In the first couple parts of this series, we discussed tips to become a better shooter this offseason.One thing we discussed is the ability to accurately analyze your shot.

The ability to self-assess is a must in almost all areas of life. Shooting the basketball is no different. You won't improve if you don't know what you need to improve.

The 2 Questions to Answer Before Changing Your Shot

To become a better shooter, you have to accurately assess your shot by answering 2 key questions:

How good is your form?

How consistent are your results?

Those two questions are intertwined. Of the two, the second is more important.

How can that be? Don't you have to have perfect form to be a great shooter? Not necessarily.

When it comes to form, there are many ways to shoot the ball. If you watched Reggie Miller, he shot much differently from Ray Allen who shot differently from Dirk Nowitzki who shot differently from Steph Curry. All were great shooters.

Of the four, Ray Allen probably had the best form. But all are all-time greats. The point is, there are different ways to be a great shooter.

That said, they all had some things in common. I recently heard NBA shooting coach Dave Love say that he has 3 non-negotiables when it comes to shooting:

• Middle of the hand must shoot the middle of the ball - this helps keep the ball in line with the basket. It also results in a one-handed shot.
• The ball must be in a position to create arc - Getting the hand under the ball is important.
• The body is positioned on balance with motion that creates energy towards the rim.

Beyond that, everything else is negotiable. That doesn't mean there might not be preferred ways of shooting, but there's room for discussion.

So the first step is figuring out if you need to change your shot. How do you do this?

Begin by looking at your results. Are you a 38%+ 3-point shooter? Do you make 80% or more of your free throws? If so, you may not need to change your shot, even if your form is unconventional.

However, if you are getting subpar results, you need to dig deeper. Start by watching film of yourself shooting. What issues do you see? Were your struggles attributable to flawed technique? Or were they the result of bad shot selection? Even good shooters will get bad results if they take bad shots.

If you believe it's a technique issue, hone in on the source. Film yourself from multiple angles. Some flaws are not visible head-on.

Ask your coach for feedback. What issues do they see?

This gathering of information is a key first step. Then you must decide the following - is this flaw something I just need to be more aware of? Or, do I really need to overhaul my mechanics?

If it's the former, use the tips from the first couple parts of this series to guide your work. However, if you're giving your shot a makeover, it's a different process! And that's what we'll be helping you with today using the 5 steps below.

5 Steps To A Shooting Makeover

Once you've pinpointed the issue, it's time to get to work. Begin by finding the vitamins you need. If you recall, vitamins are the drills you do to address flaws in technique.

(In future articles of this series, we'll go over some vitamins for specific issues, like thumbing the ball, shooting with poor rotation, and shooting a flat shot.)

All players should consider using vitamins as part of their warmup. It's a way to engrain good habits - it's also an especially effective way to combat bad habits. By spending a few minutes intentionally practicing a good habit, you build muscle memory of correct shooting form.

Here are 5 steps to make the shot changing process as smooth as it can be.

• Prepare yourself for the struggle - maybe you shot 30% last year on 3's. That's below average but not terrible.

  When you start working on changing your shot, you won't be a 30% 3 point shooter at first. You are going to have to take a short term step backwards to take a long term step forwards.

  Think about it... you've shot tens of thousands of shots in your life with your old form. Those habits are deeply ingrained. They won't be changed overnight.

  So be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day. While it's hard now, it will be easier later. This is really hard for most players. In fact, many will give up early in the process. It's frustrating to get worse.

  However, keep the bigger picture in mind. You don't need to be a great shooter right now. You need to be a great shooter next season.

  Give yourself credit. You are doing something hard. Take pride in that. Reframe the experience from one of frustration to one of challenge.

• Take a break from playing competitive games-this is tough for players. However, it's really important.

  Changing your shot takes a high level of focus. It will demand your full attention. When you are playing, you can't give it your full attention.

  That isn't your fault. It's just the nature of the game environment. But while it's not your fault, it's your responsibility to avoid that.

  Why? Because in the game, you won't be focused on your new form. Instead, you'll go back to your old form.

  This sends your body and brain a contradictory message. To change those bad habits, you need thousands of reps of the new habit. Any time you go back to the old habits,you interupt that process.

  You want to play. I get that. If you absolutely can't take a break from playing, give yourself constraints when you play. For example, only allow yourself to shoot shots in the paint. This should not interfere with changing your shot.

  One benefit of this is it allows you to work on other parts of your game. You can become a better creator while at the same time continuing your work on your shot.

  If you get better at both those things, look out!

