When you’re coaching kids basketball about 3-point shooting, you always want to spend some time on the bare fundamentals. Following are some 3-point shooting fundamentals that all players should know.
Target Sight
We always teach our players to shoot toward the back of the rim. We like to aim at the middle hook on the back of the rim for a number of reasons.
When the ball hits the back of the rim, it will spin backwards into the rim with proper backspin.
The second reason that we like to aim at back of the rim is that it forces your player to arch his arms fully extended, which means the defender actually has to jump toward him to get a piece of his shot. By aiming at the front of the rim he is shooting into the defender, which is a much more difficult shot to get off.
The third reason we like to aim at back of the rim is that your player has to fully extend, and it forces him to put a greater arch on the basketball and on his shot, which gives it a better chance to go in.
But one thing you need to realize is late in the game, as you get into the fourth quarter, your players are going to get more fatigued. If they’re aiming at the front of the rim, they have a 6″ variance that’s going to cause them to pull short on their shot. By aiming at the back of the rim, that 6″ margin allows them, even when fatigued, to still be successful in their shooting.
Lines, Lanes, and Angles
When we talk about 3-point shooting, it’s critical to develop a straight line to the basket. The best way to do this is to make sure that the toe, knee, elbow, and ball are all lined up straight. This will help you to never miss left or right, and it will also make your shots stronger.
Next are your shooting lanes. A correct shooting lane is to have your left foot lined up with the left side of the rim and your right foot lined up with the right side of the rim.
An incorrect shooting lane would be when your feet are turned from the rim even though you can shoot the ball at the direction of the rim. By aligning your feet and your body up in the shooting lane, you can eliminate up to a third of the misses you would normally have from the 3-point line.
Next are angles. Notice the shoulder, knee, and ball of the foot are all lined up in a straight vertical line for proper balance and shooting strength. By creating this line, you will also form two 45-degree angles. Angle #1 will go from the shoulder to the hip to the knee. Angle #2 should be from the hip to the back of the knee to the heel of the foot.
These are just two of the main fundamentals that go along with 3-point shooting. Do you think you’ll spend some time when coaching kids basketball to focus on 3-point shooting basics and mechanics? Why or why not?