Free Throws how much of it is coaching?

[kyvince]

It seems to me across the board FT shooting is not what is once was. Yet some schools/teams are fairly consistent year to year. How much of team FT shooting is a result of coaching, how much is result of kids preferring to practice treys or dunks etc. ?

[CATS2017]

It seems to me across the board FT shooting is not what is once was. Yet some schools/teams are fairly consistent year to year. How much of team FT shooting is a result of coaching, how much is result of kids preferring to practice treys or dunks etc. ?

 

 

 

 

I think it's a little of both i know of one team that didn't even practice them all year till it cost them a game or two. Teams just do not practice them no where near as much as they used to, and your rite a three or dunk is what today's kids care about.:confused:

[Voice of Reason]

If it is coaching, someone find a good free throw coach and send them Mick Cronin's way.

[Handy Manny]

Free throws are muscle memory and repetition. Kids need to shoot at least 100 a day. They just don't do it. I don't know what goes on at open gyms and shoot arounds, but I would hope that it is essentials like free throws. Sadly, I assume not though. I think coaches don't spend time on them because they may instruct a player to do it on their own. I guarantee that very few actually do. The result is what you see in the box scores. Is 50% from the line acceptable? I like to see a team shooting in the upper 80's.

[ColyCrazy]

Think of all good freethrow shooters that you have known. Did their coaches make them that way in practice or did they make themselves that way by shooting hundreds and hundreds before and after practice as well as wearing it out in the summer? The best that coaches can do is allow them to shoot after being tired or trying to recreate a game situation. Great freethrow shooting is a product of repetition, once my father/coach taught me to shoot properly, it was up to me to learn the stroke.

[remmac]

It is both.......it takes a commitment from an individual to be an excellent free-throw shooter; however, it is my humble opinion that it is a lost part of high school basketball. Coaches CAN insist that their team be a good free-throw shooting team. This is done through various methods that includes teaching proper mechanics, drills through the course of practice and/or scrimmage time, emphasis on its importance to winning games and insistence on results. Let's face it.......it is the easiest shot in b-ball; same distance, same height, no defense = "free" points. It drives me crazy to watch the failures at this part of the game.

[Qryche11]

Kids should definitely shoot atleast 50-100 a day. We used to not be able to leave the floor in practice back when I was in High school until you made 50 FT's. Some of our Bigs were turning the lights off but they made 50. LOL

[mcpapa]

Free throws are muscle memory and repetition. Kids need to shoot at least 100 a day. They just don't do it. I don't know what goes on at open gyms and shoot arounds, but I would hope that it is essentials like free throws. Sadly, I assume not though. I think coaches don't spend time on them because they may instruct a player to do it on their own. I guarantee that very few actually do. The result is what you see in the box scores. Is 50% from the line acceptable? I like to see a team shooting in the upper 80's.

 

That would be nice, but it's a pipe dream. The team (any level) that shoots 80% is a rare, rare thing.

[CincySportsFan]

Is 50% from the line acceptable? I like to see a team shooting in the upper 80's.

 

I have seen many a team over the years that shot 50% from the line, that would have won the game had they shot 80% instead. And so many front ends of the one-and-one :ohbrother:

 

And while I agree that it may be up to the individual player to practice, practice, practice...it IS up to the coach to ultimately determine how important it is. If they'd say, you don't start unless you hit 20 out 25 in practice the day before...I guarantee you there'd be more effort put forth by the players on their own time. But, that'll never happen, and the players know it, so....

[Qryche11]

FT's are things kids can do on their own but you cant get to the line unless you make something happen with the ball. I have that problem with my own son, he is a great FT shooter but needs to be more aggressive with breaking his man down and taking it to the hole to either draw a foul or score.

 

Scott Draud was very good at this back in the mid 80's. He would average 35 points a game and typically 12-15 came from the charity stripe.

 

Another kid I see doing this a alot this season is the Hatton kid from Dixie. He gets to the line a lot because he knows how to use his body with the basketball and draw fouls.

[CincySportsFan]

FT's are things kids can do on their own but you cant get to the line unless you make something happen with the ball.

 

I understand what you're saying...but, I've seen teams get to the line a LOT, and come away a miniscule amount of points. Had they just shot a better % from the line, they'd have been fine. And while you'd like to see perfection, I'm not even asking for that. But, if you don't hit 75% of your free throws, you're helping out the defense.

[mcpapa]

Remember, the way to calculate the probability of someone hitting both ends of a one-and-one is to multiply the player's free-throw percentage by itself.

 

The player that shoots 80%: .8 X .8 = 64%

The player that shoots 70%: .7 X .7 = 49%

The player that shoots 60%: .6 X .6 = 36%

 

While 70% sounds decent (and it's probably close to "average"), that still translates into slghtly less than a 50-50 chance of hitting both ends.

[Reality Check]

If you shoot 100 shots at practice but do not shoot them correctly are you getting any better? I think the focus needs to start early on teaching kids the proper mechanics and fundamentals.

 

I think this begins while they are young. Not to get off topic but I think coaches of young kids (elementary and middle school) should focus on fundamentals and mechanics. If kids learn when they are young they can really improve while in High school. But what I see is far too often there is no focus on improving the players while they are young.

 

Okay, I am off my soapbox now!

[fullcourt]

I believe most high school coaches make their players practice free throws. The problem is many high school kids focus more on style than repetition, limiting excess movement, and concentration.

 

When I say "style", I'm talking about; spinning the ball in their hands, bouncing the ball in front of them and spinning it back to them, odd little quirks that they think makes them look cool etc.

 

Shooting freethrows is all about repetition, concentration and limiting the things that make a player shoot inconsistent.

 

If the coaches would teach the kids not to worry about style, the freethrow percentages would most likely go up. JMO

[Qryche11]

If you shoot 100 shots at practice but do not shoot them correctly are you getting any better? I think the focus needs to start early on teaching kids the proper mechanics and fundamentals.

 

I think this begins while they are young. Not to get off topic but I think coaches of young kids (elementary and middle school) should focus on fundamentals and mechanics. If kids learn when they are young they can really improve while in High school. But what I see is far too often there is no focus on improving the players while they are young.

 

Okay, I am off my soapbox now!

 

Im sure your avatar could definitely show some kids a thing or two about FT shooting. :ylsuper: