Kaitlyn Kregel
Mrs. Butler
Writing Foundations
March 17, 2015
Time and Repetition
Over 26 million American’s play casual pick up basketball, the love for it is evident. This sport has been around since 1891. Basketball isn’t just a competitive sport that only some people can do, everyone can. Multiple individuals just play it for fun and find it an enjoyable hobby while others play it competitively. The one concept that makes someone a threat is being able to shoot and score. At the end of the game it isn’t about who tried the hardest, it’s about who has the most points on the board, so lace up your shoes and lets jump into the proper techniques of how to shoot a basketball.
Coaches all over the world are trying to start kids off at a young age with the proper techniques. Practicing shooting over and over will create muscle memory and that shot then will become automatic in a game situation. As a former basketball player the first thing my coach always tried to emphasize is “B.E.E.F.” It simply stands for balance, eyes, elbow­in, and follow through. Balance is the one the most important parts of the shot. Being properly balanced is crucial for all shots. To start off, stand straight up and then move the dominant hand’s foot a little ahead of the other foot. Next, bend at the knees so when accelerating upward the ball releases with greater force.
Planting and balancing on the balls of the shooters feet will allow for a better shot. Don’t have more weight on one foot more than the other because that is going to make the

shot very unstable and it isn’t going to be consistent. Also, don’t just stand flat footed because that won’t help contract the leg muscles to give the ball arch and distance to get to the hoop. While planted in the stance, double check what we just talked about.
Make sure the proper stance is being implemented into practicing the shot and everything is aligned facing straight towards the basket for a balanced shot to take.
The eyes are the most important sensory organ of the human body. They are a contribution to facial expression and communication with others. In basketball they help in the areas of visual concentration, eye tracking, eye­hand body coordination, visual memory, visualization, and depth perception. First, visual concentration is the ability to screen out distractions and stay focused on the ball or the target. For example, when shooting, the eyes help focus on the basket rather than all the commotion of the opponents and fans during the game. Next, eye tracking helps maintain better balance and react to a situation more quickly. This goes back to keeping good balance with being in the proper stance and being able to get the shot off before opponents get in the way. Hand­Eye Coordination is a significant part of most sports because it not only helps the whole body respond to the information gathered through eyes, it helps body control and timing of your shot. Visual memory and visualization help players picture the basketball going into the hoop. So if everyone on the team envisions and believes that the ball is going in it will more likely do so. Lastly, depth perception is a something that will come to a basketball player the more they shoot a basketball. The more the player practices the more their muscles are going to remember how much legs to put into different types and distances of shots. Before releasing the basketball stand in the

proper stance and make sure to look at the basket. Look at the back of the rim because shooting the ball there will give it more of a chance of going in rather than leaving it short and it bouncing off the front of the rim. Moreever, the eyes are a key component to shooting a basketball in many ways.
The next fundamental to shooting a basketball is elbow­in. This task doesn’t necessarily take a lot of practice or is really hard but it is the determining factor to whether or not the shot is going to go in.