In basketball, SHOOTING is a form of art.
Many say that great shooters have a place on any team.
It doesn’t matter if you are blessed with athleticism, speed, or strength; shooting is always one of the most wanted skills on a basketball court.
If you are a great shooter, not only will it give you a good chance of making your basketball team, but it will also allow you to earn more playing time, help you score consistently, and it will also give you a chance to make you feel more confident
Before I actually went through some vertical jump training programs such as Vert Shock, which allowed me to become a full-on superstar on the court with my ability to dunk, my greatest skill was known to be SHOOTING.
Even though I can finally dunk, I still love shooting. When I was a kid, I would always love to outside and shoot some hoops, and it was honestly hard for me to go back inside. I just loved to shoot. For most people, dribbling is the first skill acquired by many, but for me, it was shooting, and it always has been. Now I wasn’t always a great basketball player. I was always picked for my ability to space the floor out and shoot the ball. It’s what kept my career going.
For those old basketball players in the NBA and The BIG3, they still have a shot to make a roster because they know how to shoot a basketball. For those players who are aging, and still don’t know how to shoot effectively from behind the three-point line, they are going to have a hard time finding a spot for themselves on a roster. Think of players like Kyle Korver and Vince Carter for example. These two players are old. Vince Carter is the oldest player in the NBA and he is still an effective role player off the bench because he can SHOOT the ball very well. Kyle Korver is also in his late 30s, and I honestly expect to see him give it a few more years before he actually retires because there are many teams in the NBA who require a skill set like Korvers. Kyle Korver is still an elite three-point shooter in the league, and he is making a career out of it. I mean he is making millions of dollars to shoot a basketball.
Think about a player like Stephen Curry for example. He changed the way the game is played, and he has inspired millions of people around the world. Stephen Curry is one of the best shooters of all time, and he inspired me as well.
Today, I want to talk a little bit about the art of shooting, and what you can do to make yourself a better shooter through the basketball shooting technique, known as BEEF.
What Makes You A Better Shooter
Every basketball player in the world wants to become a great shooter. However, most people out there don’t really know the proper technique behind shooting a basketball, and in the long term, it will hurt them. When I see someone who doesn’t know what they are doing when shooting a basketball, I laugh a little, but I also encourage them. I let them know that it shouldn’t matter how you shoot, as long as it goes in, that’s all that matters. Although I encourage this, It won’t help long term.
You need to ask yourself this. Are you going to get better at shooting a basketball by shooting the way you do?
If you aren’t shooting a basketball with these FOUR basic principles below, you aren’t going to get better. YES, it’s not going to hurt you if you are still making your shots if you shoot the wrong way, but at the end of the day, you aren’t going to get better, and you aren’t going to be able to shoot like Stephen Curry or Ray Allen.
In order to be a successful shooter, you need to follow certain key steps.
When I started to fall in love with the game of basketball, I just shot a basketball the only way I knew how. I didn’t really have a form, I just stuck with whatever worked, and ultimately that form was using both of my hands to shoot the ball. When I finally learned the technique known as B.E.E.F during my time at school, it really changed the way I played the game and ultimately it helped me become a BETTER shooter.
What you need to know is that the longer you stick with your technique, the harder it’s going to be to become a better shooter. You need to train your body to the right technique. The reason is because of something called muscle memory. Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory. It happens when you perform a specific task over and over again with repetition, up to a point where that specific task is now the norm. You do it so many times, over and over again where it is now lodged into your memory. Muscle memory is the reason why shooters become so efficient. They continue to do the same form of motion with their body through complete repetition, up to a point where it just becomes effortless for them.
It is important to know that the more bad habits you continue to build, the harder it will be to become a better shooter. You need to create the correct fundamentals, and by doing that, you should use a basketball technique called BEEF, which as you can tell by now is an acronym. The more you practice with the correct fundamentals, the more efficient you will become, and eventually as you train, you will begin to notice yourself making more shots. If you aren’t shooting the RIGHT WAY, you won’t be able to shoot efficiently, it just isn’t possible.
If you have ever seen an NBA game, you would notice how every player has their own form. You see these great shooters all the time and you notice how their form varies from player to player based on comfortability. Although all of these players have their own form, they all follow the same principles of BEEF. It does not have to be perfect, it just has to work, and ultimately follow the principles of shooting.
BEEF Shooting Technique
B.E.E.F is a shooting drill that focuses on player balance and control of the basketball. This drill has now become the official technique all professionals use to become better shooters in the game of basketball.
In this section, I will be going over what B.E.E.F stands form and how you will become a better shooter from using it.
The greatest shooters are made through practice and repetition, they are not born great shooters. THEY WORK FOR IT!
What Does Beef Stand For
B = Balance
E = Elbows→ keep your shooting elbow straight in a 90 degrees [L-shaped] angle
E = Eyes → keep your eyes on your target
F = Follow Through → hold your shooting arm after you release the ball from your hands
Remember these four words, THEY WILL make you an elite shooter.
