Basketball - Changing Bad Habits to Improve Free Throw Shooting Mechanics

You may be surprised to know that once again it is the 'mind' that dictates the changing basketball any bad habits. First of all the habit must be recognized as one that causes a problem, causes pain, inefficiency, inconsistency or it may be a habit that is unappealing etc. In all the basketball shooting clinics that I orchestrate, I always ask the question "what do you think about at the moment you release the ball from the hand"? 99.9% of the time I get this answer. Either "Hope the ball goes in" or something along those lines and this is completely and utterly an incorrect thought pattern.

Most of the time the pain that comes with the old habit becomes gain with the new habit. Obviously when consciously working on breaking an old habit there will be mental and physical pain. That's why many of us would rather accept the old habit. It takes courage to break a habit, discipline to end the unwanted habit and it takes desire and motivation to fuel the process.

The following poem illustrates our friend "habit".

I am your constant companion
I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden
I will push you up to success or down to disappointment
I am at your command
Half the things you do may as well be turned over to me
For I can do them quickly, correctly and profitably.
I am easily managed, just be firm with me.
Those who are great, I have made them great.
Those who are failures I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a
Machine and the intelligence of a person.
You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.
Show me how you want it done. Educate me. Train me.
Lead me. Reward me.
And I will then... do it automatically.
I am your servant.
Who am I?
I am a habit.

The reason I get these incorrect answers is because the players don't recognize incorrect shooting mechanics which are a direct result of errant shots. Once you understand this concept you will become more 'mindful' of anatomical inconsistencies and you will be able to unravel destructive behaviors. This applies not only to free throw shooting but to biting finger nails, judging people, overeating, cursing etc. As I said earlier we need to become mindful by first recognizing all of our flawed shooting mechanics and I would always work on correcting my biggest problem first. In other words if your pinky finger drops one half inch on the release is not as big a problem as your shooting wrist moving sideways or laterally on or during the ball release, or a swaying sloppy elbow.

Recognizing and correcting old or bad habits stems from studies of neuroscience, cognitive therapy and cognitive science. By becoming mindful you help the brain shift from disturbing to positive behaviors. The brain actually has elasticity throughout our lives and actually changes itself as we challenge old habits. A visual would be like molding putty with our hands. (There's the reference to the "hands" again.)

The field of Neuroscience portrays to us that there is a point where we have to make a crucial choice and it must be made within the blink of an eye or about a quarter of a second. It is during this crucial moment that we choose to reject any self-defeating or poor shooting mechanic or movement.

Mindfulness meditation and cognitive therapy focus on repairing maladaptive or flawed shooting mechanics. Remember that "science rules" when it comes to shooting excellence. If we defy the laws of nature or the laws of science we lose and our efficiency is compromised. The closer we comprehend these laws the sooner we align ourselves with perfection. My whole objective behind this book is to improve your awareness of each anatomical error that causes missed shots. Remember that a missed shot is a direct result of incorrect physical action directly caused by lack of concentration or more specifically not knowing or consciously thinking of correcting a problem area like bent knuckles or floppy wrist etc. These movements result in inconsistent results.

Becoming aware of incorrect shooting mechanics or bad shooting habits is the first step, and unless we can be aware of them and challenge them before they happen, they will dictate why we shoot the way we do. And the more imbedded they are, the more they will keep returning unless we apply mindfulness and awareness of these generally mediocre mechanics. Remember that the National free throw percentage for High Schools in the US is around 65%, Colleges and Universities hover around 68% and the NBA jumps a few notches to around 72% from the line which in my estimation is still mediocrity. It is hard to believe that the best players in the world only average about 5 percentage points better than the National High school average.

A majority of this book is about seeing ourselves through our statistics as a shooter, categorizing ourselves as horrible, mediocre or excellent and making the necessary changes to elevate our status. We will explore by practicing 'mindfulness'- which is a method of training the mind to expand the scope of awareness while refining its precision- we can reach beyond the limiting or detrimental ways we constantly and unconsciously promote. You will learn how to disengage from the flawed shooting habits that undermine your potential confidence or the confidence of your players. Let's face it, every player wants to be a great shooter and scorer. Or at least they want to be recognized for their efforts and hard work. Top scorers get all the recognition unfortunately but this is a true fact. You will also learn how precise mindfulness will seek out bad habits, which will add new insight and clarity that will help you distinguish between what appears to be and what actually is. For example, I had my shooting technique filmed with a camera at 1,000 frames per second. When I reviewed this, I could tell right away the difference from what seemed to be and what really is, or the actual reality.

