The basketball shot has almost as much to do with the placement of the ball, your arms and your hands as it does with actually shooting the ball. The first step to shooting a basketball is to position the ball in your shooting hand. If you are right handed you most likely will shoot with you right hand, likewise if you are left handed. For teaching purposes I will demonstrate with my right hand because I shoot with my right hand. First you place your right arm straight out in front of you with your palm facing the sky. Place a basketball onto your palm and let the ball rest on your fingertips. It is important not to let the ball sit solely in your palm or solely on your fingertips otherwise your shot will be thrown off completely. The next step is to raise your arm and hand so that your forearm, elbow, and bicep form an L shape. At this point the ball should still be sitting on your fingertips and to be sure that your placement is correct you should be able to put two fingers from your other hand in between the basketball and your palm. Now rotate your wrist ninety degrees so that your palm is facing out in front of you. The last step of the placement of the ball is to gently place your left hand onto the left side of the basketball. Your thumbs should come together to almost form a right angle. Your left hand is used primarily as a guide hand as it has no real function when it comes to shooting the basketball.
In preparation for your shot, the key is to keep the ball and your hand and arms about nose level and keep them all steady. Remember to also keep your elbows tucked into your sides because when your elbows drift from their vertical position it causes your shot to be off target either to the right or to the left of the basket. When picking your focus point on the rim so the ball goes in the basket, always aim for either a point on the back of the rim or a point right on the front of the rim. In other words, when you are about to shoot, keep your gaze fixed on that one spot that you are aiming for so that it is all you are thinking about when you release the ball.
The actual shooting of the basketball is the hardest part to master. Begin by thrusting your arm smoothly skyward as if you are reaching for something on a shelf above you. As you shoot do not propel your arm too vertically or horizontally, try to maintain an evenness of the upward and outward movement of your arm. In addition remember not to let your arm sway to the right or left side when you shoot, but to shoot the ball straight and true. As you thrust your arm upward it is necessary to jump or hop off of the ground one or two feet into the air. This jumping will give you the right angle for the ball to travel into the goal as well as an extra boost to get your shot into the air. The most important step of shooting a basketball comes as you release the ball at the height of your jump. As you release the ball it should roll off of your fingers and your hand and fingers should go into a position called following through. The following through motion resembles reaching into a cookie jar. While reaching into a cookie jar is a good example of how to follow through after you release the ball, if you remember every time you release your shot to snap your wrist down, you will never fail to follow through. This should be done every time you shoot, as it is key to the ball going where you want it to go. Once the ball is released, hold your follow through and watch the ball drop through the net. If you master all of these steps and practice, practice, practice, maybe you will be shooting like MJ someday.
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