It's been on my mind a lot lately of how dreadful a lot of teams are at the foul line. I probably have a short memory, but it just seems that what used to almost seem like sure points during a game has become anything but. Sometimes it seems that the games lately come down to who doesn't blow it at the line the worst wins with neither team really lighting it up from the freebie line. I know there's a few guys out there who are money from the line, but it just seems like overall teams' averages have dropped in recent years. It might just be my imagination, but what's your feeling on this? What players are a sure thing and what could be the reason for weaker overall appearances at the line? Sure, practice practice practice is a true key to improving your chances, but does anyone get the feeling that not many are putting in the hours of practice to perfect their free throw shooting?

 

Who are the teams this year that seem to have the line licked and what is the secret to their success? What coaches really emphasize foul shooting and what methods does anyone know about that has consistently worked for any particular coach? If there's a real good plan out there I wouldn't see why every coach wouldn't make it a high priority to execute it. We all know how important making foul shots are to winning games. What could be the reason/reasons for the good, the bad, and the downright ugliness of it all. It seems to make the game a whole lot more interesting when the team you're following wins because all facets of their games are clicking, not just part of it.

 

Is it just me who's been frustrated by this. Has good free throw shooting become a lost art? What are your thoughts. :confused: :idunno:

GRC is a good free throw shooting team. I would put Robbie Stenzel up against anyone. He is the one that nailed all 3 free throws at the end of the game to beat Mason Co. He also nailed 2 free throws as a 8th grader to beat Scott in the Semi's of the regional tourney.

Yes, it is a lost art - it drive's my husband nut's. He played for Holmes back in the day. Game's can be won or lost based on the free throw's. Our son was 10 and could hit 24 out of 25 playing for Summit View MS in a contest.

Edited February 15, 200917 yr by GaViking

I'm probably kidding myself, but for me, shooting free throws as a kid became pretty second nature like riding a bike or tying my shoe. I wasn't that great of a player, but I feel like shooting a free throw is so deep rooted in me that even with not having shot for about 6 month or so I usually can get the rhythm back with about 10 minutes of warm up. I went to sleep at night shooting foul shots in my head instead of counting sheep. If I wasn't going to produce that much during a game I felt the least I could do was make an unblocked foul shot. I realize there's a big difference to shooting when you're relaxed than when you're winded and tired, but have kids stopped dreaming about making foul shot because they can't get the video games out of their heads that they've been playing for hours at a time? I don't know? Different generation with different priorities, I guess. :idunno: One thing I have noticed is that there seems to be a misunderstanding of putting a nice smooth rotation and back spin on the ball and that a lot are just tossing up a misguided brick with no real flow to it. :idunno: I'd really like to see more coaches see to it that their players really understand the fundamentals of shooting a consistent foul shot and really make it a high priority to perfect it. I can't say enough about the importance of it to the outcome of a game.

Just hit the free throws - it's an extra point or two that can decide who win's the game.

I've watched some pretty good teams this year miss FT after FT, but those Elliott boys (E/Et Faulkner and Ferg) must have the right recipe because their shooting average is WAY ABOVE average.

I think its mental and repetition, maybe not enough focus is placed on free throws like it should be, but FC's Meyer has to be one of the best, he has good focus and form.

I personally think that so much emphasis is put on the three pointer that free throw shooting gets lost in the shuffle.

I think that free throws are missed more than ever these days.

I personally think that so much emphasis is put on the three pointer that free throw shooting gets lost in the shuffle.

Amen!! IMO this is what is ruining good high school basketball. A player will penetrate and kick it out to the 3 line and you hardly ever see big men post a man up. They all want to shoot the 3.

Last night's Garrard County/Casey County saw some bad foul shooting on the part of Garrard. I believe the Lions were 6-18. What is unfortunate, though, is that they shot around 70% as a team going into the game.

 

For the most part, what I've seen around the 12th Region this season, foul shooting has been about normal. It's too bad more kids don't take it seriously, though. It's a great way to get easy points.

I personally think that so much emphasis is put on the three pointer that free throw shooting gets lost in the shuffle.

 

They should be the same shot just from different distance and you leave the ground to shoot a 3 pointer. Ask any great shooter or watch their form, everything should be the same up to the point of release and when they leave the ground. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

It drives me crazy when I see missed free throws in HS basketball. Holmes had great coach's in the 70's and beyond.

There's got to be some good instructional videos out there that could make it a pleasure to learn and follow. If I were a coach, I'd hand out a copy to all of my players and make sure I didn't rush through the end of a tough practice, and end it with a nice relaxing session of real focused free throw training. I would think that every player would enjoy making free throw shooting a high priority and become real good at it if not for anything else but their pride of achieving excellence is a seemingly easy task that just becomes easier with good technique, focus and lots of practice. Who doesn't like to get a good flow going and develop the confidence in knowing that they can be a pretty sure thing from the line. I'm sure there's even grandmas and grandpas out there that still get a rush out of tossing up a nice swish through the nets. :thumb:

You don't see too many ESPN highlights about Free Throws, so the kids don't want to "waste" time practicing them...

 

FT shooting has been on a marked decline for the last several years. In the 8th, the top two teams - Anderson and North Oldham - are both about 60% from the line! And these are the two best teams!!!!

 

Oldham County doesn't shoot free throws well consistently...

 

In the 8th, the best teams I've seen are Carroll County and Grant County, which were both hitting at about a 70% clip the last I saw. Gallatin County is typically pretty solid.