Coach Dave Love

Higher arc isn’t universally “better”.

High arc has its downside too. It makes distance control harder.

If your arc is too flat, the target gets smaller.
If your arc is too high, it becomes harder to control distance.

That is why the goal is not to shoot the ball as high as possible.
The goal is to find an arc that gives the ball enough room to enter the rim while still allowing the shooter to control distance.

In this example, the optimal arc is around the height of the top of the backboard.

That gives the shooter the most room to adapt and work with the physics of the shot.
Small changes in arc can change the size of the target and the level of control needed.

Shooting is complex, Follow me for the Nuances!

Where you look when you shoot matters more than you think. 👀

Give yourself something physical to look at vs looking at the middle of the rim.

I recommend to players to look at the middle of the back of the rim!

Want more shooting tips like this? Follow along if you want more content on shot focus and targeting.

Form shooting is more valuable when you stop treating it like one stationary drill…

Remember, when you’re form shooting, it’s important to practice in different spots on the floor and at different distances.

Those little variations will force adaptations, and great shooters are adaptable.

Players will start to gain more benefits when they spend more time learning to judge distance during form shooting, rather than staying in one spot the entire time and learning to repeat.

Every time you repeat a shot you missed the opportunity to learn to adapt. In games we never repeat, so don’t practice that way.

How variable is your form shooting?

A neutral shooting posture might help create positive power… I wouldn’t argue that.

But that does not mean every player will have the exact same posture on every shot.

For players, this means you need to understand what your body is doing before your shot, not focus on the shooting motion itself.
For coaches, this means the skill in effective posture shouldn’t be practiced in isolation. It needs to remain connected to the game.

Players may need to work on their body posture if they are very weak shooters.
But others will need to explore solving the problems that come from game-like conditions.

The skill in shooting isn’t repeating the perfect motion or posture in isolation.

The goal is to be able to adapt your shot to different constraints. So make sure you are practicing at an appropriate challenge point.

Players and coaches, what posture cue have you heard the most? Drop it below.

This SIMPLE adjustment will help you get more out of your practice…

Stop doing form shooting with your hand behind your back.

I do like the fact that it forces you to be accountable to not using your guide hand, it just does that in an unrealistic way. You’ll never have your hand behind your back in a game.

Instead, do ABC shooting or SLOW TO QUICK and hold yourself accountable to removing your guide hand is a more realistic body position.

And remember to add simple movement to as many form shooting drills as possible.

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Let’s break down the potential mistakes caused by a low set point…

Yes, it CAN help you increase your range. Yes, we shouldn’t have just one set point for all shots.

But the lower your set point, the more reliant you’ll be on your guide hand.

Want to get your guide hand off the ball more?

You may need to raise your set point.

Which shot do you struggle with most when your guide hand sticks? Drop it below!