How Should A Perfect Shooting Form Look?

Do you want a jumpshot that looks good? Do you wonder why your shooting form doesn’t look like your favorite player’s shooting form?

A lot of my players have asked me about this. Some have wondered if it should even matter what their shot looks like…

In this article, I want to shed some light on this very topic. 

So should it matter what your jumpshot looks like? You probably won’t like this… but the answer is yes and no.

Here’s what I mean…

The ultimate goal for every shooter is to get the ball in the hoop. That is the most important thing.

However, we all think we know what a ‘good looking’ jumpshot looks like, even though a good looking jump shot is an extremely subjective term – which means everyone has a different idea of what ‘looks good’ as a jumpshot. A shot ‘looks good’ because we compare it to the template of the best shooters in the world…

So a good looking shot 50 years ago is different from a good looking shot today. The reason James Harden and Steph Curry’s shots ‘look good’ is because they are world class shooters who we NOW look to as templates for what shooting should look like. The reason we instinctively put so much emphasis on how a shot looks is because it shows signs of similar mechanics. James Harden and Steph Curry have similar efficient release timing, minimal to no pause in their release, etc.

Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan have similar looking shots because they both have similar release mechanics – 2 motion shots with high set points, hanging in the air before pushing the ball forward.

Someone whose shot looks similar to MJ’s or Kobe’s will probably display similar release timing.

So essentially, when we see a jump shot, we are always comparing it to the templates we know…

And if someone’s shot looks the same as a world class shooter’s, they probably have similar mechanics. If it looks drastically different, we start to wonder why someone’s shot would look so much different from the successful templates we know…

That is why Lonzo Ball’s jumpshot got so much attention – why was he not following the rules that almost everyone else follows? Why did he not match our template for what a good shot looks like?

Even someone with zero knowledge of shooting form can see that something is wrong with Markelle Fultz’ shot. He doesn’t match our template for what we see pro shooters doing.

When these differences become so big, it is important for us to question WHY these differences are there and if they need to be ‘fixed’. So yes, what your shot looks likes does matter in the sense that you are using the same principles and techniques that the best shooters in the world use…

But purely in terms of aesthetics (how pretty your shot is), it really doesn’t matter as long as the ball goes in the hoop!

Some players have shots that look great but don’t feel great. If your shot doesn’t ‘feel’ comfortable, but looks good, then you still have a form problem.

With a broken form, you feel the most embarrassment not at how bad your shot looks, but when you miss open shots, when your teammates don’t trust you to shoot, when defenders give you a lot of room because they know you can’t shoot…

Which is why you need to upgrade your shooting form first, BEFORE caring about your the way your shot looks. Once you get your form fixed, you’ll be able to reach your potential as a player and you’ll get your confidence back, along with a smooth, comfortable shot. 

The way to upgrade your form is not by copying your favorite player’s form, or through trial and error on your own. It’s by getting guidance to help you find your OWN perfect shooting form for your unique style. 

You can get your perfect form quickly when you have a step-by-step roadmap that’s reliable because it’s based on physics and extreme analysis of the best shooters in the NBA. 

I’ve created that roadmap for you in the form of an online shooting form mastery training program. You can get in or learn more about it here.

Coach Faizal