How to shoot a basketball if you are weak | Tips

Young aspiring basketball players tend to have this common problem, they have a difficult time shooting a basketball because they aren’t strong enough. 

How can you shoot a basketball if you are weak? If you are not strong enough to shoot a basketball without sacrificing form then you need to make those muscles that are involved in shooting stronger. Shooting a basketball involves generating enough power in a shoulder-width stance from the feet and lower legs through the core to the arms.

Basketball players know that proper shooting mechanics are important in order to make more shots. Anytime a player has trouble getting the ball to the rim their form is being compromised.

 

The problem with being weak and shooting a basketball

The problem with basketball players shooting a basketball when they don’t have the strength to do so is it creates poor shooting habits.

When the goal is to try to get the basketball to the rim, the fundamentals of shooting a basketball go out the window.

Players will use a flick with their thumb on their guide hand, some use two arms to shoot the basketball, and others will throw the ball rather than actually shooting it into the hoop.

Many young aspiring basketball players want to play like their favorite player in the NBA. Most of them shoot a lot of threes way behind the three-point line.

When the goal in basketball is to make baskets and is the way most people view other players as good basketball players, shooting fundamentals will take a back seat when scoring points matter most.

Let’s be honest shooting mechanics and learning to improve your form isn’t fun, but it’s necessary If you want to be a dead-eye shooter.

It takes a lot of repetition with trial and error and months if not years to see improvements.

So I can understand why younger basketball players are not interested in doing so until they realize much later in their career that they need to fix their shot.

To add to this, young basketball players will instead play with a ball that is heavier than what they should be using.

A men’s or woman’s basketball compared to a size 5 used at the grade school and middle school levels are completely different in size and weight.

Here are a couple of key tips for athletes that will go a long way in preventing extremely flawed shooting mechanics later on down the road.

Jump slightly forward while shooting

You might not notice it but when you shoot you may or may not jump forward when shooting from farther distances. A slight hop forward when you shoot is probably natural for you. 

A tip to shooting from further from the hoop or behind the three-point line is to hop forward when you are shooting the basketball.

For example, if my feet are behind the three-point line without even having to think I will hop over the three-point line without fail.

This is a way I shoot and it feels natural to me. The reason I do it is that there was a time my shots would fall short consistently hitting the front of the rim.

Hopping forward gives me more power and helps me make more shots. You don’t want to over jump that you have to think about it soo much.

Just hop slightly forward like jumping over a line. Try it out, do not over jump, it needs to feel more natural than unnatural.

I would only use it to set shoot and not jumping forward when you are taking jump shots.

When you jump shoot, I would allow the natural momentum of your jumping to take you forward and not add anything extra.

How to use your legs to shoot a basketball?

The power from your shot comes from the legs and not the arms despite what you feel or believe.

Don’t believe me the next time you shoot a basketball, shoot without bending your legs from a good distance.

What you will notice, is that it is a very difficult thing to do. Shooting a basketball requires the whole body to work together.

Like a golf swing basketball shooting form is difficult to perfect. Constant practice and critiquing are required in order to improve your shooting.

Your lower body generates the power and momentum that transfers the energy to your upper body in order to release the basketball and shoot it towards the hoop.

So how is this done:

• Feet are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• The feet point slightly out away from the basket.
• One foot is ahead of the other.
• Generate power with a quarter squat bend extending the hips.

Tip: Another tip is to dribble then hop into your shot like a jump shot. This helps generate power also by loading up on the jump phase instead of being stationary and shooting. This takes some practice but is very effective in getting in rhythm.

Strengthening Exercises For Basketball Shooting

Listen Up! If you want your shot to improve quickly start working out. I can attest that working out did wonders for my shooting.

I was already a good shooter but needed to get stronger. When I did all I had to do was aim at the basket and flick my wrist.

You want to be strong enough so that you don’t have to worry as a basketball player about how much power you need to put in each shot.

If you have to gauge how much power you need on each shot then:

1- You are not strong enough.

2- You have not practiced shooting enough.

Let that sink in, if you have to think about how much power you have to put in each shot you need to keep practicing.

Bodyweight exercises

If you don’t have access to a workout facility or have weights, you can still get strong with your own body weight and some things you can find around the house.

For exercises such as dips, you might use two chairs, for shoulder presses, some empty milk jugs filled with water. If you want to make pushups more difficult put your feet up on a bench.

Think outside the box and make use of what you may have at home. 

Some exercises to consider to make you stronger are:

• Pushups
• Dips
• Crunches
• Shoulder presses with jugs of milk.
• Tricep extensions
• Jump rope

Don’t let this list limit you, there are a ton of resources online and free programs you can use right now. Just do a simple Google search.

Increase Shooting Rang with Weight lifting

Let’s face it your weak, you need to increase the strength in your muscles in order to increase your range and shoot without disrupting proper form.

The beauty of weight lifting, if you are a novice is you can get strong within a short period of time when your first start working out.

Once you get past the soreness you will notice a difference in your shooting within just a few weeks.

The reason for this is that weight lifting recruits muscle fibers that you were not using before you lifted weights.

Your shot will feel a lot stronger and effortless helping you to focus now on form and repetition.

Such exercises you could use are the following:

• Bench press
• Dips
• Shoulder presses
• Deadlifts
• Squats
• Rows

 A couple of times a week will go a long way, consistency is key. If you can understand that improving your shooting takes time and doesn’t happen overnight you’re already on your way to being a great shooter.