How to increase shooting range?

I'm wondering if you guys had any tips / workouts that help to increase your shooting range? I prefer to take jumpshots, but the range on my jumpshot is just inside the college 3 pt line. When I take a step outside the 3 pt line, my jumper falls short, so I have to go to more of a set shot, so I can get enough on the ball to get it to the rim.

Even on my set shot, I don't seem to have the range that a lot of the guys I play with have. And mind you, these guys aren't workout hounds or anything. They are not in the gym all day working out their legs. So don't just tell me "workout your legs", which I know can help, but I mean some guys have never touched a weight in their life and they just seem to have this innate ability to shoot long range shots with ease.

Is this something that can be improved upon and learned?

There's a video on youtube of Gilbert Arenas at practice shooting 3 pointers with 1 hand. Look it up. He's shooting them from the pro 3 pt line with one hand and never even leaving his feet. Effortlessly. How is this possible?!! I want to be able to do that.

Let's hear any tips you have for increasing your shooting range. Thanks!

TCB

It's all in your arm strength. If you are under 18 I'd suggest not working out yet but eat right, eat vegetables and rice, beans, chicken all that good stuff. You need to build power in your arms, and also your wrists. Three point shooting isin't easy, even the best of the best miss most of their three pointers, and I'm not big on three point shooting myself. You need to shoot threes if you are left open or if your team needs it, but a guy who just shoots threes all day is very easy to guard and one dimensional.

But anyway, to increase your range, eat right first, then start shooting from close. After ball 5 makes, go alittle bit farther from the rim, and it has to be five made shots in a row. Then go on beyond the three point line. It takes alot of practice too, Dirk Nowtizki isin't the three point shooter he is today by just waking up and being gifted with his range.

[QUOTE=tcbonline]I'm wondering if you guys had any tips / workouts that help to increase your shooting range? I prefer to take jumpshots, but the range on my jumpshot is just inside the college 3 pt line. When I take a step outside the 3 pt line, my jumper falls short, so I have to go to more of a set shot, so I can get enough on the ball to get it to the rim.

Even on my set shot, I don't seem to have the range that a lot of the guys I play with have. And mind you, these guys aren't workout hounds or anything. They are not in the gym all day working out their legs. So don't just tell me "workout your legs", which I know can help, but I mean some guys have never touched a weight in their life and they just seem to have this innate ability to shoot long range shots with ease.

Is this something that can be improved upon and learned?

There's a video on youtube of Gilbert Arenas at practice shooting 3 pointers with 1 hand. Look it up. He's shooting them from the pro 3 pt line with one hand and never even leaving his feet. Effortlessly. How is this possible?!! I want to be able to do that.

Let's hear any tips you have for increasing your shooting range. Thanks!

TCB[/QUOTE]
It all depends how old are you?

It will come with time, I know last year, I air balled most of my 3s cause I wasn't used to or strong enough to shoot that far on my jump shots. I can shoot without air balling if I shoot it but not on my jump shots. Also shooting so far was awkward and my form was a mess. Now I never air ball and I can now shoot with ease. One step to improve your range it do push up. Work on your upper body strength most importantly the triceps muscle. That is what I been doing so far and I noticed shooting the 3 is like shooting mid range. So just practice and keep shooting, do push up few times a day or week.

i don't know about the arm strength part, i've always been told that it's in your legs. that's what i tell my 9yr old whose a good jumpshooter and can hit the high school 3.

[QUOTE=Unreal Skill]It will come with time, I know last year, I air balled most of my 3s cause I wasn't used to or strong enough to shoot that far on my jump shots. I can shoot without air balling if I shoot it but not on my jump shots. Also shooting so far was awkward and my form was a mess. Now I never air ball and I can now shoot with ease. One step to improve your range it do push up. Work on your upper body strength most importantly the triceps muscle. That is what I been doing so far and I noticed shooting the 3 is like shooting mid range. So just practice and keep shooting, do push up few times a day or week.[/QUOTE]
What's air balling?

comes from your legs..not your arms.

