Developing Great Shooters in Basketball

In this episode, Alex Sarama discusses how contemporary skill acquisition approaches can be applied to shooting in basketball. He debunks the idea of one optimal shooting technique and emphasizes the importance of individualized coordination that complements each player's body. He highlights the need for variability and adaptability in shooting coordination, as well as the role of degrees of freedom in solving the movement problem.
Key Takeaways:
1:30 - “There is no one optimal shooting technique; each player will develop a shooting coordination that complements their body.”
7:53 - “This is where I recommend exercising extreme caution in picking and choosing the application of a CLA.”
13:10 - “Degrees of freedom play a crucial role in solving the movement problem in shooting coordination.”
18:11 - “The constraints-led approach provides opportunities for players to adapt and become more flexible and adaptable shooters.”
26:08 - “Differential learning can supplement the constraint-led approach by increasing variability and exploring different movement possibilities.”
Links:
Website: transformingbball.com/
Instagram: / transformingbasketball

[@fifi24ablefifi18]

great topic ! one thing that i wonder is how to start with beginners, how to teach them shooting with this approach ?

[@TransformBball]

Hi coach, you can definitely apply the same concepts for beginners with some task simplification. We also like to use smaller balls and lower rims with them if possible. Here's another video we did on shooting with beginners - kzbin.infoxhh48-Qzh6s

[@baechang5841]

Hey coach, how would you encourage athletes to work on shooting on their own? How can we encourage the CLA if athletes are working by themselves

[@TransformBball]

Hey coach, great question! We'd encourage them to incorporate as much variability as possible. So change the location and distance of where players shoot from. Vary the type of shot - Practice catch-and-shoot, off-the-dribble, step-backs, and fadeaways etc. And shoot from different stances and with different balls etc

[@cameronmilne8995]

I've been experimenting on myself and this is what I've found easy to implement. I have a timer that goes off at 1 minute on my watch and when it goes off I change shot types and locations. For example yesterday it would have looked like this. 0 Min - spin lay-ups off the backboard changing hand (left/ right), angle of approach and spin every rep. 1 Min - hook shots anywhere from within the key changing location, hand (left/right) and entry into shot (shoulder fake, half spin Dribble et). 2 Min - mid range (outside key/inside 3 point, always a different spot) shot type is a deep squat/r lunge/l lunge/'normal' shot. I've seen Patty Mills do similar in pre game videos. 3 Min - mid range (same as above) and shot type is 180 degree spins, 90 degree turns and normal. Duncan Robinson does something like this. 4 Min - mid range (same as above) 1 Dribble pull up alternating going l/r and jump or 1,2 step entry. Etc for 15 mins. I have only shot for about 15 mins every second/third day for the past 5 weeks and improved in a shooting 'test'. The 'test' is 20 shots alternate between a free throw and a 3point shot (always a different location). I've gone from 4/20 to getting 9-12/20. Provides some structure as I rotate between 3 different shot types all with a different purpose and always different location. Basic rule is never repeat the same move. All feedback I get is completely implicit from watching the success from my shot. I just so happen to have watched a gymnastics coach show little kids to forward roll and once they felt a successful roll they can do it again the next time either with less support or solo. I figure this is the same idea of expanding a solution space through movement. Your body feels those success points and gravitates to them without needing someone to tell you. Side note: could you argue CLA is differential learning and differential learning is CLA one is just more focused close skill (running, jumping, throwing shooting) and one on open skills. Your constraint in your differential learning shooting could be only shoot off one leg. Your differential learning experience in a drill/game is your creating a drill where it is rare that anyone repeat the same solution (rep without a rep).