Watching crunch time of both games men can't make them. The ladies can.It is a real problem for Pike..Not only did I watch the Stringer gang make them they all seemed to be nothing but net.Free throws can make or break a season.Keep it up ladies.
Foul shots
- Thread starter FELONIOUSMONK
- Start date
A big part of shooting foul shots at crunch time is getting the ball in to your best FT shooters. The men always seem to have trouble getting the ball in at all. let alone to their better shooters. The ladies seem to always have the ball in the right shooters hands at the end (putting the in bound end against Penn State aside). Then again, the ladies have more good free throw shooters.
Free throw shooting has always been about repetition, and not taking the "free" attempt for granted. When women's basketball first hit the big stage, many years ago, they perfected the free throw, and rarely would you find a player under 50%. And, if I had to guess they all shot around 75/80% from the f/t line. They constantly practiced that shot. As the skill level evolved, women's basketball started to realize the importance of good outside shot, and eventually the 3 pointer. As that happened the foul shot for the women took a hit. But, they are still better then the men. Practice, practice, practice is the key to all shooting, when you take time away from one the other flourishes, as the forgotten(or least practice shot suffers).
Right now it's not a sexy thing to shoot a 100 free throws in practice. The nuances of the game took a big hit for the men, when the game showcased over the rim acrobatics(dunking). Everyone wanted to be the next Michael Jordan. Recently, with the 3 point line, it has shifted back to outside shooting(thank you Stephen Curry). The 7 Ft. Center dominating inside, is a thing of the past. They are now shooting 3 pointers. Consequently, the free throw has suffered. The sad thing is, that the RU men seem to struggle with both.
You would think that a good outside shooter, would be a great foul shooter. Nope, not the case at all. It's almost like it's beneath them, or a waste of time. I personally hate when after missing a F/T, they all give the same high fives, as if they had made the shot. I would be pissed, missing a "free" shot, which in practice I should be making 8 or 9 out of 10, but in the game I miss! Pissed, so don't congratulate me!
And, don't get me started on layups!
Anyway, that's how I see it.
Right now it's not a sexy thing to shoot a 100 free throws in practice. The nuances of the game took a big hit for the men, when the game showcased over the rim acrobatics(dunking). Everyone wanted to be the next Michael Jordan. Recently, with the 3 point line, it has shifted back to outside shooting(thank you Stephen Curry). The 7 Ft. Center dominating inside, is a thing of the past. They are now shooting 3 pointers. Consequently, the free throw has suffered. The sad thing is, that the RU men seem to struggle with both.
You would think that a good outside shooter, would be a great foul shooter. Nope, not the case at all. It's almost like it's beneath them, or a waste of time. I personally hate when after missing a F/T, they all give the same high fives, as if they had made the shot. I would be pissed, missing a "free" shot, which in practice I should be making 8 or 9 out of 10, but in the game I miss! Pissed, so don't congratulate me!
And, don't get me started on layups!
Anyway, that's how I see it.
I never really got into basketball as a kid, but I did have a hoop on the garage and I got pretty good at hitting free throws. My guess is that a lot of kids my age were good at it too. It is a lost art as far as men go since it isn't part of the "show" that the game has clearly become. Other than when it suddenly becomes important {like crunch time) even the fans show little reaction to what happens.
Practice is most important, as long as one is doing it the right way. It does no good to practice something the wrong way over & over.
Going in the hole is something else. If it's not going in the hole for you & you keep practicing with the wrong technique & mechanics it won't get better for you. I've seen guys taking tons of batting practice & swinging all wrong & never hitting better.
Comparing hitting a baseball, to sinking foul shots is like apples and oranges. With baseball there are fundamental guidelines, which increase the odds of hitting a baseball thrown 90 miles per hour. For instance a person who swings with his elbow dug into his rib cage, will get a limited range within his swing, and therefore decrease the odds of hitting a thrown ball.
In the basketball shooting, foul or otherwise the object is to get the ball over the front of the rim, but not so much that it hits the back or the sides of that rim. If you practice throwing the ball, where the arc is long enough yet soft enough to clear the front, the ball goes in the hole. A hole, no more, no less,(same concept with putting a golf ball into the hole). If you could consistently bounce it off your knee and get that effect, then that's the way you shoot a foul shot. If throwing it under hand gives you that effect, then that's how you shoot that foul shot. The shot should be one which makes you comfortable to do, the same way every time, so that the ball goes in the basket.
In baseball you don't have that option, mechanics count. You can have a natural inside out swing, which pushes the ball to the opposite field( ask Derek Jeter who had a career doing this). Or, you can be a line drive hitter, with a very level, elbow out swing. And, you can also enjoy a swing that travels in an arc, which gives you more height to balls hit. But, regardless what or where the swing originates, you must always keep that eye on the baseball. Technique is important in baseball, not so much with a foul shot. Just look at all the different release points, angles, one hand, two hands, one eye open, closed, two bounces, three bounces, step away, don't move, shoot from the side of the ear, over the head, in front of the face, and on, and on, and on. Consistency is the only rule to a good foul shooter, and that comes with repetition.
In the basketball shooting, foul or otherwise the object is to get the ball over the front of the rim, but not so much that it hits the back or the sides of that rim. If you practice throwing the ball, where the arc is long enough yet soft enough to clear the front, the ball goes in the hole. A hole, no more, no less,(same concept with putting a golf ball into the hole). If you could consistently bounce it off your knee and get that effect, then that's the way you shoot a foul shot. If throwing it under hand gives you that effect, then that's how you shoot that foul shot. The shot should be one which makes you comfortable to do, the same way every time, so that the ball goes in the basket.
In baseball you don't have that option, mechanics count. You can have a natural inside out swing, which pushes the ball to the opposite field( ask Derek Jeter who had a career doing this). Or, you can be a line drive hitter, with a very level, elbow out swing. And, you can also enjoy a swing that travels in an arc, which gives you more height to balls hit. But, regardless what or where the swing originates, you must always keep that eye on the baseball. Technique is important in baseball, not so much with a foul shot. Just look at all the different release points, angles, one hand, two hands, one eye open, closed, two bounces, three bounces, step away, don't move, shoot from the side of the ear, over the head, in front of the face, and on, and on, and on. Consistency is the only rule to a good foul shooter, and that comes with repetition.
There are lots of techniques for making free throws (Rick Barry underhand style comes to mind), but the key is that the motion needs to be repeatable. Casually tossing shots up won't get you that; you need to have focus on what you're doing.