• Detach from outcomes - as previously discussed, your early results will likely be rough. That doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong.

  In fact, it probably means you're doing it right. If you're still getting similar results, a couple things are possible.

  You could have just been such a poor shooter that you couldn't get worse. Hopefully that's not you!

  Perhaps you misidentified the flaw you need to address. If that's the case, go back to the self-analysis process, and be sure to include your coach.

  The third reason could be that you aren't fully committed to changing your shot.

  In other words, it's a good thing if your results suffer at first. It shows you are doing it right.

  Accepting that reality is powerful. It frees you from worrying about results. You know the results are going to be rough so you stop attaching to the outcome.

  In the second part of this series, we discussed the value in tracking your shots. That's a critical part of becoming a good shooter.

  However, if you are changing your shot, don't record - at least for a while. By its very nature, recording makes you focus on results.

  Early on, your results don't matter. So don't obsess over them. Give yourself the grace of just focusing on your technique.

  Expect to miss a lot. You should! Evaluate yourself based on yourself becoming more comfortable with your new form.

  After a period of time, you will want to start tracking again. Just not yet.

• Start close and move back - In part 1 of this series, we discussed the limitations of form shooting. Namely, that the way you shoot the ball from in close is different from the way you shoot farther out.

  That remains true. However, getting a lot of reps in close when you are changing your shot is critical.

  Why? First, because it allows you to more easily isolate the flaw you are trying to correct. The farther you shoot from, the more moving parts there are to your shot. It takes more strength to get the ball to the rim, so more body parts get involved.

  When you start in close, you can remove some of those variables. This allows you to laser focus on the thing you are trying to change.

  Second, you can get more reps. Reps matter when changing a habit. From an efficiency standpoint, you will get more shots in the same amount of time when you shoot close. You'll spend less time chasing down errant shots and more time shooting.

  Third, you'll see the ball go in more. We already talked about detaching from results. As important as that is to do, it's still always good to see the ball go in. By starting close, you'll get more positive reinforcement.

  When should you move back? When you can consistently make shots from the current distance with your new form.

  How quickly should you move back? A step at a time. Don't rush the process. Be methodical and you'll get better results.

• OTAAT - in the self help world, OTAAT is a common phrase. It means ‘one thing at a time'. This is great life advice. It's also good shooting advice.

  Many of you may be able to identify one limiting factor in your shot. It may be your balance or your guide hand thumb or your backspin.

  If that's you, great. Having one area to focus on makes it easier to address the problem.

  However, some of you may have multiple flaws in your shot.

  If that's you, that's okay. First of all, kudos for being willing to recognize that. Too many people are unwilling to acknowledge their weaknesses.

  If you have multiple issues, pick one to address first. Which one? The most important one.

  How do you know which one is most important? Go back to the 3 non-negotiables we started with. Are any of those one of your issues? If so, start from there. Then move to the more ancillary issues.

  If they are all ancillary issues, start from the bottom up. You will get faster results when you do that. That allows you to experience success and eliminate issues as you move up your body.

  If you're still not sure where to start, just pick one! The important thing is that you only focus on one thing at a time. As they say, "The man who chases two rabbits catches neither."

  It might be tempting to try to fix it all at once. Don't!!!!

  Dividing your focus between multiple issues ensures you won't correct any of them. Instead, focus on one. Ignore the other issues for the time being.

  Once you've fixed that issue, move on to the next one. If you're lucky, fixing the first issue might make fixing the others easier.

Conclusion

Changing your shot is hard-more so mentally than physically. Yes, there is the work of establishing new habits. But it's more so the mental discipline to hang in there through the muck of change.

Don't lose sight of the forest for the trees. Embrace the difficulty you will face. Stick with it.

The benefits are twofold. First, you'll be a better shooter. That's the goal we started with. By becoming a better shooter, you make yourself invaluable to the team. It is the primary standalone skill that can get you on the floor.

Think of Jack Gohlke from Oakland - the reason he was able to transfer from Hillsdale to Oakland is because he is an elite shooter. He took 335 shots this year and 327 of them were 3's! His shooting ability made him a household name this March.

If you don't address the flaws in your form, you put a cap on your development. Sticking the process out helps you overcome that.

Second, you'll be a better, more resilient person. Every time you show yourself that you are capable of doing hard things, you become mentally stronger. This will serve you well not just in hoops but in everything you do in life. So get to work!

If you're interested in becoming a better shooter, check out our Shooting and Scoring System.

Also, consider attending one of our upcoming camps!

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