Expert: Michael Muro - 10/15/2006

Question
Hey, if you could help me with my problem, i would greatly appreciate it. Im a junior in high school and have been playing basketball since 6th grade. Im not GREAT, but im pretty good. By far, my stength is shooting. But i cant shoot good in games. Im an AMAZING shooter when i work out at the club, but in games, I suck. This summer, I worked everyday, shooting about 400 shots a day. My 3point % went up about 10%, from about 70 to 80.  But even through all that work, we have have played 4 fall league games, and I cant make anything! It sucks, because i know im a good shooter, but I cant do it in games. Its REALLY discouraging, I cant seem to do anything about it. PLEASE HELP!

Answer
Hi Dan Jefferson,

It sounds like you can shoot when you are relaxed and there is no pressure. If this is true then you probably have the mechanics of shooting mastered and that is a great start.

Your problem is you probably practice shooting at a slow pace and you are very relaxed. The problem with this is you have to practice shooting game like shots. In games the defense is not going to let you take your time shooting so when you are practicing you should go game speed and work on the shots you get in the game. Instead of shooting 400 shots a day cut back to 200 shots. Shoot a 100 like you usually do and then shoot another 100 going game speed. Don't just stand and shoot but work on moving like you would in a game, cutting of of a screen, jabing and cutting to the ball, etc... This will help you get used to shooting game like shots. If you have someone that will work with you practice shooting over them just like you would have to in a game. Have them contest every shot with there hand up. Again this will get you used to shooting shots like in the game. When cutting and going hard instead of just standing and shooting will help with your conditioning. This could be another reason for not shooting well in the games. Usually when a player is fatigued he starts to miss shots because he doesn't have the legs to shoot his shots properly. Make sure you are in great condition as this is important for all aspects of your game.

Another thing you can do is create pressure for yourself when practicing shooting. You can do this by seetting a standard for yourself. When practicing, every 10 shots you take challenge yourself to make 5. If you don't accomplish this make yourself sprint the court up and back. This will produce consquences just like in the games.

Good luck and try practicing this way for a bit and see if it helps. Let me know how you do in a couple of weeks.