Pro Shot Shooting System

 

At Big 6 Basketball, our shooting philosophy is based on the Pro Shot Shooting System. Pro Shot is a shooting program developed by Paul Hoover, one of the premiere shooting coaches in the US. (Download Paul’s  ebook.)

Matt Williamson, the current Pro Shot CEO, is also one of the top shooting coaches in the world. He teaches players and teams the techniques used consistently by the world’s top shooters.

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After researching thousands upon thousands of hours, Paul found that great shooters possess four important mechanics of shooting:

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1) A quality release
2) Shooting alignment of the release, shoulder, hip and elbow to the basket
3) A rhythmic dip when shooting off the pass
4) Shoulders that are relaxed and at an angle (the sweep and sway)

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FOREST

The Pro Shot Shooting system focuses on six areas of the body to produce accurate, rhythmic and quick shooters. F.O.R.E.S.T. is Pro Shot’s easy to remember acronym that covers all aspects of the Pro Shot Shooting System. Each letter represents a component of the system:

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“F” is for Finger

Proper shooting technique begins with proper release. Quality shooters hold their follow-through on every shot. The duration a player should hold his follow-through is until the ball hits the rim or net.

The Pro Shot system teaches shooting off the index finger, the strongest finger on the hand.  The system also teaches the “Kobe pinch”. Kobe pinches his shot with his index finger and his thumb. When he does this, the other three fingers stick up almost like a small group of stairs. In other words, the pinkie sticks up the highest, followed by the ring finger and finally by the middle finger. This technique of bringing the index finger to the thumb forces the shot to stay straighter. Read more.

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“O”is for Off Hand

The off hand is basically the glue that holds the shot together. By having an off balanced or tension-filled off hand, a player will generally always be “fighting” his or her shot.

Great shooters of the past did not drop the off hand down like many of today’s shooters. If you look at Mark Price, Larry Bird, Chris Mullin, Glen Rice and Reggie Miller, they all work their shooting hand with the off hand. Read more.

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“R”is for Rhythm (Dip)

Imagine a golfer or a tennis player without a back swing. Wouldn’t be very good, huh? The dip is the back swing of basketball. It gives a player more power and rhythm which are two very key components to shooting.

Dipping from the waist to the hip is the most ideal area on the body. The dip occurs when a players receives the pass from above his head to generally the waist level. The player dips usually between the waist and thigh. Read more.

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“E” is for Eyes

What do the great shooters look at when they shoot? The answer may surprise you! The eyes are a crucial component of shooting and easily one of the most misunderstood aspects as well. Poor shooters stare at the rim.

Pro Shot teaches you to look at the rim as a whole, but don’t stare at it. When the ball reaches eye level, your focus switches to the finger.Follow the finger up and through the release. Read more.

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“S” is for Sweep & Sway

The “Sweep and Sway” is a very simple, but effective technique that will help the shoulders to relax while giving the shot additional arc.

When shooting, your feet should “Sweep” in front of your body (much like a broom). This will allow your shoulders to “Sway” back. Sweeping the feet forward on your shot makes the shoulders sway back, relieving you of tension and improving the arc of your shot.

Because you will land equally on both feet, this is not considered a fade-away jump shot. A fade-away is generally when a player only lands on one foot.  Read more.

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“T” is for Turn

This might be the most important component of the Pro Shot System. To shoot a basketball accurately a player needs to land with their hip, shoulder, elbow and release aligned to the basket.  Players that land with squared feet receive little if no alignment and power in their shot. They will miss consistently short and to the sides.

At Pro Shot we believe a player can actually start squared or start turned. The key is the landing. It is very difficult to land ten toes to the basket. Read more.

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The Pro Shot website and Youtube channel have numerous videos that reinforce these principals.

Pro Shot Shooting System Links