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2 comments, one major, one minor......

Bippy

Junior
Jan 20, 2002
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Minor- What happened to all the Brunk detractors?

Major- the FT shooting will be the death of us. How many games in a row should not have even been close had we shot as well as the average IN high school team? They are called FREE throws for a reason.
 
agree, agree, and agree.

bad combination- when you are 4th in the nation in free throws attempted per game, but two-hundred-and-forty-whateverth (they threw out some number last night) in FT shooting %.

Taking your strength and turning it into a weakness....not a great recipe for success in life.
 
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Just one point Bippy. I’ve seen a lot of poor free throw shooting in high school games this year. It’s becoming an epidemic.
 
Just one point Bippy. I’ve seen a lot of poor free throw shooting in high school games this year. It’s becoming an epidemic.
I got sucked into coaching our son's 8th grade in house team this year. None of these kids can consistently hit 6 out of 10 free throws, but give them a ball and 10 minutes to kill, and all of them are chuckin' up 22 footers again and again.
 
Just one point Bippy. I’ve seen a lot of poor free throw shooting in high school games this year. It’s becoming an epidemic.

If I were earning $3 million/yr. I think I might've my boys practicing from the line, and more than a few each day!
 
agree, agree, and agree.

bad combination- when you are 4th in the nation in free throws attempted per game, but two-hundred-and-forty-whateverth (they threw out some number last night) in FT shooting %.

Taking your strength and turning it into a weakness....not a great recipe for success in life.
It’s a far better combination than being in the bottom third for both categories.
 
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I got sucked into coaching our son's 8th grade in house team this year. None of these kids can consistently hit 6 out of 10 free throws, but give them a ball and 10 minutes to kill, and all of them are chuckin' up 22 footers again and again.

Don't know if it will help, but you might have a couple catch on and they do it on their own time, so no danger in it. Challenge them to a game called FT golf. You shoot 18 shots like holes in golf, and you score it as a make is a par, a miss is a bogey and a swish with no iron, none!, is a birdie. Show them the game at a practice and send them off in groups to each try a round and see who's best. You can also do it on your own and tell them your score; some will want to beat their coach. It's a fun way that you might get a few of them shooting FTs on their own and focusing on mechanics and makes. I was never a great shooter, but it really helped my shooting because I was focused on making the perfect (swish) shot. Amazing how many more "off" shots started going in. Sometimes I'd get frustrated that I didn't get a great score, and realize I had made 15 or 16 out of 18 FTs. When I was practicing, it got me well north of 80%. My best was -6 btw! I think my son got to -9.
 
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I think it was TJD, on a two-shot FT opportunity, missed the the first shot short, then on the second shot heaved it up hard with almost a straight-arm shoving motion on the release. What has happened to consistent shooting form on FTs?
 
Just one point Bippy. I’ve seen a lot of poor free throw shooting in high school games this year. It’s becoming an epidemic.

If I were earning $3 million/yr. I think I might've my boys practicing from the line, and more than a few each day!

Do you REALLY think they don't practice from the line A LOT each and every day?
 
Don't know if it will help, but you might have a couple catch on and they do it on their own time, so no danger in it. Challenge them to a game called FT golf. You shoot 18 shots like holes in golf, and you score it as a make is a par, a miss is a bogey and a swish with no iron, none!, is a birdie. Show them the game at a practice and send them off in groups to each try a round and see who's best. You can also do it on your own and tell them your score; some will want to beat their coach. It's a fun way that you might get a few of them shooting FTs on their own and focusing on mechanics and makes. I was never a great shooter, but it really helped my shooting because I was focused on making the perfect (swish) shot. Amazing how many more "off" shots started going in. When I was practicing, it got me well north of 80%. My best was -6 btw! I think my son got to -9.
They should shoot them underhanded if they can't make 70% overhanded.
 
