How to shoot a basketball
For beginners building steady form so free-throw and mid-range shots start dropping.
IJR · Sep 26, 2026 · 2 min read
Your legs power the shot and your fingertips guide it straight. Square every part of the motion to the rim and finish high.
You'll need a basketball, clear space to the free-throw line fifteen feet out, and a ten-foot hoop.
Toes point straight at the basket. Balance feels solid when you can lift either heel without swaying.
Leave space under the ball so the palm stays off it. You see clear daylight between palm and ball when the touch is right.
Align the ball with your shooting eye. The forearm stands vertical and the elbow aims at the rim when the set is correct.
Choose one small target and do not glance at the ball. The spot stays clear in your vision through the release when focus holds.
Push the floor away as the arm straightens. The ball leaves on a high arc when the legs finish their push at the same moment the arm locks.
Freeze that hand position for a silent count of two. Backward spin shows on the ball when the snap was clean.
The most common mistake
Guiding with the off hand pushes the shot off line. Let that hand drop away early so only the shooting fingertips control the ball.
Pro tip
Make ten shots from five feet with only the follow-through focus before you step back to fifteen feet.
Say it every time
Legs load, eyes lock, elbow tucked, snap and hold.
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