Advising a Player through Free-Throw Struggles
Improving shooting success without focusing on the shooting technique
One of our post players played with the men’s team last weekend and texted after the game:
“Coach — What should I do to improve my free throws? I have a terrible percentage this season, and I don’t know what I am doing wrong. Can you give me some tips?”
For context, he has improved this season, based on what I have been told, and is shooting and making three-pointers during games, which he did not attempt last season. He also has missed time with a sprained ankle and a minor shoulder injury, neither of which is healed completely. He does not have a high volume of free throws, likely averages less than three per game, which makes drawing any conclusions difficult, but there is definitely room for improvement.
I abide by my mantra “Say as little as possible, but instruct as much as necessary.” However, instruction is definitely necessary when a player directly asks for help, especially away from the court. I offered to work with him the next morning, but he was playing later in the day and the physio recommended against it because of his shoulder. I offered the following tips.
Relax. Try not to think about previous attempts or fixate on attempts. The more you stress, the worse you will shoot. Trust yourself and your practice. Shooters need to have a short memory. After the game, one can analyze and learn from mistakes, but during games, they need to be a goldfish.
Shoot with a clear mind. One cannot change past results or misses; do not allow those misses to affect present and future attempts. Creating some kind of key word can help you ignore the self doubts and focus on something more positive. In my younger days, we had campers saying “Cookies” as they shot their free throws because it made them happy.
Getting fouled and attempting free throws helps one’s team, even when missing, as free-throw attempts correlated better with winning than free-throw percentage, at least in the NBA (according to Basketball on Paper). Therefore, do not shy away from contact or fouls to avoid shooting free throws. Getting to the free-throw line has value in and of itself.
Change your mindset. I watched a college game last week. In a two-point game, the leading team inbounded and was fouled immediately. The expression and body language of the player suggested they wanted no part of the free throws (missed the first, made the second). Embrace the free-throw line. Stride to the line with confidence, head up and shoulders back. Be purposeful with your approach. Essentially, fake it until you make it. Act confident (posture) to feel confident.
Most of our team rushes on their free throws. “Slow down. Breathe,” has been one of my more consistent messages throughout the season with nearly every player.
Do your routine: dribble, dribble, whatever; set with eyes on rim and take a deep breath; exhale then shoot. I encourage players to use Steve Nash’s routine, but nobody follows through. I am not going to force players to do something if they are uncomfortable, but there are things one can add or subtract from a normal free-throw routine to increase success. Slowing down and breathing are two important keys, as increased heart rate and uncontrolled breathing negatively affect free-throw percentages, and a longer fixation (quiet eye) on the target improves free-throw percentages.
Next, I encouraged him to set higher with the ball, rather than below his waist, and use a more upright posture. He is a tall, strong post player; he does not need a deep knee bend to reach the rim from the free-throw line. He bends more on free throws than on his three-point attempts. I imagine this stems from when players are young, and “bend your knees” is the ubiquitous instruction, but as players get older and stronger, they do not need to maintain the same knee bend to generate force. Ultimately, my advice for him is to simplify his shot to eliminate possible mistakes, but midseason is not the right time for drastic changes. Instead, I am attempting to work around the edges, improving these slowly and surely, almost imperceptibly through the drills we use in workouts. A more erect posture when he sets after his routine and before his shot, with the ball slightly higher, is a minor tweak that could have a large positive effect.
Which brings me to my final point: The practice shots focused on the release in our morning practices (above) are aimed to improve your free-throw shooting, but it is not a quick fix. Keep working. The hand/ball connection just before and at the release is arguably the most important factor in successful shooting, and these shots focus attention on correcting and improving this vital moment.
There are things I would modify with his shooting style, and our shooting drills aim to improve these areas in practice every week. However, in between games is not the time to alter one’s technique consciously; I do not want players stepping to the free-throw line thinking about their elbow or knee. I want them concentrating on their target.
Therefore, the immediate strategies are to adopt a posture of confidence and change the mindset from fearing free throws to embracing them. Slowing down and breathing to slow his heart rate and control his breathing as he shoots. Also, fixating on the target longer, rather than rushing, utilizing the quiet eye (see the research of Joanne Vickers).
These are immediate strategies to make some immediate improvements, which hopefully leads to some success, which increases confidence and likely causes further improvement. The significant changes are better left to the offseason or a period without so many games in a row, as his shooting already is trending in the right direction, despite his feelings after a momentary blip that could be due as much to injury as anything else.