A search for the most perfect technique or the most proper form in shooting a basketball is the most popular on Google by basketball players – guards, forwards and bigs – worldwide, likely stemming from the common textbook advice: that a perfect form and technique is the way to accurate shooting. Examples like the postures of Ray Allen, Kyle Korver and Steph Curry are then dissected and recommended for aspiring marks(wo)men to replicate through practice.
[Related: Learn How to Shoot a Jump Shot Accurately]
The advice is sound, of course, we should all learn from and mimic the best; however, a copy and paste approach isn’t always wisest, in basketball and in most creative endeavors.
We’re all wiser to test different forms and techniques until we find the one where our own natural form merges with a few different mechanics taken from the best. Not that you should stray away from any form at the first sign of discomfort, but trying to plug a square in a circle isn’t about difficulty, it’s about usability. You can’t ignore certain fundamentals, like following through towards the end and eyes to the inside of the basket, but other ‘rules’ can be broken. Ray Ray’s rules, Peja’s rules and even Steph Curry’s rules. The point, at the end of the day, is to have the ability to make enough baskets to become a better and better player. Joakim Noah and Shawn Marion don’t care about your criticism of their shot.
Finding your shot is like finding your voice; it doesn’t come overnight, but it will require practice to even discover it. Then comes the actual practice of improving the accuracy. Most basketball shooting training and equipment gear towards this perfect form and technique, and they’re not wrong to, but you should use their best advice and mix with your most individually natural tendencies.
At the end of the day, your perfect won’t mean much if it doesn’t pull you and keep you inside a gym launching jumpers.