<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">[IMGR]http://www.nba.com/media/bulls/gordon_freethrow3.jpg[/IMGR]As soon as the whistle blows, Ben Gordon heads to the free throw line and prepares to put some easy points on the board. Among the NBA?s most accurate from the line as a rookie, Gordon?s free throw shooting routine is one of repetition, consistency and perhaps most importantly, hard work. ?The first thing I do when I get to the line is to take a couple of deep breaths and try and get some rest,? Gordon said. ?That helps me concentrate on my free throws.? Gordon then places the ball in his left hand and mimics his shot before taking the real one, the most distinctive element of his routine. He notes that a good follow-through is key to the success of his shot. Finally, he bounces the ball four times, bends his knees and releases the ball. ?The whole purpose of your routine is so that you can become the most consistent free throw shooter than you can be,? Gordon explained. ?If you focus on the same exact thing that you do every day, it keeps bringing you back to that spot where you?ve got that comfort level. It allows you to concentrate and block everything else out.? The Ritual: While some players have been shooting free throws the same way dating back to their high school years, Gordon?s ritual is a relatively new one. Chicago?s 6-foot-3 second year guard out of the University of Connecticut says that he didn?t develop his current routine until prior to his sophomore year. His efforts, under the watchful eye of Huskies coach Jim Calhoun, paid off as Gordon?s success at the line significantly improved throughout his collegiate career. As a freshman, Gordon connected on nearly 73 percent of his free throws, but as a sophomore that jumped to 81 percent. As a junior, the season in which Gordon helped lead his school to the NCAA Championship, he shot 83 percent from the charity stripe. His success at the line has carried over to his professional career. As a rookie, Gordon made good on better than 86 percent from the line, 16th best in the NBA. ?I work on them a lot during the summertime,? Gordon said. ?During the season, I?ll shoot anywhere from 50 to 100 on a daily basis to work on keeping my touch. The more you work, the more comfortable you are when you get to the line in a game. Basically, it?s all repetition.? </div> <div align="center">Source</div>
I noticed that all the players that take the time to do that practice follow through shot before actually taking the shot tend to be very good free throw shooters. Gordon, Ray Allen, and Steve Nash come to mind.
Visualizing the shot even with an arm motion helps the shot tremendously. I have a ritual with my free throws that I have employed since High school and it still works. I take deep breaths, and spin the ball a few times like Karl Malone used to do. I occassionally say a little prayer but not in the middle of my shot. Bending my knees and imiating leviation on a jump shot while shooting the FT helps me a lot too. If anyone wants to talk about weirdest FT ever, look no further than the Barrys, starting with Papa.
Couple days ago I went to Nets website and they had some section about Jason Kidd and his foul shot ritual. I always wondered why he did the kiss, I then found out... it was for his wife.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting I-Miss-MJ:</div><div class="quote_post">Wow, talk about whipped.</div>
i just started shooting freethrows like rashard lewis i found that his form is more relaxing and like ben, i take a deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep breath and relax, people would laugh at me because of that and did anybody notice before jason kidd blows a kiss, he had to wipe his butt first?? my friend was trying to copy j-kidd in the park, and that made me laugh
