Monthly Basketball tip from Dick Baumgartner, Great Techniques, Drills, Word Usage

Dick Baumgartner's Basketball Shooting Camp

Where Great Shooters Are Made Not Born.

Camp Information:

Basketball Instructional & Training DVDs & Videotapes: 3 point shooting; Best free throw; Low post moves & shots; Dribbling; Individual boy's workout; Individual girl's workout; Shooting off pass; Pull-up jump shooting; Moves and shots

Dick Baumgartner Basketball Tip of the Month

Basketball Tip of the Month

2007

November and December 2007: Alignment Of Shooting Arm

Alignment Of Shooting Arm Is The Same
Alignment of the shooting arm is one part of shooting that is the same for all players. There are some parts of shooting a basketball that can be different and also correct. For example, there are different ways of gripping a basketball that are correct.

At an early age a lot of young players lift the ball to the neck or chin before thrusting the ball to the basket. This is a correct technique and it is illustrated in picture 1.

It is also correct to lift the ball higher before thrusting the ball to the basket. This is illustrated in picture 2. But with these different lifts before thrusting the ball to the basket the alignment of the arm should be the same.

Slight Slant To Shooting Arm
There should be a slight slant to the shooting arm before thrusting the ball to the basket. This is the most natural way to align the shooting arm and hand. When the player is squared to the basket the shooting arm should not be straight up and down and aligned with the shoulder. This incorrect alignment is shown in picture 3.

Essential For Straight Shooting
If a player is going to shoot straight, he or she must have correct alignment of the shooting arm and hand before thrusting the ball to the basket.

Other Incorrect Alignment Procedures
Picture 4 shows the shooting arm too far in front and straight up and down. This is a very tight and stiff alignment of the shooting arm.

Picture 5 shows the shooting elbow aligned too far out.

The reason for the delay of the November Tip was the late arrival of the pictures. Coach Baumgartner

October 2007: Footwork For On The Move Shooting

Correct footwork used when shooting a basketball is a very controversial topic. There are so many ways that shooting instructors teach shooting footwork. After evaluating thousands of players shots and observing many of the great shooters, I believe it is wise to follow one basic technique for on the move shooting.

1. When shooting on the move have both feet parallel and basically pointed ahead. Feet should be under the body and spread hip width or shoulder width apart. If shooting foot is slightly ahead that is all right. I would practice having your feet even and pointed ahead. If you have a little slippage when on the move that is all right.

On the move shooting is different than stationary shooting. When on the move if feet are turned before leaving the floor, a principle of motion comes into play. With feet turned a player`s body will twist in the air when he or she comes up off the floor. This makes it very difficult for the player to keep the ball in the "shot line".
If a player is going to be a great all around shooter, he or she must have correct footwork when shooting on the move.

When checking out some great shooters they have had different stationary footwork, but not on the move. Their footwork on the move was as recommended. When the player squared to the basket, his or her feet were parallel and basically pointed straight ahead. They were under the body and shoulder or hip width apart. Again, with this footwork technique they stayed in the shot line all the way through the shot.

Remember, as a player you will want to make sure you practice on the move shooting correctly. When a shooter goes against a principle of motion, it rarely turns out. You want to check out what the great players are doing.

September 2007: Techniques For Support Hand, Elbow, And Wrist

Developing correct techniques for the support arm and hand are much more important than most coaches and players realize. It probably is the most neglected area in teaching shooting.

Correct Techniques Are Very Important
The following are techniques recommended for players who put their support hand on the side of the ball before lifting it. When working on these support techniques start with the ball in the shooting pocket.

Side Grip For Support Hand
1. Hand On Side Of Ball

2. Wrist In and Bent

3. Elbow Slightly Out

Correct support arm and hand techniques are necessary for a player to become a great shooter.

August 2007: Starting Shot With Hand Behind the Ball With Wrist and Hand Bent a Lot is Incorrect

Shooting Hand Behind Ball With Wrist and Hand Bent a Lot
With the player`s hand positioned behind the ball with the hand and wrist over-bent, a player is more apt to lift the ball and have the shooting hand too far under the basketball or the fingers are dipped down some before thrusting it to the basket.

This is starting the shot with the shooting hand and wrist already in a "cocked position" before lifting and thrusting the ball to the basket. With the hand and wrist already in a "cocked position" before lifting the basketball it is a more stiff finger-wrist action and is not natural.

Less Control and Distance
Players starting their shots with this technique usually lift the ball to where the hand and fingers end up too far under the ball or the fingers are dropped some. When the hand and fingers are too far under or the fingers are dropped down some a player will have less distance and control.

Why Some Shooting Instructors Use This Teaching Technique
This basketball shooting technique is used by some instructors because it helps them to more easily align the shooting arm before the player thrusts the ball to the basket.

With this incorrect teaching method it is easy to form the shooting arm, but it usually leads to one of the worst mistakes in shooting which again is getting the shooting hand too far under the ball or dipping the fingers down before thrusting the ball to the basket.

Slight Bent Wrist or Flat Wrist are Both Correct
There are more correct and natural ways to align the shooting arm and still position the hand and wrist correctly before thrusting the ball to the basket.

Starting the shot with a flat or slight bent wrist helps a player in a natural way to have the correct hand and wrist position after the player has lifted the ball and thrusted it to the basket.

Players Who Practice A lot and Use the Incorrect Bent Wrist Technique
Most players who practice a lot and who use the incorrect bent wrist technique usually do not lift the ball and have their hand and wrist positioned correctly before thrusting the ball to the basket

We correct this procedure at our basketball shooting camps, but it is a difficult correction. It is especially difficult to correct with players who have ground in this technique with a lot of practice. Again, having hand too far under the ball or dipped fingers before thrusting ball to basket really hurts range and control.

When doing player`s shots at our basketball shooting camps, I ask the players making this mistake if they have been taught hand behind ball with hand and wrist heavily bent. In ninety percent of the cases the answer is yes.

I would like to remind the readers of this monthly column that the shooting fundamentals and techniques described are what the great shooters are doing or not doing. What I recommend can be checked out by observing the great college and professional basketball players on Television. Coach Baumgartner

July 2007: Locking Shooting Elbow When Releasing the Basketball is Incorrect

Locking Shooting Elbow
This is one of the worst techniques used in teaching shooting. Some instructors use this technique. If a player literally follows this technique he or she will have less control and they will also have a hard shot which will hit the target hard.

Angle of the Shooting Arm On Release
Instructors using this technique of "locking the elbow on release" use this technique to get players to have their shooting arm at the correct angle when releasing the basketball. It is good to have the shooting arm at the correct angle when releasing the basketball. But it is not good to achieve this through a locked elbow shooting technique.

With the correct angle of the shooting arm, the player is more apt to have correct or adequate arc to his or her shot. There are better techniques a player can practice to get the correct angle of the shooting arm "without locking the shooting elbow". Again, if a player "locks" the shooting elbow he or she will shoot a hard shot.

At the Dick Baumgartner Shooting Camps we use more natural techniques which develop the correct angle of the shooting arm on release so the players will have correct arc on their shot. With our techniques the players would use only the natural movements of the body. We do not use a "locking of the elbow technique" which is not a natural movement and must be corrected if the player is going to shoot well.

At our camps we teach and correct through our drilling and one-on-one individual shooting instruction. We believe at our shooting camps we use the best drills, word usage, and techniques to teach shooting and other offensive skills. We feel no camp in Europe or U.S. in four days can match what we do in 4 days at our camps. We do a great job of drilling and evaluating players in the four days and also provide 9 games and several contests. Our teaching skills have been developed through my 52 years of coaching (20 years coaching teams and 34 years of basketball shooting camps). In that time I have evaluated over 48,000 player`s shots on a one-on-one basis.

Check the Locked Elbow Technique On Your Own
Just stand without the basketball and simulate shooting the basketball and lock the elbow when you are following through. You will be able to feel the unnatural motion. The angle of release is fine, but the locking of the elbow causes a hard and less controlled action.

