Specific Shooting Practice

Specific practice is more than attempting shots from a team's offense.

In Evolution of 180 Shooter: A 21st Century Guide, I borrowed from Dr. Anatoliy Bondarchuk’s (2007) classifications of exercises (General Preparatory, Specific Preparatory, Specific Developmental, and Competitive) to classify shooting drills. General preparatory exercises have the least direct transfer to competition, whereas competitive exercises are essentially the skill in competition or very near competition (scrimmage in a practice setting).

Most shooting drills are General Shooting Practice (GSP). The objective is repetitions. These often are constant, block practice: One player shoots a specific shot repeatedly before moving to the next shot or switching with a partner. Many refer to these shots as game-like shots when they mimic some aspect of a team’s offense, but they have little in common with shots attempted during a game, other than location (See Fake Fundamentals, Vol. 2). They are not game-like, as they lack the minimum requirements of representative shooting — defense and a passing option, as described by Harri Mannonen.

As with general preparatory exercises, GSP has the least direct transfer to performance. Players engage in dozens and dozens of repetitions and demonstrate minimal performance improvements. The source of improved performance has little to do with the actual shooting, and instead is often due to increased confidence from preparation and seeing the ball go through the net. As Kobe Bryant said, “Confidence comes from preparation.”

The limited direct transfer does not mean one should never engage in GSP, even for skill development purposes, but does suggest a need for more than GSP. The needs depend on the individual. Some may need more practice in competition-like shooting drills where they shoot against defenders and with passing and driving options. Their limiting factor may not be their shooting style or technique, but their decision-making, understanding the time and space needed to shoot comfortably and deciding what constitutes a good versus bad shot attempt.

Other players need Specific Shooting Practice (SSP) to improve some part of their style or technique. More repetitions (GSP) will improve the consistency of their technique, but GSP may not address flaws limiting their performance. “SSP addresses a specific aspect of shooting with attention, feedback, and repetitions, and is unconcerned with immediate or direct transfer to game shooting percentages.”

Below is a short video of three young post players practicing their shooting with a medicine ball.

This is Specific Shooting Practice (SSP). Many may look at players shooting against a wall with a heavier ball and see something far removed from game shots. They scoff at the idea this is more specific or will improve shooting performance more than players shooting off cuts from their team’s offense, but this exercise has a very specific purpose to affect their body organization, timing, and coordination. Will more shots attempted in a general shooting drill address these concerns?

There were 16 players at the workout when this was filmed. These were the only three who used the medicine ball at the start, as players’ needs differ. A heavier (medicine) ball exaggerates the movement much like the 180-jump exaggerates the movement, and these exaggerations often enable players to feel flaws or dis-coordination easier.

In Awareness through Movement, Moshe Feldenkrais wrote, “The muscles of the limbs are intended to direct their movements accurately, while the main power of the pelvic muscles is conducted through the bones of the limbs to the point at which it is required to operate. In a well-organized body work done by the large muscles is passed on to its final destination through the bones by weaker muscles, but without losing much of its power on the way.”

One cannot shoot a 4kg medicine ball high on the wall with leaks in his body organization. The heavier ball is used to identify this feeling and smooth the movement, creating greater rhythm and coordination for the shot. “Light and easy movements are good ones, as a rule,” wrote Feldenkrais. As I have written elsewhere, this is a big reason I like the push press as a weightlifting exercises, as I can reference the exercise and the feeling of the dip and drive with the powerful extension when I see body organization problems on the court.

The medicine ball is not the only approach. I occasionally push players to the edge of their shooting range to challenge their coordination, as they cannot shoot with a light and easy movement from the edge of their range with poor body organization, coordination, or rhythm. These are specific shots with a specific purpose to address a specific limitation, not game shots or practice. Individual players respond differently to each stimulus, so I search for newer and better ways to improve each individual player.

Focusing on repetitions or game-like shots with defenders and decisions may improve performance incrementally, but many players require more specific practice to address limitations. These limitations often remain from previous injuries or from disrupted coordination, especially with taller players or players in the midst of or just finishing large growth spurts. More repetitions may not affect these limitations, and instead may reinforce these suboptimal patterns. Some players learn to compensate and overcome suboptimal patterns, but the limitations cause a premature plateau or lowered ceiling for most. My goal is not for players to improve from 32% to 33%, but to develop into 38% or better three-point shooters and 80% or better free-throw shooters, and these improvements often require specific practice beyond the typical form shooting and game shots from game speeds at game spots.