watching the ball on your follow through

I’m just like you I focus on the rim, every so often I remind myself to look at my follow through and I do it for a little but I’ve focused on looking at the rim for so long it’s just natural now, probably the same for people who DO look at the follow through of their shot.

 Nah, I don’t

Once the ball is released you staring at it isn’t going to make it go in or not.

It’s all about your form and release, and I do believe holding your follow through has a little to do with it.

But watching it….Nah.

 Yeah I honestly dont get how you can just look at the rim,I look at the ball and its trajectory (probably didnt spell that right)

 ^^^^^^ always helps to see where it needs more arch or rotation. I see where they are coming from in a sense that you can’t improve if you never look at the ball

 I could see how watching the rotation and angle of flight could improve your shot by helping you make adjustments and eventually form some good consistency. I don’t watch my ball go through the air…my shot is above average but it is so ugly it actually has counterclockwise spin. 

 I’ve never thought about it, but I watch the ball too. I’ve always followed through and watched the ball leave my hand. I can tell if I’m going to make it just by the arch, etc of the ball. 

for me if its a real game i dont think i do either. i hold my release for a litle bit and get back on D to prevent fast break or try and get my own rebound.

in pickup games i look more at my target and where i want the ball to go which is the rim but not for long. gatta follow your shot.

For me personally,

I just release the ball whenever I’m open and in shooting position and when it leaves my hand I know if it’s going in or not. I always look at the back part of the rim… whenever I get a clear look at the back rim I know it will go in majority of the time

I ALWAYS watch the ball after it leaves the hands. This way, I can "learn" and adjust my shot throughout the game depending on how my wrists and arm feels. Maybe I’m just a noob like that.

(I essentially sit the the corner and shoot the same shot every time, so trajectory is important for consistency)

I’ve been training myself not to follow the flight of the ball, because raising your eyes up as you release can throw off your aim, I prefer to look at the rim as much as possible to let my brain calculate the amount of force required without thinking consciously about my shooting. It’s a hard habit to break but holding a clear line of vision to the rim helps me a lot, personally. 

My high school coach was friend with the Blazers shooting coach in 2005 and he came and did drills with with us and taught us to never watch the flight of the ball, you start leaning too much, keep your eyes on the prize kids.  And always aim for the back of the rim. 75% of missed shots are missed short and since the diameter of the rim ball is 9 inches and the diameter of the rim is 18 inches you can have a better chance of making it if you over shoot the front of the rim by 9 inches than under shoot it by 1 inch.  I hope that all made sense.  

Personally, I end up watching the ball after its released.  Not because I want to, but more because it just feels natural to do it.  I get a feel for my follow through, release point, arc, and rotation.   I rarely miss left or right. All can vary depending on how my legs and arms feel that day.  I like to warm up with some standing layups left then right… then I move to the dotted circle inside the key and then to the free throw line… finally I shoot a few three’s and wait till I make 5 in a row before I start playing… sometimes even if I make 5 in a row I can tell something doesn’t feel right and I try to make adjustments.  I alternate between jump shots and set shots.  This creates a baseline for me to use in the game.  I can modify my touch fairly easily after this type of warm up.  My personal best for 3’s is 33 in a row and 92 out of 100 free throws… all while just practising on my own. 

The #1 tip I could give to anyone is to maintain that relaxed feeling you have while your shooting on your own.  Too often your in a game and you get hyper, blood flowing, and you can’t calm yourself enough to shoot the same way you shoot in practice. Your mind goes banana’s with so much going on and it screws with your accuracy bigtime.  Clear your mind…let it go blank, relax and shoot as if it doesn’t matter.  Rely on the skills/technique you’ve developed from the thousands of shots you’ve already taken and just try to duplicate them.  While your training, form counts… anyone can shoot.. or thinks they can, but the best of the best shooters shoot the way they do for a reason… and they all shoot the same.  It is very accurate compared to other techniques.  Ray Allen and Nash have basically the same setup, hand placement and follow through… learn to do it!  Footwork also counts.  Your shot starts at your feet suprisingly enough,  and your shot gets more consistantly accurate when your feet are properly placed.  This is easy for an open three, but harder to accomplish when your on the move…

 i just shoot it and very non-chalantly turn around and put three fingers over my head as i concentrate on the "splash" sound the net makes 

 Watching has little VERY LITTLE to do with being a good shooter.

It’s all about touch, shooting mechanincs,arch, rhythm,form.

Watching your shot may give you and idea of why your shot is off, but if your mechanics suck and you don’t have any type of rhythm,good form, watching isn’t going to help at all.

Do any of you guys actually play basketball?

Personally, I consider myself a very good 3pt shooter and when I shoot the ball , I find myself going back on defense and taking one or two quick looks to see if it’s going in.  I don’t stand there and look at the ball or rim because often-times, your man is already running on the other end.

I’ve honestly tried to watch my rotation, but it screws up my shot. I just look at the rim, but I can still see the ball in my peripheral vision.