Moshe Feldenkrais became a pioneer in the workings of the body, specifically body movements. His method of working was through physical movement; many of his brilliant insights came from his own personal struggle to regain control of his own body especially after it was paralyzed by polio. His studies could be referred to as 'movement awareness'.

The habitual ways in which we move our bodies are ingrained or embossed into the part of the brain referred to as the 'motor cortex' which is responsible for controlling motion or body movement. Most of us have a few habits of holding or moving that limit our potential or even cause pain. For people to reach their full potential they have to break out of the rut of bad habit and this means that changes need to occur within the motor cortex, so that new neuromuscular patterns can be formed that maximize rather than limit our ability to use our bodies . When it comes to free throw shooting there is nothing more important than being aware or mindful of moving body parts. Especially the finer muscles that are responsible for moving these body parts. One major example is to be aware of the finger joints and how they are moving as the shot is released. You will be amazed at how poor the average person is at recognizing this let alone adjusting any flaw.

Listed below are areas of potential problems of shooting flaws that need to be addressed, corrected or restructured:-

1. Feet spacing too wide, too narrow, not squared which can cause alignment problems.
2. Too much or not enough knee bend.
3. Grip on ball- too much palm on ball, fingers too relaxed. Need to be firm and as wide as possible without straining. Pads of fingers ball contact only
4. Elbow too wide, either inside or outside. Usually thin, wiry or very flexible players have inside elbow.
5. Out of alignment elbow causes mis-aligned grip and vice versa.
6. Index finger not in center of ball.
7. Guide hand above ball, or anywhere but at 90 degrees to shooting thumb
8. Shooting pocket locations everywhere but in front of forehead about 2" above the head and between the eyes.
9. Lack of strength of finer muscles affects shooting pocket. Weak players shoot from chest or chin, making shot a longer release.
10. Guide hand assists the shooting hand causing skewed rotation, or even kills any rotation
11. Ball release too flat.
12. Follow through fingers point to floor.
13. Follow through fingers closed not wide as at start of shot.
14. Wrist moves in different directions at end of shot.
15. Eyes focused on rim during entire shot.
16. Shooting hand slaps guide hand after release.
17. Knuckles bend on follow through. Only joint on the hand that should bend is the wrist. Hand is frozen during whole shot. It is the control center. How can it control the shot if it is out of control itself. This fact alone is the biggest problem area affecting millions of players worldwide.
18. Angle of release is either too high or too low. Elbow touches ear(too high) or wrist is level with head after shot (too low)
19. Guide hand closes during shot release signifying 'help' action on the ball.
20. Dropping follow through before ball reaches basket. Especially from free throw line out.
21. There is more. This is enough to work on. Remember that each one of these potential flaws can cause up to a 5-6% deficiency in accuracy. If you have 5 of these flaws that you don't even recognize then you already are shooting around 70-75%. And by my standards this is as bad as shooting 50%.

I realize the information above is not super detailed but it does provide food for thought. There will be more information in future articles that may further assist your needs.

Ed Palubinskas
http://www.freethrowmaster.com
President of National Basketball Shooters Association, Inc
1976 Olympic scoring Champion. 2 Time olympian
All-American, All-World selection.
Led all Colleges and pros in free throw percentage in 1972 with 92.4%.
Played at LSU.
Still in top 20 all time NCAA Free throw shooters.
Guinness book world record 2005 with 1206/1265 free throws made in one hour.
LA Lakers shooting coach basketball NBA Ring.
Several State championships in Louisiana.
See more accolades on web site bio.

