How to Shoot a Basketball Step by Step – A Comprehensive Guide

There are different types of basketball scoring shots that will help you get better at basketball shooting. Among the more common of those shots are the jump shot, which features prominently in any game environment, the hook shot, the bank shot, the free throw, the layup, and the slam dunk - which is probably the most famous of them all.   

Elsewhere on this website, we offer you some guidance on how to dunk a basketball, which can be a complicated art in and of itself. Nevertheless, the emphasis in this article will be on mastering the fundamentals of shooting.

How To Properly Shoot A Basketball

Before learning how to shoot a basketball there are a set of basic mechanics that you will need to grasp if you harbor any ambitions of achieving any meaningful scoring success while competing on the basketball court.

The positions that you play on a basketball court will invariably demand a different set of skills and physical requirements. However, there is one common thread which impacts all players across the board, and that is shooting. 

While it is true that some players will shoot more than others - and that some teams will be able to get away with that - the most complete teams have players that are all competent at shooting. 

Critically, shooting is something that can be both taught and learned, with the right attitude and just a little application. There is actually no excuse for being a crap shooter!

1- Basketball Shooting Balance

The first key mechanical concept you need to wrap your head around is balance. If you harbor any aspirations of being a competent shooter, you need to learn how to balance your body accordingly. Much of this has to do with how you manage the lower half of your body and your overall posture.

To master balance on the basketball court you need to start at the very bottom and work your way up. 

The first of those things that need to be taken into account is how your feet are planted. Players who are flat-footed on a basketball court will always struggle, regardless of how good the other aspects of their game are. 

You always want your feet to be planted in an athletic position, or on the balls of your feet. It is the key to your propulsion. You see, when you shoot a basketball there is always going to be some degree of weight transference, regardless of whether you are jumping or not. You will be jumping most of the time…that is just our little note to you. 

When you transfer your weight there will invariably be a counter-movement. Depending on the playing circumstances, that counter-movement can range from just being a slight squat at the hips and the knees to a more complete squat, which will see your knee bend to as far as 90 degrees, before pushing the weight of your body up again. This movement is the kind of thing that will require a certain degree of strength in the ankles, the calf muscles, the knee joints, the thigh muscles, the quads, and the hip flexors. 

Throughout these website pages, you will encounter considerable instruction on how to train every one of those aspects in your body, whether that be through plyometric training or even weight training.

2- Arm Movement - Hand-Eye Coordination In Basketball

While it is true that there are some people out there who are simply born with outstanding hand-eye coordination, this is definitely an aspect of your basketball game that can be coached and developed through sheer hard work.

There are two key components to this when you are shooting at a basketball hoop. The first of those components is the movement of the wrist, while the second of those components is the movement of the elbow. 

Both parts of the arm require a certain degree of flex when shooting a basketball. They mustn’t just flex though. You need to be able to work both of those flex movements in tandem. There is a rhythm to it, like instruments working together in a music band.

Understanding how these movements work together is also something that can be trained, but it is probably something that also needs to be worked on to the point where it starts to feel like second nature. 

The really effective shooters in basketball are the ones who are able to visualize that movement of both the wrist and the elbow. You know you are good when you are able to shoot that basketball with your eyes closed. You become the shot.

3- Basketball Hoop Target

The first two fundamentals we have addressed here essentially have to do with the physical…knowing which parts of the body are most important when shooting and knowing how to adequately prepare that part of the body to produce the most desired outcomes on a basketball court.

To advance from that, you then need to develop a strong sense of how to find a target and aim for that target, something which would be very difficult to achieve if you had no balance or hand-eye coordination. . 

The key skill here is not just being able to identify your target, but also being able to adjust your body accordingly to hit that target. No one playing situation will be exactly the same as the other, but you will certainly encounter something similar most of the time. The key takeaway here is that you will seldom have more than just a few split seconds to make a shooting decision on a basketball court.

Everytime you find a target, you need to have some level of clarity in your mind on what the next steps should be. Do you swerve a little to the left, do you swerve a little to the right? Do you dip your body a little or do you jump? Do you take a step forward or do you backtrack? These are just some of the basic trigger movements that you need to have stored at the back of your mind. Sometimes finding that target on the basketball court will be even more complicated than that.