Don't know if it will help, but you might have a couple catch on and they do it on their own time, so no danger in it. Challenge them to a game called FT golf. You shoot 18 shots like holes in golf, and you score it as a make is a par, a miss is a bogey and a swish with no iron, none!, is a birdie. Show them the game at a practice and send them off in groups to each try a round and see who's best. You can also do it on your own and tell them your score; some will want to beat their coach. It's a fun way that you might get a few of them shooting FTs on their own and focusing on mechanics and makes. I was never a great shooter, but it really helped my shooting because I was focused on making the perfect (swish) shot. Amazing how many more "off" shots started going in. When I was practicing, it got me well north of 80%. My best was -6 btw! I think my son got to -9.
Knight routinely stopped practice to shoot FTs when guys were tired and breathing hard. There were usually 8 goals so no one stood around to catch their breath or rest, and it was always pretty effective.
 
I got sucked into coaching our son's 8th grade in house team this year. None of these kids can consistently hit 6 out of 10 free throws, but give them a ball and 10 minutes to kill, and all of them are chuckin' up 22 footers again and again.
Absolutely agree. Free Throws win games, but chicks and the ESPN Highlight Film love dunks and 3 pointers. When we were in junior high school, we shot a couple of series of 25 before practice charted the results, and another series during or at the end of practice. If we shot around alone or with others we worked on free throws. We used to play shoot until you miss. Shoot until you miss from the free throw line, and then move around the lane to rebound until you rotated around to get the opportunity to shoot again. You didn't want to miss your first or second free throw and lose your turn and embarrass yourself in front of your buddies.
 
Don't know if it will help, but you might have a couple catch on and they do it on their own time, so no danger in it. Challenge them to a game called FT golf. You shoot 18 shots like holes in golf, and you score it as a make is a par, a miss is a bogey and a swish with no iron, none!, is a birdie. Show them the game at a practice and send them off in groups to each try a round and see who's best. You can also do it on your own and tell them your score; some will want to beat their coach. It's a fun way that you might get a few of them shooting FTs on their own and focusing on mechanics and makes. I was never a great shooter, but it really helped my shooting because I was focused on making the perfect (swish) shot. Amazing how many more "off" shots started going in. Sometimes I'd get frustrated that I didn't get a great score, and realize I had made 15 or 16 out of 18 FTs. When I was practicing, it got me well north of 80%. My best was -6 btw! I think my son got to -9.
Thanks McNutt!
 
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agree, agree, and agree.

bad combination- when you are 4th in the nation in free throws attempted per game, but two-hundred-and-forty-whateverth (they threw out some number last night) in FT shooting %.

Taking your strength and turning it into a weakness....not a great recipe for success in life.
Calipari had teams that made the final 4 (Memphis) that where terrible free throw shooting teams. That 2012 team had to hit them to win it all.
 
We’ve been lucky they haven’t cost us a game yet. It cost us several games and likely tourney berth last year.
 
Kids growing up have not been taught proper shooting form for 20 years. It isn't a priority for them or in AAU.
 
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The issue with practicing free throws is I suspect the "practice" occurs by shooting 30/40 /50 whatever in a row at the beginning of practice. Legs aren't tired, you haven't been running up and down the court at game tempo.

While yes it is good to practice form and consistency it is best to correlate end of practice running with free throws. One guy is pulled to shoot free throws. You miss and the entire team runs. That's some pressure and it's pressure on tired legs and not after shooting 10 already.
 
Players should not slap hands after free throws! If you miss no reason to be congratulated, and if you hit it stay in the same position and maintain your posture. Just my old school thought and experience.
Yep
 
Players should not slap hands after free throws! If you miss no reason to be congratulated, and if you hit it stay in the same position and maintain your posture. Just my old school thought and experience.
My experience is the same as yours. If you are shooting two and hit the first hold your position at the line because you are apparently comfortable and have the right line. If you miss the first, back off and reset yourself for the 2nd.
 
The issue with practicing free throws is I suspect the "practice" occurs by shooting 30/40 /50 whatever in a row at the beginning of practice. Legs aren't tired, you haven't been running up and down the court at game tempo.

While yes it is good to practice form and consistency it is best to correlate end of practice running with free throws. One guy is pulled to shoot free throws. You miss and the entire team runs. That's some pressure and it's pressure on tired legs and not after shooting 10 already.
Yeah, I'm sure a Division 1 coach has never considered that. You may want to apply for a patent on your revolutionary idea. :rolleyes:
 
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