Putting Arch On A Shot

Hey coach! I got a point guard (14 years old) that I'm trying to teach him how to put some arch on his shot and his shot starts from his shoulder. How would be the best way to approach this?
Coach Luis Zeno

Coach Zeno,

As usual in my coaching, the first thing to do is increase awareness of what he is doing. You are telling him he is doing something does not help much, if any.

ARCH...

Ask him what he notices about his arch. Ask him when, in the jump, he shoots: early, middle or late. Suggest that an earlier release might give him more arch. Have him do that and report to you what he sees and feels. Heíll surely realize that shooting earlier creates more arch. One way to play with this is to assign a percentage of how much of the leg energy he is catching as he goes to shoot. 100% just means heís catching it all. Zero % would be shooting at the top of the jump. 50% is missing half of the energy. Then he can report to you what he feels and he will start learning more deeply to shoot earlier. Higher shots just have more power and stability than do flat shots.

SHOULDER...

Starting from the shoulder is a way to get power, but itís not aligned with the eye so itís not the best Set Point. Discuss with him the advantages and disadvantages of different alignments with the ball and eye, how being in line with the eye is much more accurate. Then he has to choose between a Set Point below the eyeor above. At 14, it depends on his strength. If heís not strong enough, he will have to keep it below the eyes until he develops more strength. Above the eyes is preferableas itís less likely to be blocked, but if taken up too early in relation to strength, he will be straining to get the ball to the basket. Use awareness of this aspect of his shot and he will discover what is most effective for him.

A comment about shooting on the way up for most shots: For inside, turn-around type shots where elevation is important, then you can hesitate before shooting, but do not wait until the very top as the shot becomes unstable. You can also raise your Set Point for these shots so you can fire off the Release more quickly, without holding back.