CORVETTE HOBBY 

          COACHING CLINIC: Part 5

HOW TO DEVELOP A PROLIFIC SCORER AND INCREASE                    YOUR VALUE TO THE TEAM..

As a player and a coach I realized many years ago that the most valuable player on any team is a consistant scorer. A player that has the confidence and focus to put the ball in the basket.

Good shooting isn't an accident, doesn't happen by mistake, and isn't the result of half-hearted or lazy practice habits. Really great shooting is the result of shooting thousands, or even tens of thousands of practice shots from all over the court. It is the result of practicing your shot day in and day out, and week after week so that you groove your form, and shooting the ball is second nature for you.

A great shot is the result of establishing muscle memory so that the shooting motion is nearly automatic, and you don't have to consiously think about your shot mechanics...you just shoot the ball with perfect form, just like you've practiced thousands and thousands of times before.

That is really the only way to get good and stay good: use good form, and practice it over, and over, and over again. Then practice it some more. Repetition is the key to keep your shot tuned during the off-season, and keeping it dialed in during the season.

Everyone wants to score more points. So here are a couple easy ways to improve your scoring

average:

1.) Take better shots. Now, this may sound simple...and it is. But it is an important part of being a better scorer. The better your shot selection, the better you're shooting percentage will be. It's a pretty simple formula.

You're probably thinking: hey, I take good shots. Well, do you really? Good shots aren't just shots you take because you're open and haven't shot the ball in awhile. Good shots are shots that are within the scheme of the offense, within your range, and likely within your shooting "spots" on the floor.

For example: if you are a great shooter from about 15-feet out, and around the free throw line, then don't take a 23-footer from the baseline. Or, if you have a really good turnaround jumper in the post, don't try to take a guy off the dribble and shoot a running 8-footer in the lane. Of course, you can't always pick and choose where you'll be on the floor, or what your coach will ask you to do within the scheme of the offense. But you get the idea. Put yourself in situations that you thrive in. Create oppotunities in which you are likely to succeed. Take good shots, shots you are comortable with, shots you are likley to make and watch your scoring average soar.

2.) Become a better free throw shooter. Again, a very simple concept, but also a very powerful one. Think about it: let's say you go to the free throw line an average of 6 times a game. If you are a 70% free throw shooter, you'll hit 4 of the 6 shots. If you are a great free throw shooter (and hit 90% of your shots), you'll hit 5 of the 6 shots. The difference is nearly 5 points a game. Now there is a profound difference between a player that averages 15 points per game and a player that average 20 points  per game . You see, free throws do matter. 

In otherwords, work on becoming a great free throw shooter, and you can improve your scoring average by  four (or more) points a game. Besides, free throws shouldn't be that difficult anyway. Think about it: you get to shoot a 15-foot shot with no on guarding you, and with 30 seconds to shoot the ball (so there is no rush). That's a gimme'. Free throw shooting is really a concentration issue: if you can concentrate and block out all the noise and stress of the moment, you should be able to increase your free throw shooting percentage quite a bit, and in turn, increase your scoring average.

3) Try to score early during the game before the opponent become acclaimated. The sooner you get into your scoring mode , the sooner you will be putting points on the board.

4) Finally maintain your mental image , believe everytime that you take a shoot it is going to convert into a basket.

Becoming a great scorer makes you a valuable and necessary element of your Basketball Team