How To Shoot 10 More Free Throws a Game

Free throws are critical for a team’s success. Making these uncontested shots consistently can spell whether a team wins or loses a game. Perennial foul line customers such as Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Lebron James shoot more than ten free throws a game on average. Here is how they knock down free throw shots and how they got to the free throw stripe in such a high rate every game.

First, you must learn how to shoot free throws correctly. Here are basic steps:

1. Balance - Keep your feet at least shoulder-width apart and aligned to one another.
2. Square your body - Position your feet behind the line. You can move one of your feet back an inch, if you feel more comfortable there. Square your upper body towards the basket.
3. Hand position - Put the middle three fingers of your shooting hand on the ball. Your thumb and palm should act as support.
4. Aim – Always aim above the rim. The square on the middle of the backboard is always a good target.
5. Bent knees – Leg strength is also used in shooting. Remember that a shot doesn’t rely on arm strength.
6. Fluidity – It is advised that you shoot in one flood motion. Just practice with a position your comfortable with, if it’s effective, stick with it and be consistent.
7. Follow through – The follow through is always important. This is done by bending your shooting hand forward like you are reaching for the basket.
8. Now that you’ve learned to shoot free throws correctly, here are some tips on how you could shoot more than ten free throws a game:
9. Drive hard to the basket – Driving to the basket assures contact to the offensive player on almost every trip. Contact with a defensive player usually nets them a foul and you are sent to the free throw stripe when they are in penalty. Just remember to keep your head up every time you drive to the basket because an out of control player going to the rim usually doesn’t get the foul. Out of control drives usually result in turnovers or offensive fouls.
10. Selling the contact – It’s not enough that you get contact with a defensive player. You must also let the referees know that you got hit. It’s alright to exaggerate a little bit since it can net you extra fouls from your defender (just see Manu Ginobili).
11. Pump-fakes – Pump fakes are effective because most people fall for it. When your defender jumps in the air, try to bait contact, and you can be almost certain your defender will be called for a shooting foul. Remember that even if you are fouled on the act of shooting, just keep your focus and try to hit your shot because referees usually give continuation to offensive players.

Try practicing your free throw shots first before doing the three things above. All the banging your body will receive would be worthless if you can’t hit your free throws.