The Hook Kick - Achieving Kicking Excellence Series Volume 7

The seventh book of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series has a purple cover and focuses basketball the hook kick. I mention the purple cover because each of the books in this series has a different colored cover along with the photograph of author Shawn Kovacich illustrating the themed kick by smashing the first letter. Some people have criticized the covers because it is a bit harder to read with the first letter smashed all over the place, but on the shelf you can read the spine just fine, so I don't see a problem.

The book follows the rest of the series by containing chapters on basic anatomy, warm ups, stretching, strength, speed, and power training. These chapters are very basic and give just enough to show the reader some basics, but to prompt the reader to further their studies in these areas.

The bulk of volume seven focuses on the hook kick and ten of its main variations. Just like all of the books in this series, Kovacich included hundreds of photographs and illustrations among the text of this 236 page book. (This includes the index and pages to take notes) No other written text has as much detailed instruction on the hook kick, and I doubt any ever will. This is the definitive written guide on the execution of the hook kick and its variations.

It takes Kovacich thirty-one pages, which includes eighteen pages of full page pictures detailing every part of the kick, and one page of review photographs, to fully describe the execution of the turning hook kick. Kovacich also uses an illustration of a martini glass to help get his instruction on the path of trajectory. Like I said, this is the most detailed instruction on this kick you will find.

Kovacich then teaches ten variations. In these descriptions he uses smaller photographs, but they still illustrate the kicks very well. Each variations includes a pictorial overview and is self contained. I like this feature. If you want to review just one variation, you can go to that section of the book, review that kick, and get to practicing. It is because of this that I believe this to be an excellent basketball to have in any martial art library. This is not a book to read cover to cover for enjoyment. It is a reference text to be used to improve your kicking.

The variations include: Step-Back Hook Kick; Spinning Hook Kick; Hop/Slide Forward Hook Kick; Hop/Slide Backward Hook Kick; Front Leg Hook Kick; Back Leg Hook Kick; Switch Hook Kick; Off-Setting Hook Kick; Jump Turning Hook Kick; 540 Degree Jump Turning Hook Kick; and the Spinning Hook Kick with the left leg. (all other kicks are shown with the right leg only)

Besides the martini glass, Kovacich also uses diagrams of a watch face and illustrations of a top to get his points across. He also includes a smorgasbord of "notes" that cover many important points regarding kicking. He also provides some basic training and practice methods and a trouble shooting guide to assist you in gaining the most out of your training and to increase your kicking skills. Like the other books in the series, Kovacich finishes with illustrations of some hook kick applications.

This is an excellent study guide for learning the hook kick. It sands alone for the hook kick, but more importantly is part of a series that has to be the most detailed examination of kicking ever in print. This series is a fantastic resource for all martial artists. Even if your kicking style is a bit different from that of Kovacich's, you will still find instruction that will help you improve and assist in your teaching if you instruct.

If you own the entire series, you will find a little redundancy in the volumes. Those are the chapters I mentioned early on in this review. However, the detailed analysis and descriptions of each of Kovacich's ten primary kicks makes this series the excellent resource it is. I have all ten volumes in my library and am looking forward to the companion volumes Kovacich is working on now to be released in 2009.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a mediator/attorney with Bennett Law Office P.C. and an author/speaker through his own company Burrese Enterprises Inc. He writes and speaks about a variety of topics focusing on the business areas of negotiation and success principles as well as self-defense and safety topics. He is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks, several instructional DVDs, and numerous articles. You can find out more about Alain Burrese at his websites http://www.burrese.com or http://www.bennettlawofficepc.com

NBA Age Limit Unfair to Young Men

The foundation - and a flimsy one it may turn out to be - of the proposition to raise the legal age limit of the NBA to 21 is that both the league and the colleges will be best served by the restriction.

The colleges will benefit because the great players that would otherwise be pros will be plying their talents for their dear old schools for an additional year, raising the level of the college game. And the NBA will benefit because rookies coming in will be armed with the requisite skills and savoir-faire to better represent themselves and, by extension, the NBA's product.

These seem to be sound arguments, on both sides. basketball only thing they ignore is the voice of the one in the middle - the athlete himself.

Let's say basketball are a 20-year-old college basketball player, and gifted. You're six-eight or six-nine, you can run like a horse and fly like a bird, and you're busting at the seams to test your mettle in the crucible of the NBA.

