Q&A for How to Shoot a Basketball

You'll need to hold the ball so your fingers are perpendicular to the lines on the grip.

Have you elbow straight under the ball. And also shoot from your finger tips. Not your palm. If you do this, your shot will (hopefully) go in straight. Practice a lot.

Use your legs and hips to provide more power. This will give you the distance.

Start the shot from your chest and bring it up with lots of momentum, so that the shot will have more power behind it. You could also tryto start down lower to the ground and use your legs to produce more power.

Use your arm and leg power, and make sure you're following through with your shooting. You can increase your power by doing squats and push-ups.

Turn more in the air, dip more, and jump forward further. Make sure that your shoulders are leaning back and relaxed. This will allow you to have more power.

You should have one hand on the side of the ball, and the other hand on the back of the ball.

Start the shot from your chest and bring it up with lots of momentum so that the shot will have more power behind it. You could also try to start down lower to the ground and use your legs to push up and produce more power.

Start the shot from your chest and bring it up with lots of momentum. This way, the shot will have more power behind it. You could also try to start the shot down closer to the ground and use your legs to produce more power.

Practice, so you can get used to the feeling of pressure.

Yes, but it's better to learn to shoot with one hand.

The second hand is just there to balance the ball in your hands. You're shooting with your primary hand only.

No, but you will probably be a lot more efficient and accurate than you were prior to reading this.

Some players like to do that as a follow-through, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Make sure your arm is straight under the ball and your fingers are near your eyebrows. Use your left hand to balance and keep the ball straight when shooting. Aim for a high arc so you have a higher chance of making the basket. Shoot in one fluid motion.

The only cure for elbow pain (probably tendonitis) is to rest the elbow.

Don't try to shoot high, your jumping action is enough to get the ball high. Just focus on getting the ball to the rim.

Some people are better with different things. Do whatever works and feels best for you.

To break a habit you just need to keep doing it the correct way until it becomes natural. Just keep practicing taking jumpshots using one hand as your guide hand. The more you practice, the easier it will become.

Practice! If you have to achieve anything, practice and the will of not giving up and staying motivated are a few essentials. Just never give up and try to beat your previous scores.

When jumping, make sure your dominant foot is aligned with the basket. As for shooting, keep your arm straight and follow through after the ball leaves your hand. Most importantly, practice.

You have to practice having a high arcing shot so most shots swish instead of hitting off the backboard or rim.

First of all, in most cases that is a foul. Secondly, I recommend you get a faster jump shot or jump higher when you shoot.

Yes, it will, but this wouldn't be the most effective exercise for building arm muscle.

The "power" of your shots starts at the legs, or when you jump, and then goes through a motion that stops when you follow through. So basically, to get less power in your shot you want to have little or no jump, and when you follow through, make sure you have finesse and aren't pushing the ball too much.

When you are dribbling, step back away from the opponents and release the ball quickly. The step back helps create space.

Your non-shooting hand could be balancing the ball incorrectly or your shooting hand isn't directly under the ball.

Practice shooting close to the basket until you have a good shot form. Then slowly move back. Make sure you use your legs, too! And work on increasing your arm strength.

Sure. Work on your form (the way your arms and legs should be positioned when you shoot). There are YouTube tutorials you can watch to help with this. Just practice holding your body in the proper position, then when you do get the ball, you'll know what to do.

Try to aim for the three triangles facing down and shoot towards the middle one.