Before I go on, here is a video of one of the greatest shooters of all time, talking about the fundamentals of what makes him the greatest shooters, B.E.E.F
Balance
The key to balance is to make sure that your FEET are SHOULDER WIDTH apart
The first step to shooting is your balance. To be a great shooter you need to make sure that your legs are balanced. In order to obtain shooting balance, you need to make sure that one foot is in front of the other. If you are shooting right-handed, you need to make sure that your right foot is slightly ahead of your left foot, facing toward the basket where you are targeting. If you are shooting left-handed, you need to make sure that your left foot is slightly ahead of your right foot. It is KEY that your foot is facing towards the basket where you are aiming to start. You are not in a good shooting balance when your feet are parallel, and you will find yourself shooting more consistently and quicker when one foot is in front of the other. You need to make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart. You also need to know that your head controls the balance of your body, so make sure not to lean forward or back. Any shooter has to start with a great foundation.
Make sure to also BEND your knees on every shot, and if you want to know why, make sure to READ ON.
Elbows
Your elbows need to be at a 90-degree angle [L-shaped]
Kyrie Irving, 3-point contest champion
I would say that one of the most important steps during this shooting technique is your elbow. Your elbow essentially controls the shot and it keeps the basketball straight. Originally when I started training under this technique, I didn’t really feel like this part was the most important until one day when I realized that it was. I was just playing a pickup game, and I realized that my elbows were not straight and were not in line with the basket, and it ultimately led to a bad shooting game. I realized this after the game, and after 10 minutes of pre-game warm-up for the next game, I got my shot back because I realized just how important this step was.
You need to make sure that your elbow is directly lined up with the basket. You also need to make sure that your elbow is directly UNDER the ball, as shown in the two pictures above. You need to make sure that your shooting arm (elbow) isn’t sticking out to the side in some odd angle. You need to always make sure that your elbows are making an L-SHAPE. When your elbow is straight, the ball should be resting on one hand (your dominant hand). After your complete shooting motion, your arm should end with a follow through which is the last step of this training technique.
Again, I CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, make sure that your elbows are at a 90-degree angle, and that they aren’t sticking out on an odd angle.
Eyes
When it comes to your eyes, you are ALWAYS targeting the BACK OF THE RIM. That is the area where your eyes should be looking when shooting the ball.
THE BACK OF THE RIM IS YOUR TARGET
You shouldn’t really be aiming for a SWISH, no matter how good it sounds, you should be aiming for the back of the rim always. So if you are standing baseline in the corner, you should be technically aiming for the right side of the rim if you are at the left corner, and if you are at the right corner, you should be aiming for the left side of the rim. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT and I do not want to stress this enough. To improve your accuracy, you need to make sure you locate your TARGET as early as you can, so when you are standing, waiting for a teammate to pass you the ball, you should already know where your TARGET is, and you should be ready to shoot. Whether you make or miss, always keep both eyes on the basket.
Normally a bad habit originates when you follow the ball with your eyes, that is a bad idea, you should always KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE BASKET. For everything you do, you need to create muscle memory. This should just feel all-natural after weeks of training.
Follow Through
Steph Curry holding the follow-through of his jump shot, a key part of your shooting motion
When I first learned B.E.E.F, at this portion my coach told me that the follow-through is like putting your hand in a cookie jar. Your wrists should be floppy, in a similar motion like Curry’s in the picture above. Your fingers should be pointed at your TARGET, and you should be aiming to finish HIGH. You should notice that your fingers are around the top squared portion of the backboard. Most importantly, HOLD YOUR FOLLOW THROUGH POSITION right as the ball touches the rim. This is very important and if you want to know why, PLEASE make sure to read on.
Basketball Shooting Tips
Now I have gone through each step of what you have to do, but here are some shooting tips that I have for you.
By now, you know what you need to know about the BEEF shooting technique, but you haven’t yet mastered it, you don’t know how to train with it, and you have some bad habits that are difficult to fix.
The best thing you need to do is to start practicing the routine, step by step, and you need to make sure that you are following it exactly as I have explained. Once you feel comfortable with the motion, you now need some drills you can do to get better.
To start off, you should not be doing this drill at the three-point line or at the free-throw line. You should find yourself starting off this motion a few steps away from the basket. As you become more comfortable with the shot, you can take a step back, and you just keep on doing that once you feel comfortable enough to get to the 3-point line.
Here is a chart of what I normally do.
So this is something you could do for example, but I would recommend that you add in another step or two as I recommend you take smaller steps back each time.
So you can either begin at either side of the baseline, or at the top as explained in the rough graph. At the very beginning, I would shoot 10 shots on each side until I feel comfortable enough to move back, you can make your own rules, but I recommend that you MAKE 10 IN A ROW before you move on. From there you repeat the process, but this time you take a step back. MAKE 10 IN A ROW, and then move back. Once you feel comfortable enough, you should be good to go. If you keep on repeating this process over and over again every day, you would have the potential to become a great basketball shooter.
