POWER SHOOTING

The National Basketball Association is hard on jumpshooters. A big reason is that the players in the NBA unquestionably play the best individual and team defense to be found anywhere. But to make matters much worse, the NBA has all but officially endorsed the almost all wrong elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot theory. The unathletic and power deficient elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot has caused many otherwise good and, yes, many otherwise great basketball players to underachieve. In addition, because the NBA is the world’s leader in basketball, the elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot theory has sabotaged the jump shot at every level of play worldwide.

The sabotage of the jump shot occurs because the elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot does not work well off the dribble at mid-range, especially off strongside moves and run-ups. That’s primarily because of the exclusion of the shooting shoulder from the elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot’s release. The exclusion of the shooting shoulder takes place because the elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot aligns/points the shooting elbow with/at the basket for accuracy. As a result, the shooting elbow sets up too far out front for the shooting shoulder to roll back, which is crucial because it is the rollback that activates the shooting shoulder as a source of athleticism and power.

Excluding the shooting shoulder from the release precludes the merge of the jump of the jump shot, which is the core component of jump shot athleticism, with the release of the jump shot, which is the jump shot’s defining technique. The merge does not occur because excluding the shooting shoulder from the release means no forward rotation of the shooting shoulder, which is the dynamic that channels the athleticism and the power of the jump into the release. The exclusion of the forward rotation of the shooting shoulder from the release also removes one of the primary power sources both for the release and for the rotation of the square-in-the-air jump that many strongside pull-up jump shots require and all could use.

Big picture, the elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot’s strongside mid-range limitations and the consequent fact that there are not enough attacking mid-range jumpshooters to meet the demand have shifted the locus of play to long-range while creating something of an action vacuum at mid-range. In other words, the introduction of  the game-changing 3-point shot, which resulted in the mass migration of shooters to 3-point land, and the critical shortage of strongside mid-range pull-up jumpshooters both derive from the built-in flaws of the elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot. Plainly, that's not a very glorious origin story for the 3-point era. But basketball's powers that be did their best to turn adversity to advantage by legislating the 3-point shot into existence. The idea behind the 3-point shot was to inflate the importance of long-range shooting and as a result hopefully add a little excitement to a stagnating game.

With less jump shot action at mid-range, the current focus of attention has been directed first toward the physical gifts of the players and second toward the 3-point shot. The ultra-hype surrounding slam dunks and the 3-point shot has reduced the strongside mid-range pull-up jump shot to little more than an afterthought. That's despite the fact that the strongside mid-range pull-up jump shot is the most advanced, the most physical and, based on its contribution to winning, arguably by far the most important skill in basketball. However, a jump shot theory that gets it right could upend the current narrative by making the strongside mid-range pull-up jump shot teachable and learnable and therefore poised for its deserved top billing. So besides significantly raising the level of play, a jump shot theory that gets it right would also benefit basketball through a necessary reordering of its offensive priorities.

My new whole-body jump shot theory is, of course, an attempt to get it right. In order to get it right, the whole-body jump shot theory, which I wrote up in a book called Power Shooting, had to modify and even take down accepted jump shot techniques, had to approve of disapproved jump shot techniques and had to analyze and describe successful but previously unrecognized or dismissed jump shot techniques. The whole-body jump shot techniques add up to a new performance technology for basketball. The explanations for how and why the whole-body jump shot techniques work are in the book and on this website. The proof is in the performance.

But just so you know, Power Shooting the book covers more ground than Power Shooting the website. Of particular timely interest in the book is an article that analyzes and describes the whole-body long-range/3-point semi-jump shots. Of particular historical interest in the book is an article that analyzes and describes the sky hook in hopes of reviving the dormant post-up superweapon.

The following is a copy of Power Shooting the book’s table of contents:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction..………….…….........................……...…………………………………………...……….1

PART 1 – THE BASICS…………….…….………………………………………………………………3

Jump shot theory: The old vs. the new…………….……………………...………………….…...……4

Jump shot how-to: What works and what does not work…….....…………………….…...…...….…6

Jump shot breakthrough: New techniques, better results…………..………....…..………………....8

The shooting shoulder: Crucial to the jump shot……………………….…....………………...……..10

Reading: It makes a difference…………………….....………....………………………………..……13

PART 2 – THE FAILED ELBOW-IN-STROKESNAP JUMP SHOT THEORY...………………...…14

The alignment stance: The straitjacket effect…………………….………………………….........….15

Square the shoulders: During the jump, not before..……...................................…………...........16

The elbow-in shooting position: Locks in the straitjacket…….......……………………......………..17

