Haven’t you always wanted to learn how to shoot like one of the greatest shooters on the planet? Well, here’s your step-by-step guide!
Klay Thompson is undoubtedly one of the best shooters in the NBA, if not the best. His career averages are 42% from the 3-point line throughout his 8 years in the league. In the 2017-18 season, he shot his highest percentage at 44%. Last year, he actually broke the record for most 3-pointers in a single game held by his teammate, Stephen Curry, with 14. He also holds the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a single playoff game with 11. Enough of that, you get my point… this guy can shoot! Now you may ask, what makes his shot so pure? Well, to begin… years and years of practice and putting up hundreds of shots daily. But what ultimately makes Klay’s shot so great is his form. If you want to shoot at a high percentage, you need proper form. Klay is the perfect example of someone to look at when looking for proper shooting form.
How to shoot (step 1): Shooting-Hand
To begin, you’re going to want to practice shooting with one hand, very close to the goal. You literally only need to be a couple of feet away from the goal. Start by taking 5-10 shots before taking one step backwards, then rinse and repeat. A great shooter uses their shooting hand only to shoot the ball & their off-hand to guide it. The rest is just muscle memory (practice).
So, as you can see in the picture here, his shooting arm is forming a sort of L shape, with the peak of it slightly above his head. You’re going to want to practice pushing the ball completely through, making your arm completely straight by the end of your shot. You could compare this motion to reaching up and taking cookies out of a cookie jar as you complete your follow-through. Make sure all of your fingers are facing down and you hold your follow-through for a couple of seconds after each shot. It should roll off of all of your fingers and your middle finger should be the last to make contact with the ball.
How to shoot (step 2): Lower Body
The second step in the process has to do with your lower body. You are going to want to make sure your feet are about shoulder-width apart, with the foot of your shooting hand slightly in front. For me, Klay Thompson, and 90% of the world, our right foot will be slightly in front of your left when shooting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness I know they tell you in school to never list Wikipedia for valid information, but that’s what it says… kinda interesting…
Anyways, moving on… when you begin to rise to shoot your shot, you are going to want to slightly bend your knees to get some lift on it. It is called a jump shot after all. You don’t need to jump fifty feet off the ground either, like Russell Westbrook. While that can help your shot to not be blocked, it’s not necessary.
Although the lower part of your body is not as important to your shot as your upper, it still plays a crucial role in your overall form and deciding whether or not the ball is going to go in.
How to shoot (step 3): Guide-Hand
The final step in the process is to use your off-hand to guide the ball. So back to step one, but this time integrating your off-hand into the process. As you can see in this picture, his off hand is completely straight and it even comes off before he releases the ball. You should only be shooting with one hand, but your guide hand is just as important to be there to guide it in.
A lot of kids grow up using the thumb on their guide hand to help shoot the ball, or even shoot with two hands all together. While this may work for some people, you have a much better chance of getting the ball right on target with proper technique. Just take a look at all of the great shooters in history, not only Klay Thompson… You will start to notice they all shoot with similar form. Proper form. I just used Klay Thompson as one example.
With your guide hand you’re going to want to form a sort of triangle shape in which you can see the goal through, so you aren’t shooting blindly. As you follow through, your shooting hand should be in the cookie jar, while your off-hand stays there to guide it… like so;
Now what?
Putting everything we’ve talked about together, start taking some shots from a stand still position while putting every step into practice, and being strict with your form. Take it slow, it’s very important to nail every step if you want to have a shot like Klay Thompson. Great shooters shoot the same shot every single time.
Practice these steps and it will 100% improve your overall shot.
Hope this helps!
P.S: No legal action should be taken if you can’t shoot like Klay Thompson overnight.