It is also important to practice CATCH-AND-SHOOT shots because most of the time, those are the shots that you are going to be shooting. It feels different to shoot catch-and-shoot shots rather than just shooting off the dribble. When you perform and CATCH-AND-SHOOT, the ball feels lighter in your hands, and it requires less effort to shoot the ball, you should be able to release the ball with ease. Off the dribble on the other hand takes some more effort and is typically harder. Having a partner helps in your training, but again, you can use my plan from the graph above to help you without a partner.
It is great practice to always be shot-ready, even when you don’t have the ball. When you are wide open, have your hands in the ready position, and sort of act like you have the ball in your hands, and like you are ready to do the motion. The ball should be placed at around chest level. The ball should be released all in ONE MOTION.
REPETITION is key. The shooting motion from BEEF should feel normal to you, and it should feel like a memory to you. Along the way you will make mistakes, as long as you recognize what you are doing wrong, you can fix it.
BEEF Shooting Tips:
I also wanted to give some tips from the B.E.E.F process.
It’s all about confidence. You should be able to recognize your faults and you should never let yourself down. People make mistakes all the time, just learn from them. Once you develop confidence in your shot, you should develop the ability to feel when you have a GOOD shot and when the ball should go in.
Think about players like Stephen Curry and Lebron James for example. Sometimes you may notice that after they shoot, they feel so confident about it that they don’t even hold their follow-through, they just start running back and posing for the camera. Sometimes this doesn’t work out for them, such as the infamous Nick Young (Swaggy P) shot/pose. They practice their shooting form so much that they can FEEL and just KNOW when the shot is good. They feel confident enough up to the point where it goes in. We ask you to hold your follow-through because it acts as an indicator. It isn’t good to just run and pose for the camera, even if you do feel confident enough that your shot is going to go in, HOLD IT because it helps you with your release point. For example, when you hold your follow-through and the shot doesn’t go in, You know that you should change your release point for the next shot, once that shot goes in, you know your release point. (but for NBA players as good as they are, they deserve to). ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR SHOT.
Some people wonder if there is a specific way to actually hold the ball, and I just want to let you know that there absolutely is. Your dominant hand should be sort of underneath the ball. The index finger of your dominant hand should be touching the little hole where you fill the air in the ball. Your other hand is supporting the ball. It is the SUPPORT HAND. Your non-shooting hand should not move on as you release the ball, and it should ALWAYS come off right before you release the ball. It should be the first hand to release from the ball. Release the ball on your way up, RIGHT BEFORE you reach the top of your jump. You should always land the same way you leave the ground. You don’t want to land awkwardly and roll your foot (IT REALLY HURTS).
I feel like one of the BIGGEST things that I forgot to talk about was your knees play a KEY role in your shooting form. You need to understand that the power from your shot is all coming in from your knees and not your arms. The ONLY way this technique will work is if you shoot with your knees rather than releasing all the power from your arms. It is required that as you begin your form, you BEND your knees, and once your legs are fully straight, and your toes are the only thing touching the ground, that is when you release the ball. It should all be in one ACTIVE motion. For the example above, use your knees and get used to using your knees for your shot. As you move further back, start to incorporate a SMALL jump into your shot. DO NOT FORCE YOUR JUMP. Your jump should feel natural and smooth.
The ARC of your shot is also very crucial. The height of the arc actually differs from player to player. There will be players who have the same arcs though. Some like shooting with a very high arc like Dirk Nowitzki or Andre Iguodala, and some shoot with barely any arc like Kawhi Leonard. As long as you are using the correct technique, that is all that matters. I do want to say that you need to experiment and find the arc that is most comfortable. Personally, I shoot better with a higher arc, but again everyone has their own preference.
REMEMBER, always stay calm, and just feel CONFIDENT about yourself. Feel RELAXED, and just know that if you make a mistake, that is completely fine and normal for beginners, just fix it. Make sure to practice all types of different shots all around the court. It may be helpful to get a partner to pass you the ball around the court as you just practice your shot. JUST KEEP ON SHOOTING.
Final Thoughts
The last and final part of becoming a great shooter is ALWAYS PRACTICE. The best shooters never stop shooting. On average, the best shooters put up about 400-500 shots PER DAY. The more you practice the better you get. It is also great to practice at game speed because you are doing this all so you can do it during a game. It is a different feeling shooting with no one around than at actual game speed.
I would also say that once you feel comfortable shooting with your jump shot, work on all the different aspects of shooting like:
- Standing Jumper
- Off The Dribble
- Off A Screen
- Three Point shots
- Bank shots (off the backboard)
- Free Throw Line shots
- Floaters
- Swishes
- Shots off of Rhythm
- Etc.
There is a lot of practice up ahead but just know that the reward is DEFINITELY worth it. The more work you put up, the better the results you will have. I have said this many times, this shooting tip ain’t no MAGIC PILL, you need to work hard to get your results.
If you feel confident enough with your jump shot…
DON’T JUST STOP THERE
Make sure to check out my review on Vert Shock, a vertical jump program that is designed to help you become greater dunkers.
