Horrible free throw shooting

[dugoutrex]

i would think that is something players would work on as individuals

Bingo. In the ”old days” they used to shoot them early in the morning before classes. Surely, that script can be repeated if they all are serious about winning. Maybe they can teach the Big Fella to shoot some hook shots from the line? He’d have a better chance of making them doing it that way. He is one of the worst I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to understand how someone could be that bad.

There are FT coaches. Maybe Gates has employed one or more? If not, what would it hurt? Clearly, his message is not resonating with all those alligator arms he’s recruited.

you think these kids are going to classes?

[Rvrartst]

I have to disagree with those who believe that good free throw shooting can't be taught, that it "is what it is." I was a teacher for 40 years. Virtually anything can be taught. Free throw shooting is a skill, with its own requirements for being done well, just as making a chip shot in golf requires a different skill than using the Driver. Like all skills, it begins with a mental attitude and a consistent approach. A good coach should be able to teach any player who is willing to learn, how to shoot free throws well.
Saying that a player who shoots the '3' well can't also be a good free throw shooter simply isn't true. It starts with the mind, then comes form, routine, focus, and practice.
The first thing I would do in the case of Mizzou is get every player to seriously consider the question of "do I want my bad free throw shooting to cost my team games? a championship?" and the rest is just a matter of good mechanics, relaxation, and focus. And again, practice.

Yes, it can be taught. But my original point was, at this point in their careers, a lot of players have been shooting with bad form for their entire basketball lives. It's a lot harder to break long time bad habits. You can't do it during practice in the middle of the season when you've suddenly realized they need to get a lot better because it's costing games.
I just watched the interview with Gates where he talked about free throws and how they DO practice them during practices. And he even said that it's a lot different shooting with a zero pulse rate, as he put it, and shooting with the pressure on. Then Stone said basically the same thing. But when I watched it, it superimposed several players shooting free throws. Phillips's form hurt to watch; you'd have to tear it down completely and have him start all over again. Mitchell had three separate hitches in his shot, that's not an easy fix. Ant had a hesitation that's a little easier. On Stone's release point, the ball is in the exact spot to completely hide the basket from his eyes. I thought Northweather had great form on his...until I watched his eyes follow the flight of the ball instead of staying zeroed on the basket. So yeah, all those things are fixable. But overcoming bad muscle memory takes a lot more than just telling them what they're doing wrong and shooting for a while. And practicing bad form just reinforces it; it might improve your bad percentage a bit but it'll never make you a good shooter. Garbage in, garbage out. That's what I meant by shooting some free throws in practice won't help much. The time to fix it was about 5 years or more ago in high school for these guys, and alternatively, a lot of good coaching and a lot of practicing WITH good form in the off season.

And yes, good three point shooters SHOULD be good free throw shooters. But a lot of them aren't that good. Stone's free throw form is a good example. He doesn't shoot threes with that same low release point. Why does he shoot freebies that way?

[winonsports]

you think these kids are going to classes?

Are some of these FT gurus who are desperate to be heard conducting classes now?

[California Cardinal Fan]

I have to disagree with those who believe that good free throw shooting can't be taught, that it "is what it is." I was a teacher for 40 years. Virtually anything can be taught. Free throw shooting is a skill, with its own requirements for being done well, just as making a chip shot in golf requires a different skill than using the Driver. Like all skills, it begins with a mental attitude and a consistent approach. A good coach should be able to teach any player who is willing to learn, how to shoot free throws well.
Saying that a player who shoots the '3' well can't also be a good free throw shooter simply isn't true. It starts with the mind, then comes form, routine, focus, and practice.
The first thing I would do in the case of Mizzou is get every player to seriously consider the question of "do I want my bad free throw shooting to cost my team games? a championship?" and the rest is just a matter of good mechanics, relaxation, and focus. And again, practice.

Yes, it can be taught. But my original point was, at this point in their careers, a lot of players have been shooting with bad form for their entire basketball lives. It's a lot harder to break long time bad habits. You can't do it during practice in the middle of the season when you've suddenly realized they need to get a lot better because it's costing games.
I just watched the interview with Gates where he talked about free throws and how they DO practice them during practices. And he even said that it's a lot different shooting with a zero pulse rate, as he put it, and shooting with the pressure on. Then Stone said basically the same thing. But when I watched it, it superimposed several players shooting free throws. Phillips's form hurt to watch; you'd have to tear it down completely and have him start all over again. Mitchell had three separate hitches in his shot, that's not an easy fix. Ant had a hesitation that's a little easier. On Stone's release point, the ball is in the exact spot to completely hide the basket from his eyes. I thought Northweather had great form on his...until I watched his eyes follow the flight of the ball instead of staying zeroed on the basket. So yeah, all those things are fixable. But overcoming bad muscle memory takes a lot more than just telling them what they're doing wrong and shooting for a while. And practicing bad form just reinforces it; it might improve your bad percentage a bit but it'll never make you a good shooter. Garbage in, garbage out. That's what I meant by shooting some free throws in practice won't help much. The time to fix it was about 5 years or more ago in high school for these guys, and alternatively, a lot of good coaching and a lot of practicing WITH good form in the off season.

And yes, good three point shooters SHOULD be good free throw shooters. But a lot of them aren't that good. Stone's free throw form is a good example. He doesn't shoot threes with that same low release point. Why does he shoot freebies that way?

I don't disagree with a thing you said. All good points. I would only add that it doesn't take that much extra practice time. I would take each problem person aside during a practice, one or two at a time over a span of a few days, help them to see a better way, then have them use that during their regular free throw practice. Would that be worth walking out of Ol' Miss with a W instead of an L? Or any number of games that end up being decided by a made or missed FT in the closing minutes. I would also encourage, and help, them establish a set routine for three throws, rather than just stepping to the like and lofting the ball up. Having a set routine could help some of these guys without them having to change their shot mechanics at all. You can see the better free throw shooters doing that in any college game. I do have to laugh every time someone brings up Wilt. I followed his whole career, and he couldn't even hit a jump shot more than 8 feet out. Of course, when he played, His height was a notable exception, unlike today where 7 footers are on the court in virtually every lineup you see, and sometimes more than one.