With the Basketball Shooting camps coming up I will put in a short tip-of-the-month for June and July.

June 2007: Hooking the Defensive Player With the Drop Step from the Low Post Position is Incorrect

This hooking technique is taught a lot but none of the good players in High School, College, or the Pros do this move because, in general, it is a slow move and at times it throws a player off balance.

Body Position Is Really Important From the Low Post Position
Don`t overspread your feet and squat too low. This is a common mistake. This body position ties the lower part of the body down and a player moves too slowly from this position. If you check the good post players in college and pros, you will see that they don`t over squat or spread their feet too far apart.

Hooking a Defensive Player With the Drop Step
This is a slow move and at times the over extending of the leg to hook the defensive player causes the player to be off balance. The hooking of the defensive player sounds good, but it is one of the worst low post techniques taught. None of the good post players use this technique.

Just have your low post player start with a good body position without over-squating or over-spreading his or her feet. From this position the player should make a quick drop step without over-extending his or her leg so he or she will be balanced. These are natural techniques and this is the way the body should be trained. Remember, quick and balanced will beat slow and off balance every time.

The techniques and tips that I give on this website are how the very good and great players in high school, college, pros. execute their offensive fundamentals.

Again, I am doing a short tip this month, but if you want more information on low post techniques, you can check out on this website the video or dvd on Low Post Moves and Shots.

May 2007: Bringing the Ball into the Shooting Pocket

Shooting Pocket.
Bringing the basketball into the shooting pocket is very important in shooting the basketball consistently well. When a player starts the shot from the shooting pocket he or she will be starting the shot in the shot line and time the shot better.

Location of Shooting Pocket
Technically when the ball is in the Shot Line it is located a little right of center for right handers and a little left of center for left handers

When a right handed player brings the ball to the center of the body he or she in an unconscious way is usually a little right of center which again is the shot line for right hander.

Level of Shooting Pocket
Players have different shooting pocket levels. Some players start at the stomach level before lifting the ball, some at mid-stomach, and some at the upper-stomach or chest level. Find the level that fits best the timing of your shot.

When to Bring Basketball to the Shooting Pocket
If you are stepping into the shot with 1-2 footwork you should bring the ball into the pocket as the knees are bending and lift the ball as the legs are extending or you are coming up. Continue with the shot and follow through.

Don`t Intentionally Dip or Drop Basketball When Bringing Ball Into the Shooting Pocket
This is a bad mistake and will hurt a player`s consistency a lot. Just bring the ball in, over, down, or up when bringing the basketball into the shooting pocket, but don`t intentionally dip the ball.

Basketball Shooting Camps
With the drills, word usage, techniques and one-on-one instruction used at our basketball shooting camps, we do a great job developing a player`s shooting pocket and other shooting mechanics. We do this through very simple and easy to understand drills and techniques. Our drilling is followed up with very good one-on-one individual instruction by Dick Baumgartner and his highly trained shooting staff.

April 2007: Gripping a Basketball Correctly

The illustrations of correctly gripping the basketball are showing the basic areas that the good and great players touch. Player`s grips will vary some when using these basic grips.

Don`t try to be too exact when gripping the basketball. Just spread your fingers and thumb in a comfortable way and put your hand on the ball. Remember, don`t have thumb and index finger too close or too far apart. Both are bad mistakes.

Shooting Pads
Which shooting pads to use in gripping the basketball is probably one of the most controversial topics in shooting. The slight pressure or tension being applied with the pads is what is meant by gripping with the shooting pads. The information given in this article is based on an indept study on grip in addition to working with over 48,000 players individually on their shooting.

Three Basic Grips
There are three basic grips which are correct. The pictures show the general areas that the good and very
good players grip the basketball.

Remember, when you use a correct grip you get better control and distance

Correct and Most Used Grip

Most Used Grip
With this grip the player touches the finger pads and the pads below the fingers. The upper thumb pad is used but not the lower thumb pad or the side pad. This grip is also good to use around the basket area.
With this grip a player can adjust the ball in his or her fingers easily.

