I've never had a shooting coach so my shot has always been a little weird. As I practiced I followed my own intuition for adjustments,
and since I was never certain my shot slowly changed over the years. When I first started I shot the ball low from my chest
and approached goofy (right foot first). Later I would shoot the ball over my left shoulder with a crooked right arm. People
used to ask if I shot left handed. Finally, I am at a place where I am satisfied with my jumper. It's improved by leaps and bounds over
the summer. It is more accurate and has more range. For once in my life my mechanics are such that I will never need to overhaul my shot again.
I've noticed a change in my shot but until now I haven't been able to articulate it.

For those of you who have played competitevly and have had your own shooting coach you might already know this. For the rest of
us who are on our own, maybe I can help. I used to like to shoot the ball with my thumb and fingers on the seams, as if you were palming
or trying to palm the ball. I now like to shoot the ball
with my thumb and fingers touching none of the seems. To do this, I like to grip the ball right over one of the two corners where
the seams connect so my fingers touch nothing but leather. Why do I do this? For a while I didn't know, but think about this.

First, why don't we jump on freethrows? This seems unconnected, but it will make sense. It's not because we don't have to and it's
not because we'll jump over the line. It's about minimization of movement. The simpler a movement is, the more easily we'll
be able to master that movement through muscle memory. Imagine raising your right hand straight. Easy right? Now if you have to incorporate
your left hand, your knees, your feet, and so on, the movement will be a lot harder to master. So minimization of movements.

Now imagine Ray Allen's jumper. It is so quick, so pretty, so simple. BUT, his shot doesn't actually have that much spin, relative to
other shooters. Think about it.
Weird huh? Now this is where it all comes together.

I grip the leather, not the seams, to prevent against flicking my fingers. Dribble with your fingertips, shoot with your wrist. When
you finish your shot your hand should be straight, your finger tips perpendicular to your arm. Your fingertips shouldn't be pointing down,
parallel to your wrist. Your shot will have less spin, but that's okay. It's all about minimization. If you can remove even one small action
from your shot it will become more accurate (and quicker).

Now, I do use fingertips on special occasions. My natural range extends to just beyond the 3 point line. This is where I shoot from in games
and I don't have much of an incentive to shoot from further. But on the rare occasion that I do (greedy game-winner attempt), in order
to add that extra oopmh to get the ball to the back of the rim (where you want to aim when the shot is out of your natural range), I
flick my fingertips. It can add range to your shot if you don't flick your fingertips already but it will take away accuracy.

Now, I'm not saying don't use your fingertips at all. Your fingertips should be a guide, not a source of power.

Happy shooting,
Travis