Dwight Howard free throw fix

[Penny Hardaway's Ghost 260]

quote:

Originally posted by Kramer:

quote:

Originally posted by rtillaree:

quote:

Originally posted by Arex Bawrin:

Has anyone mentioned the fact that he has really big hands? It's incredibly difficult to get a good touch on the ball with hands like that. That's a big reason why many centers have struggled with free throws in the past. I think his new form is a good foundation for him and it's just going to take time to perfect it. The worst thing he could do is keep changing his form. That's like changing a golf swing.

 

has anyone mentioned that 3/4 of professional basketball players EVER have had giant hands? I hear they'll much taller too...

 

Aside from this sentence not making any real sense, many of the struggles for big men at the line have had a lot to do with the large size of their hands. I've heard this from the media, coaches, and analysts so that trumps any logical conclusion one may jump too.

 

I'll feed into it...

 

I don't want to call you retarded, but, I mean if that sentence didn't make sense to you, well...I'm sorry for your setback in life...

 

I'm also glad to know that you've heard things from coaches, the media and analysts, that not only makes the information definitive, it's also rather impressive, kudos...

[sjs069 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Ted:

Let's get one thing clear right now. Dwight Howard can make more free throws than I can. But that doesn't mean that I can't see how to fix him. Let's consider a parallel from golf (which I play better than he does).

 

Every competitive golfer has a "pre-shot routine." Each player's routine is a bit different from each other. But each one is the same on every well-hit shot. For example: Jim Furyk is a great putter. We've all seen him read the putt, take a practice stroke, set up to the ball, back off, and do it all again, hitting the putt the second time. Anthony Kim is another great putter. He reads the putt, walks up and putts without even a practice stroke. They're very different, yet very similar in that each one repeats his own routine every time.

 

Now consider free throws. Rip Hamilton is very good. He takes the ball, then makes a free throw with his right hand without the ball. Then he dribbles it several times, with the last one to the left. Finally he drains the shot. JJ Redick is also very good, as is Vince Carter. Their routines are very personal, and very different.

 

Now look at times when any of these players have a difference in their pre-shot routine. They usually miss the shot.

 

A parallel application is taking a shot "in the flow." Our announcers note that a lot of difficult shots (which usually miss) aren't taken "in the flow." That is, they don't happen at the end of a normal pre-shot routine. If JJ gets the ball as he turns past a pick and sets his feet, he's in the flow, and he frequently makes the shot. Same for Jameer when he takes that funny turning step-back 12-footer. Those are consistent pre-shot routines. They just happen on the fly. But if someone is ignored on the 3-point line and has too much time to shoot, they usually miss. Their pre-shot routine didn't happen.

 

Now to Dwight. My wife and I have been watching him carefully. We can usually tell when his free throws are going in without watching the flight of the ball. I'll call "good" or "miss" just by watching his pre-shot routine. If he has a timing roughly like this:

1 - bounce

2 - hold

3 - bounce

4 - bounce

5 - shoulder

6 - set

7 - shoot

he makes the shot. Watch tape of his good ones. They have a very repeatable tempo like that. When he misses, his tempo is off. He does all the same things, just with different timing.

 

Golfers have a problem with putting called "the yips." That's Dwight's problem. Dave Pelz, the greatest putting instructor in history, destroys the yips with a timed preshot putting pattern. Dwight needs to have exactly the same fix. I don't care about hand positions, knee positions, goose-neck or anything else here. Those are all useful and necessary. But what he needs is to attach those pieces to a repeated pre-shot routine. If he focuses on that, his free throws will get a lot better without any other treatment. And we'll win more close games.

 

Good analysis, something else to consider is shooting FT's is a lot more difficult after running up and down the court and getting hacked the way Dwight does. It doesn't matter how strong you are, it will throw off your equilibrium. Dwight needs to practice his routine in a more game like scenario.

