Let Her Fly

Quick Tip.

When talking to our players about shooting, we first have to deal with the mental part. Many players lack the confidence they need to be a great shooter. It is so important that they believe that every shot they take is going in the basket. Once we conquer the mental aspect, we start on actual technique.

1 Being Ready: A good shooter must be ready to shoot at all times. We always tell our players to be waiting with knees bent and hands ready to shoot.
2 Attack the Ball: Right-handed shooters should attack the ball with their left foot first and a left-handed shooter with their right foot. When attacking the ball, the player should come in with knees bent and should not be standing straight up. It is important they get a good, clean catch as this may be the difference in taking a shot up or having to pass it.
3 Lift and Stroke: From this point, it's all about the stroke. The power should come from the player's legs, not their arms. The shooting hand should be underneath the ball with the fingers spread apart. The ball should be sitting on the pads of your hand, not your palm. The other hand is placed on the side of the ball to guide the shot. Lift the ball and release at the peak of the jump-not on the way back down. Finish by snapping the wrist on the shooting hand. Make sure when jumping that your body is straight up and down. Do not lean forwards, backwards or sideways. This will make your shot float and it will have less of a chance to go in.

About the author:

Joanne Boyle is the head women's coach at the University of Richmond (Va.). In just two seasons at the helm, Boyle had led the Spiders to a pair of 20-plus win seasons and two WNIT appearances, helping the Spiders quickly make a name for themselves on a national level. Through mid-December, the Spiders were ranked 15th in the nation in field goal percentage (.473) with senior Katie Flavin ranking 11th, connecting on over 64 percent of her shots. Prior to Richmond, Boyle was an assistant at Duke for nine seasons and helped the Blue Devils to a pair of Final Four appearances.