4- Basketball Shot Follow Through

The follow through is something which takes everything we have already discussed into account, especially pertaining to the movement of the shoulders, the elbows, and the wrists. We are making particular reference to the flick movement here. 

Depending on where the target is on the basketball court, you need to have some level of clarity in your mind on just how much speed and drift you will need to comfortably make the basket - or at least put yourself in the position to make the basket. There are circumstances that will sometimes demand that you flick the basketball a little harder and a little lower. 

Likewise, there are some circumstances that will demand that you flick the basketball a little slower and a little higher. Sometimes you will need to change up all of those dynamics. There is no uniform way to go about it, but the convention tends to be that you flick the basketball so that it rotates backwards, to help apply some level of drift and ultimately control. It is all about developing the right level of feel and touch.

How To Shoot A Basketball Step By Step

1- Take The Right Stance

Ideally, when preparing to take a shot, you want your feet to be planted about a shoulder width apart. Anything wider than that will be beyond awkward. Anything closer than that will be a little awkward but sometimes impossible to avoid. Closer is better than wider because your body will normally be able to adjust accordingly. That is the basic principle. 

A key consideration when taking that stance is the foot that you choose to push off when preparing to take the shot. The general rule here is that if you are shooting with your right arm, you should prepare to push off your right foot. 

Likewise, if you are shooting with your left arm, you should prepare to push off your left foot. It is the more conventional thing to do and probably the most natural body movement to make too. However, there are exceptions that will invariably make the rule. Everybody is unique after all.

As we have already alluded to in the paragraphs above, you should always try to be on the balls of your feet when preparing to take the shot.

2- Flex Those Knees

We have already alluded to this in the paragraphs above, so there is actually no need to go into considerable detail about it. Suffice it to say, you are not going to enjoy a considerable amount of success if you plan on taking the shot with your body in an upright position. Circumstances on the basketball court will usually determine just how exaggerated that knee flex will be.

As you might have already established in our articles about jump training, flexing the knee is a major component when trying to increase your vertical jump. Something almost impossible to get around when on a basketball court is that most of the players you encounter on it will be tall and physically imposing. Taking a shot will almost always require that you also take a jump.

Jumping requires a basic squat at the very least and an extreme counter-movement at the worst of times. Regardless, you will always need to flex those knees.

3- Rotate The Body

When shooting the basketball, you are going to find yourself jumping almost all of the time. The heights might vary, depending on the shot that you take but your upper body will always need to make some form of adjustment when you do take the shot. You will need to rotate your body to ensure that you can generate enough momentum in the direction of the hoop.

Meanwhile, the convention will be to keep your shoulders back when taking the shot. The shoulder element becomes an even greater consideration, the further back you are when taking the shot. 

The whole idea behind that being that you need to find a way to generate speed and power when taking a shot while airborne. So, it is a way to establish some stability where there is none, because your feet are not planted on the ground. At the end of it all, you want your shot to be accurate, and you want your shooting motion to be fluid. More often than not, one cannot happen without the other.

4- Grip The Basketball Right

There is no room for arrogance here. When taking a shot in basketball, you always want to hold the ball with both hands. You will use the one hand/arm to act as support, while you use the other hand/arm to take the actual shot. 

Through all of this you should never forget that you will invariably be airborne, and every ounce of stability that you have will matter. Trying to use just one arm to score will compromise your stability. The latter is a high risk scenario, which offers you very little reward in return. 

Your shooting hand should always be at the bottom of the basketball, with the fingers tilted backwards towards you. Your supporting hand should always be towards the side of the basketball, ensuring that the ball does not roll off on either side of your hand. Once again, you should always be cognisant of the fact that you will invariably have very little control of the basketball and your body while you are in the air. The fine margins matter a considerable amount every single time.

Conclusion

Before you can learn how to shoot like Stephen Curry, you need to become an expert at shooting better than Joe The Plumber. 

Joe The Plumber is not somebody who will have the correct stance, the correct balance, the correct technique, or the best physical requirements to succeed on the basketball court. The beauty about it though, is that all of this is something that can be taught, trained, and corrected.