(3) Basketball: IS THE FOLLOW THROUGH “CONNECTED” TO THE BASKET?

One last thing you can point to that could make a big difference quickly is what happens in the Follow Through. The Release and Follow Through are the major determiners of shot direction. If these actions are in line with and “connected” to the target, accuracy will be high. If they’re unstable, then accuracy will be inconsistent. “Connection” means that you know where the basket is, you intend to make the shot, everything is aligned to ensure success, and the body’s shot motion fulfills that desired result, that expectation. It’s part mental, part physical. It ‘s a “knowing.” It involves awareness and trust. Watch the direction of the arm and hand at the end of the shot. If they pull away or jerk to the side, chances are slim the shot will fly true. But if they are held straight in line with the basket, results will be more successful. Of course, you need the things discussed above, the power coming more from big, lower body muscles and less from the arm, wrist and hand. But a focused Release and Follow Through can make up for a lot. Watch the great shooters and scorers in the game, and you’ll see a tremendous “connection” to the basket as they go to shoot and a great sense of “completion” as they finish the shot motion. COACHING: You can’t really see all the aspects of Connection and Completion, though you can kind of “sense” what’s there. Ask your players to report to you how connected they were as they went to shoot, and how strongly they completed the connection in the finish of the shot. By awareness of different levels of these aspects, they will grow and develop. You might ask a player to report on Connection or Completion by giving a 1 to 10 rating after a shot, with ‘1’ being very low and ‘10’ being very high. Just the awareness, if sincerely given, will lead to improvement. As the coach, you’ll start to see when a player has a high level of these qualities and likewise when it is weak.