2. Correct and Second Most Used Grip

Second Most Used Grip
This grip is similar to the grip illustrated in picture one except with this grip the player also touches the deep thumb pad. Players using this grip vary in the amount of pressure that is applied with the deep thumb pad.

3. Correct and Third Most Used Grip

Third Most Used Grip
This grip could be called the all pad grip. Of the three correct grips this would be the most controversial. After working with thousands and thousands of player`s shots, I have found that some very good outside shooters use this grip. Players using this grip usually like it because they feel they get better range when touching all of the shooting pads. This is not a good grip for around the basket. It is harder to make adjustments with the hands when all the pads are on the ball.

Key Guideline to Follow When Gripping the Basketball
The one pad that is essential for proper grip is the pad under the middle and index fingers. When a player touches this pad so many good things happen in a natural way. When a player touches this pad he or she is forced in a natural way to put the finger pads and the pads under the fingers on the ball. Again, this helps control and distance.

Touching this pad under the middle and index fingers also helps for proper release. Don`t be too exact on placing the shooting hand, so that this pad touches the ball. Just put your hand on the ball in a natural way and touch this general area below the index and middle fingers. Again, just make it easy by spreading your fingers and thumb in a comfortable way before putting your shooting hand on the ball.

Basketball Shooting Camp for Players and Coaches
Players who attend our shooting camps will learn the very best techniques to develop their shooting and other offensive skills. We believe we are the number one attended shooting camp in the U.S. because of the results we get through our teaching methods.

Coaches who sign up to work our camps will be exposed to the best drills, techniques, word usage, and one-on-one instruction available.

March 2007: Gripping A Basketball Techniques

Because there is a lot of information on how to grip a basketball before shooting it, Coach Baumgartner will give this information in two parts. The first part will be covered in the March Tip and the second part will be covered in the April Tip.

In this articule, finger-tip grip will be covered first and then putting the palm on the basketball will be covered second.

Shooting Pads
Which shooting pads to use in gripping a basketball is probably one of the most controversial topics in shooting. Which pads are used in holding the ball determines the difference in grips.

1. Incorrect Finger-Tip Grip for Shooting Hand

Finger-Tip Grip for Shooting Hand Incorrect
By just touching the shooting pads on the ends of the fingers a player gets less power and in turn less distance. A player also has less control when using less pads and in turn poorer accuracy when shooting from the outside.

Coach Baumgartner knows through his experience of doing thousands and thousands of players shots that he can improve distance and accuracy through teaching a player to grip the ball properly.

Some shooting authorities have advocated gripping the basketball with just the shooting pads at the end of the fingers. The finger-tip grip is illustrated in picture 1. and is not recommended. It is incorrect and limits a player on what he can do with his or her outside shooting.

Tests show that more than just the finger-tips must touch the ball during proper gripping. As the ball is released, it comes off the finger pads at the ends of the fingers which is correct. But, as it is held, the basketball should be gripped with more shooting pads than just the finger-tip pads.

Any grip which controls the basketball successfully touches at least the finger pads and part of the pads below the fingers. If a player tries the finger-tip method, he or she will find that the farther toward the end of the fingers he or she holds the ball the less power they will generate with the fingers to propel the ball to the basket.

2. Palm of the Shooting Hand

Palm of the Shooting Hand
Shooting authorities do agree that the palm of the hand should not be used. But what is meant by the palm is seldom explained. Illustration 2 shows the palm.

There are some grip gadgets on the market which keep the palm off the basketball. The main problem is that some of the gadgets also keep the player`s shooting pads below his fingers off the ball. Most of these devices teach a player an incorrect gripping procedure.

Actually a device is not needed to keep the palm off the basketball. Even if all pads of the shooting hand are placed on the ball, it is still impossible to put the palm on the ball. The hand is constructed in a way that when it is spread properly to grip the basketball, it cups and prevents the palm from touching the ball.
Again, all a player has to do to keep the palm of the shooting hand off the ball is to spread the fingers and thumb properly.