Shifting the shooting-side foot forward: Activates the shooting shoulder...……………….....…....18

The behind/underneath shooting grip:
Stiffens with external rotation of the shooting hand setup.................………….......................….19

The fingertips shooting grip: Too small and too weak………….…………..……………….....…....20

Shooting at the top of the jump: Some of the time…………..............……...…………………...…21

The strokesnap release: Power deficient………………………….…...………...…………………..22

The follow-through: After the fact……….………………………...……………………....………..…23

A summary of the elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot theory….…………………………………....….24
Source chart……..…………….………………………………………...…….…………….……….....24
Sequence….………………………….………………………...…………………………..…...………24

Final comments……..………………………………..…….…………………………….….…...…….25

PART 3 – PLAYER-SOURCED JUMP SHOTS…….………………………..………………......….26

The squat shot: Good power, poor athleticism (e.g., Magic Johnson)….……………….….…….27

The elbow-in-push jump shot:
Limited attack capability (e,g., Anthony Davis)…………….………….………………………….…29

The weakside semi-sideways jump shot:
Easy, not effective, explains its popularity (e.g., Goran Dragic)………...……….......………...…31

The cupgrip jump shot:
Long on power but short on control (e.g., Tim Duncan)………...…...….........………………..….34

The elbow-out-strokesnap jump shot:
Good start, mixed results (e,g., Jimmy Butler)……….….…………..…….…………………….…36

The wrongside jump shot:
Modest benefits, major defects (e.g., Kevin Martin)…….……………….……..………………....38

The reachback-strokesnap jump shot: Not fit for a king (e.g., LeBron James)..……………….41

The roofgrip jump shot: Clamps down on athleticism (e.g., Al Horford)…….…………………..45

The winggrip jump shot: Avoids external rotation
of the shooting hand during setup (e.g., Peja Stojakovic)……......................…………….........47

The cradlegrip jump shots:
Easy power, limited athleticism (e.g., Jamal Murray)……………………...……………………...51

PART 4 – POWER SHOOTING’S WHOLE-BODY JUMP SHOT THEORY....………………....56

Whole-body primer: Push and pull……………………………………..…..……………….………58

The strongside game: The way to play……………...…………………...….……………………..60

The lateral dribble: Protection, acceleration, the first step,
turning the corner, running, shooting, driving and the logo…..…..………...………………...….66

The elbow-out jump shot: Strongside to-the-basket pull-ups
and moderately angled strongside lateral pull-ups –
also post-up, weakside and 3-point adaptable……..…….......…........………………..........…...69

The elbow-out jump shot as executed by Reggie Miller…..……...……..…..………………...…74

Elbow-out jump shot comparisons: Shot-putting and more..………...…....……………………..75

The reachback jump shot: Strongside lateral pull-ups
from mid-range at both moderate and extreme angles –
also post-up, weakside and 3-point adaptable……………….……….……………………….......77

The reacback jump shot as executed by Kobe Bryant……………………..………………..……83

Reachback jump shot comparisons: Throwing and more……………..…...……………….…….84

The reachup jump shot: The less reachback, the better (e.g., Kawhi Leonard).……………….86

The elevated-elbow-in jump shot:
Small change, big improvement (e.g., Kevin Durant)…………...…….………………...…..……89

Stephen Curry’s sidegrip jump shot: Max power, max control…..…………...……………….…92

Kyrie Irving: Jump shot diversity………………………………………….….……………………..97

The footwork for the strongside pull-up jump shot: The two-step stop….…………………..…102

How to set up the shooting grip for strongside pull-up jump shots:
The key to the kingdom…………….……………………………………………...…….......…….104

Shooting hand control of the jump shot: The right tool for the job...…….….………………….107

The jump of the jump shot: What’s it all about, Luka?…..……………..….……………….……112

Free throw shooting: Derived from the player’s jump shot…………..…..….……………….....117

Long-range/3-point semi-jump shots:
The up-and-out effort to shoot, not a jump, gets them in the air…......…..……………………119

The sky hook: From understanding to revival……………….…………...………………….…..123

How to play point guard: Shoot first, pass preferred……………………...……………….……128

Jump shot instruction: Theory meets reality………………….....………....……………….……131

A summary of Power Shooting’s whole-body jump shot theory.….…....……………………...133
Source chart…….……………………………………….……………………...……………….….133
Sequence….….………………………………………………………………………………...…...133

Final comments……...…………….……………………………………………………..…...…….135

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email address:
rtilitz@optimum.net

Mailing address:
Robert Tilitz
6629 Broadway Apt 2H
Bronx, NY 10471