The Basics of Shooting a Basketball Correctly – Tip #3 – Your Elbow Placement

I went to many, many basketball camps as a kid. And one thing I heard over and over again was “son, put your elbow under the ball.” So I dutifully said the same thing to other players I’ve coached over the years, since it sounds right. But I have come to question this belief; Is it really correct to tell players to put their elbow under the ball? In the last 20 years I have watched shooters hundreds of times. So far I haven’t seen any, and I mean none, shooters who actually “keep their elbow under the ball.” Each of them has the elbow a little to the side.

The advice to “keep your elbow under the ball” is not entirely useless. Some children have the shooting elbow pointed violently to the side. That won’t work; you’ll be a terrible marksman if your elbow placement makes you look like you’re flapping your wings like a chicken. So for those people who have ‘chicken wing syndrome’, the instructions to ‘put elbow under the ball’ will at least start them getting the ball into a better position. But just because it helps some kids correct some problems doesn’t make the statement “keep your elbow under the ball” correct.

If you took the advice to put your elbow under the ball literally, it would hurt, not help your shot. It puts your arm in an unnatural position and creates unnecessary tension. In truth, your elbow should be pointing about 20-30 degrees from center; If your arm were a watch, a right-handed arm would be around 4:30 or 5:30, and a left-handed arm would be around 7:30 or 8:30. If you tried to force him any lower….in other words, to go straight up and down (or 6 o’clock to continue the example), his shoulder would rise sixteen, the muscles would tense, and that kind of tension is an enemy to a relaxed and consistent shot.

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