[Ted 0]

quote:

Originally posted by ButterMilkPancakes:

Alright, Mr. Ted, so since you have studied Howard's free throw shooting this much, I'd like to know at what percentage does he make his free throws when he bounce, hold, bounce, bounce, hold, bounce, shoulder, set, think about how hungry he is, shoot

 

It's obvious you haven't read what I said. Dwight does all those steps pretty much every time. That's not the issue. The tempo (timing) of those steps IS. When the timing is on, he makes most of his free throws. When his timing is off, he misses most of them. It's all about rhythm.

[BMP 424]

quote:

Originally posted by Ted:

quote:

Originally posted by ButterMilkPancakes:

Alright, Mr. Ted, so since you have studied Howard's free throw shooting this much, I'd like to know at what percentage does he make his free throws when he bounce, hold, bounce, bounce, hold, bounce, shoulder, set, think about how hungry he is, shoot

 

It's obvious you haven't read what I said. Dwight does all those steps pretty much every time. That's not the issue. The tempo (timing) of those steps IS. When the timing is on, he makes most of his free throws. When his timing is off, he misses most of them. It's all about rhythm.

 

The only obvious thing here is that you lied to us and that you obviously do not "know" his free throw shooting as much as you claim, otherwise you'd be able to answer my question.

 

 

Oh, and the answer was 54%

[Ted 0]

What part of the word "tempo" do you not understand?

[Tommaco 0]

quote:

1 - bounce

2 - hold

3 - bounce

4 - bounce

5 - shoulder

6 - set

7 - shoot

 

lets add number 8

 

8 - still a 50/50 chance it misses anyways

 

Its dwight its just what he does. nothing can help it but to forget about all his misses and have more belief its going in when he releases it.

[Ted 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Tommaco:

quote:

1 - bounce

2 - hold

3 - bounce

4 - bounce

5 - shoulder

6 - set

7 - shoot

 

lets add number 8

 

8 - still a 50/50 chance it misses anyways

 

Its dwight its just what he does. nothing can help it but to forget about all his misses and have more belief its going in when he releases it.

 

Actually, there is a lot that can help it, and it's not about hand size, position, and so on. His coaches are already dealing with those essentials.

 

The problem is TEMPO. It's a RHYTHM issue. How many times have you heard a commentator talk about getting a shot "IN RHYTHM?" Those shots go in most of the time. Dwight makes when he's IN RHYTHM and misses when he's OUT OF RHYTHM. It's possible to create rhythm, and that's what he hasn't learned. The great free throw shooters all have excellent rhythm. It can be learned more easily than the other mechanics, but he apparently hasn't been focusing on it. If he did, he'd easily be over 80% on his free throws.

[Lawyers/Guns & Money 0]

He did everything left handed for 16 years. Eating, writing, shooting, etc. He's only been using his right hand for 8 years. Shoot the darn ball underhanded. He's got all summer to work on it. How cool would that be? For crying out loud, he'd only have to shoot 65% for it to be a significant improvement, and think of all the you tube comparisons of him and Wilt. All I'm saying is that nothing else has worked so far. That is a fact.

[TheREALBrooksThompson 157]

quote:

Originally posted by Kramer:

The Orlando Magic have ten digits invested in a guy

 

So at least a billion dollars? I'm no mathematician, but that sounds like a violation of at least one NBA rule.

[UBBALLER8 248]

I prefer Arnold Palmer myself.

 

 

 

No, not the golfer... the delicious drink.

[Ted 0]

quote:

Originally posted by Lawyers/Guns & Money:

He did everything left handed for 16 years. Eating, writing, shooting, etc. He's only been using his right hand for 8 years. Shoot the darn ball underhanded. He's got all summer to work on it. How cool would that be? For crying out loud, he'd only have to shoot 65% for it to be a significant improvement, and think of all the you tube comparisons of him and Wilt. All I'm saying is that nothing else has worked so far. That is a fact.

 

Cute idea, and it wouldn't be the first time. But it will still have the tempo problem. Drilling in tempo on top of mechanics will take variability out of the mechanics, and it's variability that makes him miss.

[D-BoFats 5]

He needs to forget about mechanics, shoot whatever way feels most natural to him, and most importantly get his own rebounds when he practices, to develop his shooting touch.