Free throws are one of the most overlooked parts of NBA basketball, or any level of basketball for that matter. Nobody talks about free-throw percentage or the ability to make free throws in the clutch or lack thereof, until it's too late.
How many times do we hear about a great player who missed free throws and it was the difference in the game? Free throws win games! For those of you who did not hear that, let me repeat it. Free throws win games!
There seems to be a troubling trend in the NBA. As players get better and do more and more spectacular things on the court, they seem to disregard the simple fundamentals of the game. One of them is free throws. There is a tried-and-true way to shoot free throws and a time-proven way to practice.
Think about it for a minute. A player has a free shot at the basket, no defense and he can basically take all the time he wants. He has had years to perfect his free-throw shooting ability. Yet how many players are barely shooting 70 percent? Let's forget about the players shooting below 60. And how many great players miss free throws down the stretch when the game is on the line? More than you might guess. Lots of players never even want to go to the line for fear of missing a foul shot.
So what is the answer, you say? I'm glad you asked.
Free throws are nothing more than a combination of two things. First is a routine. You need something that is repeatable, that you do every single time you take a free throw. It doesn't really matter what it is, as long as it is simple enough to be repeated time and time again, especially under pressure.
The second is practice. Yes, you do get better with practice. This goes for anybody in all walks of life. But especially with free throws, because they are a controlled situation and there are very few variables. The height of the basket stays the same. The distance from the basket stays the same. Nobody is moving, defense or offense. And the time frame to take the free throw remains the same. The only real variables are the time of game and the current score.
Routine
Routine is nothing more than what you do every single time you take a free throw. The purpose of your routine is to set up a repeatable motion that can be delivered in every situation. Again, you're trying to eliminate as many variables as possible. The less you have to think about or adjust on any given shot the better. So let's break that down.
Let's start with the shot itself. First, you need to be on balance, with your knees bent and feet about shoulder width apart or slightly more. Larry Bird, one of the best pressure free-throw shooters of all time, stood with his feet almost double shoulder width apart. But that is the exception rather than the rule. What you want is a solid base so that there is as little motion, forward or back or side to side, as possible. Your feet should be positioned so that your lead foot (the same side that you shoot with) is directly in front of the basket. This way the ball will automatically be positioned directly in front of the basket, so you never have to adjust for direction. You would be surprised how many players don't do this.
There is a simple way to know that your lead foot is positioned correctly in front of the basket. On every basketball court there is a little hole on the foul line directly in the middle of the basket. Just put your toe right behind that little hole and you are automatically lined up. Your other foot should be placed where it is comfortable for you. Typically players will put their other foot a few inches back of the line; this will angle your body slightly. Because of how the shoulders are built, the slight turn of the body this produces allows for a little bit easier motion.
Now that we have the feet and body positioned correctly, good free-throw shooters always take a long, focused look at the basket. Knees are bent and the ball held out in front, lined up with the basket. Lots of players have asked me where they should look. Should it be at the front rim, back rim or just at the basket? It is different for everybody, but the important thing is that you do it the same way every single time. I like to look at the front rim and imagine that I was putting the ball right over the front rim.
When you have the ball lined up ready for the shot, pause for a second and take a good, hard look at the basket. Now imagine the only things that exist in your world are you, the ball and the basket. The score, the crowd and everything else don't matter. As part of their routine, most players will also take one or two deep breaths to relax and clear their mind. As part of a routine, you always want to take the same number of breaths. The simple act of focused deep breathing will automatically relax you and clear your mind.
After those breaths, continue your shot motion without any further hesitation. So many players will put a hitch into their shot after this initial hard look and it is always a mistake. The best foul shooters, once they start their motion, continue right through until the ball leaves their hands. The ending of the foul shot is also always the same. Your legs have pushed up to a straight position while at the same time your arms are pushing the ball out toward the basket. You end up standing in the same place, on balance with everything extended out towards the basket. This includes the obvious, your hands are pointing at the basket, but also your head. One of the biggest mistakes players make while shooting is to pull their head back during or after a shot. Your head is extremely heavy, as a percentage of your body weight, and can throw you off balance very easily.
Again, it is the idea of a repeatable motion. If everything is going out towards the basket and you end up standing extended in the same place that you started, you have far fewer adjustments to make during each individual shot.
There are lots of different shooting styles and many players do something that is a little bit different than others. So what I have concentrated on are the basic fundamental building blocks that are common to all good foul shooters. Again, it is not the style that is most important but a motion that is always repeatable, from practice to end of the game.
The mental side
The mental approach is probably the most important aspect of anything that we do. It is interesting that in good foul shooting we are trying to take the thinking out of it. So let's go through what good foul shooters are supposed to think about. The short answer is – not much.
The approach to great foul shooting must always be positive. You must know and just accept as fact that your foul shot is going to go in. All great foul shooters start from this foundation. All bad foul shooters, most with good reason, are worried every time they go to the line. Most great foul shooters don't even think about the foul shot itself. What they do think about is their routine. They've done this hundreds and hundreds of times before. Focusing on the routine rather than the shot automatically frees your mind to shoot the shot from muscle memory and eliminate the thinking.
So, get it in your head that it is the routine that is important. Then you can shoot your shot much freer and just trust your shot. There are many ways to do this. Dirk Nowitzki used to hum a David Hasselhoff song. I am not recommending that, but it's certainly one way to relax, if you like David Hasselhoff. Again, focus on your routine whatever it might be and then trust your shot. No hesitation.
Practice
All coaches say, you play the way you practice. But how many times do you see players shoot free throws over and over again without going through their routine on every shot? You must practice the exact way that you shoot in the game. Two dribbles and knees bent, and a good look at the basket, then fire. Whatever your routine is, do it the same way every time.
If you will do this and shoot a minimum of 100 free throws every day, there is no reason you can't become a good free-throw shooter. Shooting 100 free throws takes less than 20 minutes. As much time as you give to weight training and running plays, give to the fundamentals, including free throws. Always remember, free throws win games!