But the powers-that-be say you need to wait another year - for your own good, of course. Even though you're old enough to be sent overseas to fight and possibly to die, you're not quite mature enough for the rigors of professional basketball.

Another year of school is what you need, they agree - another year of seasoning and sophistication. Never mind that you have yet to see the inside of a classroom - that the only two buildings on campus you've visited are the field house and the cafeteria.

Your university is all for you staying - at least your coach and the fans are - but you can't see how hanging around for another year is going to make you any smarter. And for the life of you, you can't see how one more year at State U will satisfy the people who are always shouting about the importance of higher education.

No, you're no scholar, but you can't help but get the idea that you're being used.

You see that your college is getting your services for another year when you could be offering them on the open market. And you figure out that the NBA is keeping its future labor down on the farm, cultivating it at the college's expense. But since the college is raking in millions in revenue from its basketball program...

The age-limit restriction is patently unfair to the athletes, and maybe even an illegal violation of their right to earn a living.

I'm a writer living near Nashville, and maybe the only one within a 50-mile radius who's never written a song. Writing fiction is my preference, but journalism provides my daily bread. I'm from the Clark Kent school of journalism -- I never carry a pad to take notes, but rely on my super-memory. Actually, in my stories I make up quotes, making people sound more interesting and well-spoken than they are, so they never object. You know how Truman Capote ("In Cold Blood") gave birth to the "non-fiction novel?" I'm working on popularizing the "fictional news" story.

Los Angeles Lakers - From the Down Times Until Now

You do not have to follow basketball to know who the Los Angeles Lakers are. The Lakers are one of the most well known teams on the NBA. They do hold a number of records, but throughout their history, there have been a number of bad years. Through basketball team selection and basketball the team has fought to get themselves to where they are today.

In the beginning, the Lakers faced a number of difficulties - they won some and they lost some. There were no championship titles or records won by the team - not in the early days.

Originally founded in 1946, the Lakers were known as the Detroit Lakers, as they were based out of Detroit, Michigan. Shortly later, they moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. This move was a good one for them, as this is where they won their first championship game - as a matter-of-fact - they won five when they were the Minneapolis Lakers.

Finally, in 1960, the Lakers moved to their home town of Los Angeles. The first decade was a tough ride for the team, as they could not even get into the NBA finals.

The next decade did not look much brighter for the Los Angeles Lakers. In the 1970's they won a title, which was definitely better than the previous 10 years, but that was it.

In the 1980's the team started to make a turn for the better. During this decade is when Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - two of the biggest names in the NBA - played for the Lakers. Additionally, Coach Pat Riley coached the team on team-work and helped them jump over their hurdles. During this time, the Los Angeles Lakers won five additional championships, and had their highest number of wins in one given season.

Like any roller coaster, there was a down-slope coming. The 1990's proved to be an uneventful year for the Lakers. Not to say there was nothing to talk about, but compared to the 80's, nothing spectacular happened.

Finally, in the 21st century, things are really beginning to look up for the Lakers. They now have players like Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, along with Coach Phil Jackson. Already, in just eight years, they have won five NBA finals.

The turn-around, of events, over the past decade, has captured the attention of many fans. The Lakers fans are not your typical fan, but are die-hard fans as they have watched their team struggle and come out of it with shining colors.

At the end of their most recent season, the Lakers held one of the highest number of records in NBA history. One of which was given to them for having the highest number of wins, ever, at over 2,900 wins.

They also hold records for the highest percentage (60%) of won games and appearing in the Finals 29 times. One fete, for them personally, to beat is the number of championship wins held by their rivals - the Boston Celtics. The Lakers are only three championship wins away, but this would be a grand accomplishment for the team.

The amount of talent that has passed through the Los Angeles Lakers is phenomenal. There have been 14 Hall of Fame players, and 4 Hall of Fame coaches, throughout their history. The combination of this talent and coaching has brought the team to where they are today.

By Matt Ryan, sponsored by StubPass. StubPass sells Los Angeles Lakers Tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets, NBA Tickets and many more tickets to your favorite events around the world.