Friday, January 9, 2015

Introduction (Never Miss A Shot Series 2015)


Did you know that when Issac Newton discovered GRAVITY.. that he also identified the primary physical law that governs shooting a basketball?

Newton's apple will fall exactly the same way at exactly the same speed every single time.  So will a basketball.  If only we could stand above the rim and drop the ball like an apple... you would Never Miss a Shot!  So what changes when we move to a more difficult location like the free throw line or the three point line?

The starting point for any shooter in my Never Miss A Shot Series is to simply understand that based on the laws of physics... it is possible to make every single shot!  Issac Newton would both agree.

Only when we grasp this "truth" can we seriously begin the journey of evaluating the "human error" involved in shooting a basketball.  What is the shooter doing that is violating the 3 laws?

Why did the ball hit the front of the rim?  Why did the ball hit the back of the rim?  Why did the ball fall short?  Why did the ball go long?  Why did the ball miss to the right?  Why did the ball miss to the left?

In this series, we will look at the many ways a shooter violates the 3 laws... and what to do to fix those specific "shot errors" so that the shooter can continue to improve day in and day out as they work toward the ultimate goal:  To Never Missing A Shot!

Did you know it takes 1000 "dedicated" shots to fix a problem?

Comments from a recent Facebook conversation about the difference between KNOWING... how to shoot the basketball and SHOOTING... the basketball the way you "know."

  • John Cunningham I love it Sully! I've learned more during my sons shooting sessions than I did it my previous 39 years combined!
    33 mins · Like

  • Tim Sullivan It takes about 1000 "dedicated" shots to change something that is wrong like a thumb dropping... and maybe 2000 before the change is reliable under game pressure. I can get them to do is standing behind them talking to them while they shoot immediately but it may take a few hundred shots before they can do it alone in practice... 1000 before they can do it in a game and 2000 shots before they can rely on the changes under real pressure... like at the free trow line late in the game.  Make Sense? 

    In Hank Haney's book about Tiger Woods , he said that when Tiger was working on a "new" shot .... he'd first get it right on the range... then he'd use it in a practice round... then he'd use it in a Pro Am round... then in a tournament round and FINALLY...  he could trust his "new" shot under pressure on a Sunday afternoon in contention.

    I'm trying to find a way to help parents get to the 2000 shots where they OWN what we may have taught them at a clinic in their muscle memory
    33 mins · Like

  • Tim Sullivan Thanks John Cunningham I wish more of my players went from KNOWING how to shoot to actually SHOOTING based on what they know. I'm starting to believe PARENTS are the key because I'm not there for the 1000 shots after the clinic where the changes start to take effect in their muscle memory
    30 mins · Like

  • Bob Fitzgerald Tim Sullivan every time Ali gets a hitch in her shot the first thing I tell her is that we need to get in 1000 shots to fix it.

Monday, January 5, 2015

TWO FINGERS AT THE SAME TIME



The key to shooting the ball straight is to make sure that you release the ball with TWO FINGERS!  The basketball MUST go exactly where you AIM if it comes off two rails like in the photos above.  If the ball is coming off a single finger and your hand is perfectly balanced then it may slip offline.