September 05, 2021 | Tagged Coaching,
Presented by Matt Logie, NBC Basketball Advisor
How to Win Games from the Free-Throw Line
How to help athletes and others build greater intrinsic motivation
Every basketball player can remember the loss of an important game because poor free-throw shooting cost them the game. Free throws are an extremely visible part of an individual’s game, and yet, few players focus on becoming highly effective free throw shooters? Coaches across America devote valuable practice time to the skill, both rewarding and punishing the outcomes in practice to simulate game conditions. It clearly is an aspect of the game that is the difference between winning and losing. Well, I’m here to help you gain that mental edge over the competition! Just because those highlights don’t end up on Sportscenter doesn’t mean you won’t remember the impact they had on your season and your whole career!
Let me first start by establishing some credibility, we all know there are a million voices out there when it comes to shooting. First, I’m not here to change your shot. I am simply here to share the elements of my free-throw shooting routine which was developed and utilized as both a high-school and college player. At Mercer Island High School I set the school career and single-season free-throw record, shooting 88.5% as a senior. At Lehigh University I made 231 of 254 attempts, good for 90.9% over my four-year career. I shot 94.8% during my senior season in 2003, which was good for second in all the NCAA Division I, besting the likes of J.J. Redick of Duke and Hollis Price of Final Four participant Oklahoma. During my sophomore year at Lehigh, I had a streak of 47 consecutive makes, which was also second in the nation for that season. Those are my statistics in games. While practicing I made one hundred free throws in a row - in 8th grade. That record stood for eight years until my senior year in college in which I made 150 free throws in a row! I still haven’t beaten that. Free throws were important to me, and I developed a routine that helped me have an edge over the competition.
Great free-throw shooters have three things – a mental routine, a physical routine, and supreme confidence. The best physical execution of a free-throw without the mental routine and confidence and to execute under pressure means nothing. On the other hand, the best mental routine and supreme confidence with broken shot mechanics will also fail. I’m not here to discuss your physical shot, which is an article. However, I can detail how to create that mental edge by doing the same thing every time and creating a positive visual every time you step to the free-throw line.
First, let’s discuss the mental routine and why it is important. Your mental routine will put you in the same mental state each time you step to the line. By being in the same place mentally every time you step to the free-throw line you allow your body to have the same physiological conditions, thereby controlling your blood pressure, your nerves, etc. When you go through a thought process that you’ve done thousands of times on your own your body does not feel the same effects of nerves, pressure, etc.
For example, here was my mental routine:
1. Look at the scoreboard
2. Add one point to my team's score
3. Repeat that number in my head until the ball touches my hand
4. Look at the rim, visualize a swish
5. Continue to repeat that number in my head as I go through my physical routine
The physical routine goes hand in hand with the mental routine. It is designed to put the body in a state of normalcy, create muscle memory, and help your body and muscles to relax.
My physical routine was simple:
1. Find the logo on the ball as I catch it
2. Grip ball in the center of the logo
3. Dribble three times
(with each dribble I repeated the point total I was aiming for from my mental routine)
4. Dip & Set
5. Shoot Up and In
The final part of becoming an elite free-throw shooter is supreme confidence. This creates a desire to be at the line in those pressure-filled situations. You WANT the ball at the end of games so you can be fouled and close out the game. Supreme confidence is developed by shooting thousands and thousands of your free throws with the same process. It is developed by having positive reinforcement through success in pressure-filled situations. You can also develop this on your own before those pressure-filled situations by shooting consecutive makes, shooting when tired, and penalizing yourself when you miss. These will all create game-like conditions.
I have supreme confidence in the free-throw routine I have shared with you today. However, it was the thousands and thousands of repetitions and visualization that I put myself through which allowed me to hone those skills. I hope you will choose to as well; it can be the difference between winning and losing that big game you so desperately want to win!
About NBC Basketball
NBC Basketball has been a leader in sports education for over fifty years. Camps and curriculum focus on the know-how to become a pure shooter. Mechanics, accuracy, routines, confidence, mindset, repetition build high percentage shooters. For more information about NBC Basketball visit www.nbccamps.com/basketball.