-Strongside forward and moderately angled strongside lateral capabilities The whole-body elbow-out jump shot is the star of the whole-body jump shot theory.  The star status derives from the fact that the whole-body elbow-out jump shot’s strongside forward and moderately angled strongside lateral capabilities are the perfect match for the to-the-basket game favored by most players.  Another reason for the whole-body elbow-out jump shot’s star status is that it provides access to and spearheads the strongside game, with its full complement of shooting, driving and passing options. The following is a list of notable whole-body elbow-out jumpshooters: Earl Monroe, Bob McAdoo, Gus Williams, George Gervin, Robert Parish, Fast Eddie Johnson, Bernard King, Hakeem Olajuwon, Reggie Miller, Sheryl Swoopes, Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury.  Not all of the listed players were perfect whole-body elbow-out jumpshooters.  But sport is never about cookie-cutter replication, right?  Most importantly, each got whole-body athleticism and whole-body power from their individualized versions of the whole-body elbow-out jump shot.

-Much-needed In the past, the strongest criticism of the prevailing ideas on correct jump shot technique, which I call the elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot theory, was implicit.  It consisted of players choosing to shoot self-invented jump shots instead of the elbow-in-strokesnap jump shot.  But now my whole-body jump shot theory has been written up as both an argument against and an alternative to the elbow-in-strokesnap techniques.  The whole-body jump shot theory consists of analyses of the best jump shots in the history of basketball.  The result is a systematic and comprehensive jump shot theory that focuses on athleticism, power and protection as well as accuracy and touch.  The purpose of the whole-body jump shot theory is to explain how and why the best jump shots worked in order to make them teachable and learnable.  Reggie Miller’s whole-body elbow-out jump shot and Kobe Bryant’s whole-body reachback jump shot are used as the primary whole-body instructional models.

-Good power, poor athleticism Magic Johnson made his name playing on the run.  But Johnson’s non-jump shot, the squat shot, was antithetical to his movement-based game.  Johnson’s squat shot had plenty of power, accuracy and touch.  But because the squat shot’s low shooting position for the start of the release squashes the jump of the jump shot, Johnson’s jumpshooting game was virtually nonexistent.  Johnson’s jump shot story, however, does provide a glimmer of hope.  If you happen to be a highly athletic and highly competitive pass-first point guard with inspirational leadership skills and a high basketball IQ who is almost seven feet tall, then there is a possibility that you too could be a basketball superstar without a jump shot.  On the other hand, if you are a mere basketball mortal, then the most important thing you could do to improve your offensive game, regardless of your position, is to learn how to shoot a whole-body jump shot.