[QUOTE=j Fresh3]It's all in your arm strength. If you are under 18 I'd suggest not working out yet but eat right, eat vegetables and rice, beans, chicken all that good stuff. You need to build power in your arms, and also your wrists. Three point shooting isin't easy, even the best of the best miss most of their three pointers, and I'm not big on three point shooting myself. You need to shoot threes if you are left open or if your team needs it, but a guy who just shoots threes all day is very easy to guard and one dimensional.

But anyway, to increase your range, eat right first, then start shooting from close. After ball 5 makes, go alittle bit farther from the rim, and it has to be five made shots in a row. Then go on beyond the three point line. It takes alot of practice too, Dirk Nowtizki isin't the three point shooter he is today by just waking up and being gifted with his range.[/QUOTE]

Let me add to that - Using your legs is also very important. That's where most of my power comes from whenever I shoot a three, and I went 6/8 from three in one game.

Crazy bump because I can't post threads yet. So happened to come across this while using google.

I struggle to shoot long ranged shots in general. Not even in terms of making it, but I feel like I need to exert myself a good deal to get a decent shot attempt. I must need to improve on something or am doing something wrong.

I actually have really strong legs (can squat 350 and I'm 5-9 for reference) as I've played soccer and run my whole life. Can't dunk but can grab rim pretty easily.

My form was jacked and a coach helped tweak it a bit. I used to sort of shoot with two hands and spin the ball with my off thumb.. Hard to explain and the rotation on the ball was like Joakim Noah :oldlol: I fixed it. Or am in the process of fixing it.

Should note that I have no problem getting a shot off with my old form. Ever since I started using the guiding hand for just that, I can barely hit rim in shoot around outside of 19+ feet.

you need to shoot form shots first and foremost.
strengthen both arms and legs and practice shooting the ball as high as you can
without worrying about the basket, drop your elbow slightly below parallel to the floor if you are weak (watch steve nash) and make your release about a 65 degree angle to the horizontal make sure your elbow is above your eyebrow when you release

you need proper form.

A pro golfer doesn't just beef up his arms and legs and try and smash the ball, they work meticulously on their form in order to prevent a plateau.

Proper understanding of the mechanics of a jump shot will lead to way better results than doing curls and dips all day. Frankly, arm strength is one of the least important factors in adding range to your shot. It's all about your form in the upper body and your balance/strength in the lower body.

A quick study while you shoot: BEEF

Balance - ten toes to the hole

Elbow - elbow tucked in and bent at 90 degrees. Can be less but no more, otherwise you wont have control of the ball/it will be too far from your own centre of gravity

Eye - when you release the ball your elbow should be above eye level. if its lower your shot will be flat, will hit front rim when you get tired.

Follow through - your wrist should stay cocked all the way back until you follow through. Think of an elastic band, when you stretch it, it snaps back by itself when you let it go. Your muscles are the same if conditioned properly. If you really work on snapping your wrist forward eventually it will happen on its own.

Work with one hand with these principles and start literally under the rim. Make 5 in a row and then move back 2 steps. If you miss start at zero. Once you get to a point where you can't make 5 in a row, make a note of that spot. For all intents and purposes, that is your range.

Keep doing this before you play, when you practice, basically anytime you step on the court. JJ Redick, Steph Curry, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, basically some the greatest shooters in NBA history are all on record saying they do this very drill to work on their form. I did this since I was a kid because my dad used to make me do it. I'm a pretty deadly shooter because of it, but I practice my shooting at least twice a week, not including days I play pickup. It goes to show that no one is BORN to shoot, they all work at it.

I've said this in other threads too, but the best excercise for basketball, and it helps specifically with range, is forearm curls and forearm extensions. Not brutal weight, and go to exhaustion.

Yes the foundation of your shot comes from your legs, but range and quickness can be developed in the snap of your wrist, which is all forearm. It also helps your snappen up your handle, and allows for weirder releases around the rim. When I was in high school I did them all the time.

just practice bro

[QUOTE=jamal99]What's air balling?[/QUOTE]

Air balling means that the ball falls short, not hitting the rim or backboard at all.

When someone shouts '' Short '' after shooting the ball, he is trying to tell the others to grab the rebound or something

It's actually one of the first terms you'll learn in basketball