RU FT Woes... (formerly FSU Foul Shooting Today)
- Thread starter RUinPinehurst
- Start date
If underhanded was the cure all, don't you think you would be seeing more than zero people use it (pro or college)?
Didn't say it was a cure all, but it would surely improve poor foul shooters. Don't ask me to explain why guys don't adopt it.
Actually I’ve seen a few practices and they mix free throw shooting into it several different times, usually after activities that include a lot of running such as suicides, 5 on 5 scrimmages or sprints.
Colonel Potter shot his free throws underhanded when he broke the 4077th camp record.
MASH "Letters" episode
It is all about ego, but as Rick Barry is quoted as saying (paraphrased), they can't make fun of you (for shooting underhanded) if you make them.
Dolph Schayes, an all time great hooper, shot the that way & shot in the high 80's.
Wilt shot underhanded for a good portion of his career.
Rick Barry is the only other NBA player I saw do it.
Rick Barry is the only other NBA player I saw do it.
Zappa, Wilt only shot that way 1 year & his percentage went up from the 50's to the 60's & then he stopped for some reason.
I remember it distinctly, obviously I’m wrong about the length of time he did it.
If I had to guess I’d say 1965 or 66
You can learn good technique and unlearn bad technique, and improve, even at advanced levels.
In sports, prime example is golf and swing coaches. Top players are forever getting guidance and making ever so slight adjustments to their game, ideally making improvements in nuanced parts of the game: grip, stance, driving, chipping, putting, etc. It's breaking down the swing mechanics, making adjustments, as well revisiting the mental component.
Anyway... the point is--if you are forever struggling at the FT line as a team--and are doing the same "thing" in terms of FT practice or during the game over and over again and you are expecting improvement? Good luck.
FT shooting is a whole different dynamic than the rest of the game. It (mostly) strips away the benefits of overall athleticism. Knocking down FTs is a distinct skill more so than an athletic feat. It's you, the 9 1/2" ball, and an unchallenged shot at a 18" hoop that's 10' high and 15' away, every... damn... time.
So, yeah, a team that's routinely or habitually under-performing at the FT line should be looking at new approaches to address and correct the problem. With that, bringing in a FT coaching specialist/consultant to assist in that regard is just smart.
RU missing free throws isn't about practice. Of course they have practiced free throws. An incredible amount I am sure.
It's all mental at this point. These kids are afraid of the line now. You see it in their eyes. It's like a golfer with the yips.
I bet they make a lot of them in practice. Then the lights come on and it all changes. I'd do less work at the line and more work between the ears.
It's all mental at this point. These kids are afraid of the line now. You see it in their eyes. It's like a golfer with the yips.
I bet they make a lot of them in practice. Then the lights come on and it all changes. I'd do less work at the line and more work between the ears.
With some attention to FTs best case is a 2-3% yoy increase on average assuming a decent sample size each year. But I’m CBB it’s so hard to get to a decent sample size for most guys.
And anyway it’s all for naught our coach is not concerned with improving offense he has said as much. Sometimes the ball goes in sometimes it doesn’t...smh
I remember in the 1988-89 season, Dadika and Savage were MONEY at the FT line in the last five minutes of games. They absolutely rose to the occasion and were clutch (90+% late). Can anyone find stats to confirm my memory is accurate?
I remember Wenzel mentioning a few times that he didn't concern himself with the percentage a player converted during the course of a game. He said he only cared what their percentage was in the last four minutes.
I attended dozens of games at the RAC when the Nets played there from 1977-81. George Johnson, the Nets center, was noted for shooting FTs underhanded. He learned from Rick Barry when they played together with Golden State. They were teammates when the Warriors won the NBA title in 1975.
RU currently 339 out of 340 NCAA BB programs in FT shooting.
Top 10:
Top 10:
| 1 | Colorado | 14 | 208 | 246 | 84.55 |
| 2 | UC Davis | 4 | 79 | 96 | 82.29 |
| 3 | Lafayette | 6 | 89 | 109 | 81.65 |
| 4 | VMI | 14 | 195 | 241 | 80.91 |
| 5 | Oral Roberts | 14 | 193 | 239 | 80.75 |
| 6 | Pepperdine | 11 | 167 | 208 | 80.29 |
| 7 | Western Ky. | 15 | 247 | 308 | 80.19 |
| 8 | Virginia | 11 | 105 | 131 | 80.15 |
| 9 | Chattanooga | 15 | 211 | 265 | 79.62 |
| 10 | Akron | 9 | 119 | 150 | 79.33 |
Bottom 10:
| 331 | UC Riverside | 9 | 63 | 104 | 60.58 |
| 332 | South Carolina | 7 | 78 | 129 | 60.47 |
| 333 | Holy Cross | 6 | 61 | 101 | 60.40 |
| 334 | Mississippi Val. | 12 | 76 | 127 | 59.84 |
| 335 | UNC Asheville | 14 | 151 | 256 | 58.98 |
| 336 | Illinois St. | 12 | 122 | 207 | 58.94 |
| 337 | Loyola Maryland | 2 | 31 | 53 | 58.49 |
| 338 | Army West Point | 11 | 97 | 166 | 58.43 |
| 339 | Rutgers | 12 | 125 | 219 | 57.08 |
| 340 | Maine | 9 | 70 | 123 | 56.91 |
