Can You Jump During A Free Throw?

I remember when I was much younger I would have to jump to shoot my free throws, this had me thinking is it legal to shoot a free throw this way? So the question remains.

Can you jump during a free throw? Yes, as long as you do not cross or land on the free-throw line while shooting the basketball into the rim. If you need to jump to shoot a free throw this may be due to a lack of strength in the player. Generally, you see this with younger basketball players who are still developing their bodies.

Although shooting a free throw while jumping isn’t a violation it isn’t ideal either if you are capable of shooting them standing still it is a better option, let’s find out why.

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Jumping While Shooting Free Throws

If your someone who jumps and does not have the power to shoot from a standstill, that’s ok. With time and practice, you can get to where you have enough power to do so. With that alone, your shooting percentage from the free-throw line will get better.

Some things to keep in mind if you are jumping you have to stand further from the line to make sure you don’t land or cross it. This will be considered a violation even if the ball goes in it will not count as a point for your team.

Fatigue may also play a factor if your legs are tired it will be more of a challenge to make the basket as you will need to generate more power.

Do’s And Dont’s To Shooting Free Throws

Dont’s

If you do not need to jump don’t, there is a reason why high school players to professional athletes do not jump when shooting free-throws. That is it is much easier to shoot a free throw standing still then it is to jump and shoot when you have no defenders on you to attempt to block your shot.
If you are tired from the previous play that put you on the line to shoot free throws and you have to jump to shoot, if your legs are exhausted you are risking missing short on your shot. It is a lot harder to jump and shoot then stand still and shoot when you are tired.

Do’s

Do stand still and shoot the ball as soon as your ready.
Know that you have lots of time so take your time (10 secs to be exact)
Have a routine.

Why would someone need to jump?

Generally, younger athletes jump to shoot free throws because they need more strength and power to get the ball from the free-throw line to the rim.

This also could be a confidence thing also, they may already be able to shoot free throws at a standstill but choose to jump because they have been practicing that for quite a while so they don’t want to switch to standing still due to the fear of missing more shots.

I highly recommend as soon as a player is capable of not having to jump to shoot free throws to do so immediately, at first it may feel weird but the improvement on the skill will be worth it. There may be an immediate improvement in their free-throw shooting percentage in a short amount of time.

If you are looking for tips on shooting check out my article I wrote on How To Become A Better Shooter In Basketball: Ultimate Guide down below.