The information that Coach Baumgartner has provided is based on observing and working individually with over 48,000 players on their shooting. He found that most of the good and very good shooters did not use the finger-tip grip. The ones that did had very limited range.

Second Part of Articule On Gripping a Basketball
The second part will be describing and showing the correct ways to grip a basketball with your shooting hand. This will be the April Tip of the Month.

Basketball Shooting Camps

"At the Dick Baumgartner shooting camps we teach what the very good and great players are doing. We believe our techniques, drills, word usage, and one-on-one instructions is the best. In the last 34 years we have had over 65,000 players attend our camps. In that time we have had the opportunity to work with and help so many players of different ages and abilities." --Coach Baumgartner

February 2007: Intentionally Dipping the Basketball Before Lifting and Shooting the Basketball

When bringing the ball into the shooting pocket it is a very bad mistake to intentionally dip or push the ball down before lifting the basketball to chin-face-forehead or slightly above forehead.

Players who do this at times get on-a-roll and hit several shots in-a-row. But it has been my experience after doing thousands and thousands of player`s shots that players who do this dipping of the ball before lifting it are very inconsistent.

CAUSES RUSHING OF THE SHOT
When a player brings the ball into the shooting pocket and then dips the basketball he or she then has a longer lift to the face or forehead, etc, and must rush the lifting and the thrusting of the ball to get the legs into the shot.

DIPPING THE BALL AFFECTS TIMING AND A PLAYER`S SHOOTING BASE
The worst thing that happens when players intentionally dip or drop the ball when bringing it into the shooting pocket is that the dip affects the timing and doesn`t allow the player to establish a good shooting base. The shooting base is the position of the elbow just after the ball is lifted or just before the ball is thrusted to the basket. After the ball is lifted the elbow must be in this position for at least a split second or there is no base for accurate shooting. The dipping of the ball doesn`t allow the elbow to be positioned for a long enough time before thrusting it to the basket. Remember, good shooters have a shooting base even though it is only for a split second.

RECEIVING PASS FROM FRONT
When receiving pass from the front a player should just give with the hands and bring the ball back to the shooting pocket. Then lift ball and thrust it to the basket. Don`t bring it back into the shooting pocket and intentionally dip ball.

THERE ARE TWO PARTS TO SHOOTING THE BASKETBALL
When shooting a basketball there are two parts after bringing ball to the shooting pocket. The two parts are lifting and thrusting the ball to the basket. Most shooting is done with a no conscious pause between the lifting and the thrusting of the ball to the basket. If a player maintains his or her rhythm all the way through the shot they will automatically have the correct pause.

PLAYERS WHO COME OFF THE FLOOR FAIRLY HIGH BEFORE SHOOTING
Some shooters who come off the floor fairly high can pause longer (more hang time) before thrusting the ball to basket. Remember, most shooters don`t come up high before shooting the basketball so they should not pause for a long time before thrusting the ball to the basket.

ONE PIECE SHOOTING FOLLOWED LITERALLY IS INCORRECT
One piece shooting is incorrect because if this technique is followed literally the player will have no base before thrusting ball to the basket.

Shooting a basketball is not one piece, it is two parts, lifting and thrusting the ball with a split second pause inbetween the lifting of the ball and the thrusting it to the basket. When a player maintains their rhythm all the way through the shot it looks like what some call one piece shooting but it is two parts. It is two part with no conscious pause. Again, the no conscious pause is a slight pause which is the shooting base of a player which is needed for accuracy.

DON`T THINK ABOUT MECHANICAL PARTS WHEN SHOOTING A BASKETBALL
We definitely don`t want players thinking about mechanical parts of shooting. If they do this they will not shoot the ball well. Thinking about parts of the shot is one of the worst mistakes made in learning to shoot well. Our drills and techniques at camp put the players into the correct mechanics of shooting in a natural way.

