One of the most overlooked aspects of the jump shot is the fingers.
A player with perfect form and rhythm can be one correction away from really finding consistency and success with the jump shot.
Something I don't think is taught well or not taught at all when it comes to the jump-shot is keeping the ball on the pads of your fingers and most importantly OFF the palm of the hand. The picture on the left, of Ray Allen, is a perfect illustration of this. You could probably fit a pencil between the ball and his palm. This is ideal.
It's funny because when I was first taught this I really struggled to change my form. I was used to letting the basketball rest on the palm and it felt VERY uncomfortable to use only the fingers to support the ball. After a week of conscious focus on this, my jump shot was even more consistent.
So why are we taught to keep the palm of our hand off the ball? Why is it so important?
The problem with the palm is that, simply put, it messes up the rotation of the ball and decreases left to right accuracy. The pads of your fingers will provide enough power and enough rotation and the palm just interferes with consistency: the ball can come off of the palm a different way every time you shoot. Reduce the amount of surface area that touches the ball and the ball will fly out of the hand almost identical every time.
All the power and accuracy of your jump shot will always come from your fingers. ALWAYS!
The most POWERFUL fingers you have are your pointer and middle fingers (yup those two fingers on the right). So take advantage! When you snap your wrist towards the hoop, those two fingers should be going into the hoop.
Now you understand the fingers are really important when it comes to improving your jump shot. How do you work on your fingers?
All great shooters properly warm-up before practicing. Usually this means starting out right in front of the hoop and practicing the snapping of the wrist, the pointing of the fingers. I know I used to do this for ten minutes and it would be a great way to get my fingers to support the ball and stay off the palm.
Work on the fingers and you might find a bit more success and consistency. Good Luck!
As always I have to recommend a product for anybody looking to improve their jumping ability. I know I can recommend this product because I benefited so much and went from an big un-athletic kid to an powerful athlete with this program. Check it out Here
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