you back might begin before your shot completes, thus taking momentum off the shot. That is why you should stay on the line with your follow-through until the ball goes through the hoop.

Shooting in general needs to start from the legs, because that is where the power comes from. In addition, follow through the shot and hold the follow-through until the ball goes through the hoop. If you lean backwards after the shot or lean from one side to the other, the ball will tend to move the way you lean because you more than likely start the lean before the ball is released.

Like a golf swing, there are a lot of things to think about when shooting and thinking through these things during practice and reptition should make shooting shots (especially free throws) routine in a game and you do not have to think about it.

Boxing Out

It's been a while since my last post due to coaching, but after half a season now, I felt the need to blog about boxing out. Rebounding the basketball has a lot to do with effort, but having good position is much more important. As I watch not only my team's games, but other high school and college games, more and more players stand and watch the shot versus working to get good position for the rebound.

The first thing you have to train your players (or yourself if you are a player) is to not watch the ball on the shot and first find a person to box out. When playing a man defense, you usually box out the person you are guarding, in a zone you box out someone in your area. I have seen so many games where players simply watch the basketball and do not get the rebound because someone else was able to establish better position on the rebound. As a coach, you have to notice when players are doing this in the game and call them on it. As a player you have to get yourself into the habit of not watching and first looking for someone to box out.

Once you find the person that you are going to box out, you have to make sure that you position yourself such that the player is behind you and you can feel exactly where they are. This way, if they attempt move into a better position you can prevent them from going there by moving with them and keeping them behind you.

After you've established good position and maintain contact with the player then you can watch for the ball and attempt to go for it. This has a lot to do with timing and reading where the ball is going to come off the rim. This is where practice comes into play. Practice throwing the ball off the rim and seeing where it tends to bounce to. On flat shots, the ball tends to go long off the rim. On high arching shots, the ball tends to bounce off the rim nearby the basket.

Here is a good video that emphasizes the basics of boxing out:




Once you've gotten the rebound, be sure to secure it by holding it with two hands and having your elbows out. This way other players cannot come in and easily swipe the ball away. In the middle of this next video, Dwight Howard talks about securing the ball after rebounding it and turning the appropriate way for the outlet pass. In addition, he provides some nice offensive rebounding tips that most coaches do not teach:

Offense - Getting open without the ball (v-cut)

During my years of coaching youth, I see over and over again kids that just stand in spots waiting for the ball to get passed to them. Standing just gives the defense an opportunity to deny the player the basketball. Another problem I see is the person trying to get the ball goes towards the ball carrier and brings their defender with them as well, which makes it difficult for the ball carrier to do anything. The person trying to get open should perform a v-cut in order to free themselves enough to allow the ball carrier to get them the ball.

The way to perform a v-cut is to move into the key (preferably from the spot you are to receive the basketball). Once you get into the edge of the key stop long enough for the defender to stand still and then cut back to the spot you want to get the ball. That moment of stopping will give you the opportunity to get to the spot without your defender. Preferably long enough to retrieve the ball and face the basket in a triple-threat position.