Here I will discuss all the tips for improving your 3-point shooting that I learned playing basketball. It took me 3 or 4 years to understand basic things that answer the question of how to shoot three-pointers.
Shoot 3 Pointers Tips By Rob Willemse
Your body
You probably have heard that proper shooting mechanics is very important. For example, Ray Allen shoots a basketball with the same form every time.
So it is important to develop the 3-point shooting form that you will constantly use in the game and practice. You should not copy one or another player’s condition but rather work on your current state and try to improve it.
When launching a 3-pointer, there are a few main body parts that more or less contribute to shooting form. You need to evaluate them to see if you can improve.
Feet & Legs
Let’s start with feet. Feet position can be straight (||) (facing the basket), slightly turned (// or \\), or sideways (/ \). Only recently, I found that if you place your feet sideways like that / \ and elevate with your legs, you will get much more stability in the air.
It would help if you tried all three feet’ positions to boost from and see which works better for you. Different situations require different actions; for example, you could use a sideways feet position for spot-up shooting and slightly turned for shooting off dribbling.
Always use dipping while shooting a three-pointer; legs have the strongest muscles in the human body, so you can transfer that power to your hands while releasing the basketball.
This is especially important when you’re tired in late-game situations, and energy from your hands and wrist will not be enough to shoot. Another advantage of shooting a 3-pointer using legs is that you release the ball at a higher level, so the defender will have more trouble blocking your shot.
The last thing about legs is to monitor the final stage of the shot. Do you land in the same spot where you started? Unless you’re shooting a game-winner buzzer-beater in the last second of the game while being closely guarded, you have to land in the same spot.
If you land to the left or right, you try to correct the shot at the final stage and have problems with the hand position. Many players, including Ray Allen, land further from the starting position after 3 pt. Shot, it’s not bad; make sure you land straight and not to the left or right side.
Elbow & Hands
Keep your elbow straight, and do not flare it while making the shot. It is much more complicated to compensate for the ball trajectory with the left hand in the final release stages than to shoot just with one hand.
Practice shooting with one hand inside the arc to get used to keeping a straight elbow. When the ball leaves your right hand, the left hand must not touch the ball (the opposite if you’re left-handed). The last fingers that touch the ball are the index and middle fingers.
