How to Properly Shoot a Basketball Like a Pro

I will start with the acronym B.E.E.F as stated on the YOUTUBE video. B.E.E.F stands for BALANCE, EYE, ELBOW and FOLLOW THROUGH. Instead I will change this a bit to BALANCE, ELBOW, EYE and FOLLOW THROUGH. First step is BALANCE. Get in the habit of positioning your feet in a comfortable position preferably your feet should be shoulder width apart and ALWAYS pointing towards the basketball rim. Having balance leads to power and control in your shot which is one of the main reasons why kids tend to acquire ugly shooting habits. Bend your legs at the knees. This gives you power to your shot. Beginning and fatigued players often fail to bend or flex their knees. To compensate for the lack of power from not using their legs, they tend to throw the ball from behind the head or shove the ball from the hip. Both actions produce bad habits.

Now we move to ELBOW. Hold the ball comfortably in front of and above your shooting-side shoulder between your ear and shoulder. Keep your shooting elbow in. Your shooting hand should have a 90 degree angle or L shape form. Hold the ball with your finger tips and not the palm of your hand. When holding the ball you should always leave a small pocket hole in the palm of your shooting hand. Keep in mind that you will not used the off hand when shooting the ball. The off hand is just use as a guide and it provides extra support when shooting the ball.

Next is the EYES. In this part you must focus on the target. A good way to aim and shoot the basketball is to focus on the hooks of the rim and look for the center hook at any spot in the court. The hooks are all around the rim and you can always find a middle hook at any place on the court. You will always focus on that middle hook and shoot at the hook.

Now we are off to FOLLOW THROUGH. This is important in getting the proper rotation and back spin on the ball. Your index and middle finger should be pointing toward the hoop, and your wrist bent forward, in a "goose neck" fashion. You will notice that with a proper follow-through, the palm of your hand will be facing downward toward the floor