With our experience and understanding of what actually happens in shooting a basketball correctly, we have been able to develop great techniques, word usage. drills and great one-on-one instruction which will teach players in a natural way to become great shooters.

LONG PAUSE BEFORE THRUSTING THE BALL TO THE BASKETBALL IS ALSO INCORRECT FOR MOST SHOOTERS
Only some shooters who come off the floor fairly high can pause more before thrusting the ball to the basket. Again, these players have more hang time.

Most shooters, however, will follow the shooting procedure where they maintain their rhythm all the way through the shot. Following this procedure the player`s pause between the lifting and thrusting of the ball will only be for a split second.

GREAT RESULTS AT OUR BASKETBALL SHOOTING CAMPS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
After being connected with basketball coaching,and basketball shooting camps for the last 52 years our camps can provide the best shooting techniques available. We have been the number one attended shooting camp for the last 34 years. We understand through our many years of experience what the great American and European players who shoot well are doing. The techniques they do in a natural way are what we teach at our boys and girls shooting camps.

Our drills, word usage, techniques, and drilling are so good they will automatically put your players, sons, or daughters, into the correct shooting mechanics if followed correctly.

CORRECT WAY TO BRING BALL TO SHOOTING POCKET
When the ball is passed and it is even with or higher or lower than the player`s shooting pocket he or she should just bring the ball into the shooting pocket and lift it and thrust it to the basket. Again, the player should not intentionally dip of push the ball down before lifting it and thrusting it to the basket. Intentionally dipping or developing the habit of dipping is incorrect and very detrimental to good shooting.

We teach in a natural and correct way of bringing the ball into the shooting pocket which is one very important part of shooting. For example, learning to shoot well off the pass is very important. How to receive the ball from the front. side, and other positions and then bring it into the shooting pocket while coordinating it with other parts of the body so the shot is timed well is critical in shooting consistently well. We do a great job at our shooting camps teaching shooting fundamentals.
Coach Baumgartner

January 2007: What It Takes To Become A Great Point Guard

OFFENSIVE FUDNDAMENTALS----SKILLS WHICH NEED TO BE DEVELOPED TO A VERY HIGH DEGREE OF EFFICIENCY

1. Passing

2. Dribbling ( Learn to keep dribble alive when necessary )

3. Great Floor Vision ( sees whole floor real well and always looking )

4. Shooting ( outside, pull-up, driving and finishing )

5. Penetrating ( penetrate and pass is a valuable skill )

6. Strong With The Ball ( very good head and body position )

7. Floor Judgement ( few errors )

8. Leadership ( wants to take responsibility of leading team )

9. Mental Toughness ( developing your skills wIll automatically help your confidence and in turn will also help in this area )

10. Unselfishness ( team is first )

11. Reading defenses ( basic reads )

12. Driving techniques off stationary position ( Beginning step with ball )

13. Penetrating off dribble ( Moves off dribble to penetrate )

14. Controlling the defense ( You are not a point guard if you can`t control defense).

15. Attacking skills

WORK ON BECOMING THE BEST YOU CAN BE IN EACH OF THESE AREAS

As your skills get better, you will become more able to lead a team. Remember, skills are something that with proper instruction and hard work you can learn. Of the above qualities that make a great point guard, ten of them are skills.

Work on becoming the best you can be in each of the qualities and skills mentioned above. Develop an attitude that you want and can lead the team. Also develop good floor judgment by realizing in your play what works and what doesn`t work. As you develop well in the above areas your mental toughness and confidence will also develop because you are becoming one of the best.

At the Dick Baumgartner Basketball Shooting Camps we drill and lecture on the skills mentioned above. We also give one on-one instruction on shooting. We give drills at camp which are great for developing point guard skills. (example: great dribbling drills, attack drills, vision drills, etc. )

Players who attend our camps develop into complete scorers. Our shooting camps develop these skills through lectures, and great drilling, and one-on-one instruction.

THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS TO " BEING THE BEST YOU CAN BE". IT WILL TAKE HARD WORK AND CORRECT PRACTICE

COACH DICK BAUMGARTNER