UDPride Discussion Forums    
     

Go Back   UDPride Discussion Forums > LATEST ARTICLES > UDPride Articles

UDPride Articles Published content from your UDPride staff

» Log in
User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
» Advertisement
Comment
 
Article Tools Display Modes
Big Hands
Big Hands
Published by Swampy Meadows
04-13-2016
Big Hands

HOUSTON (TX) -- There can be little argument that Larry Bird is one of the greatest shooters of the basketball in the history of hoops, current wunderkind Steph Curry notwithstanding. I would submit to you that no one -- not even Curry -- ever practiced and studied the nuances of shooting more than Larry Legend has. Maintenance people at the old Boston Garden were accustomed to arriving early on game days to see Bird shooting by himself hours before tipoff.

Hell, don’t take my word for it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVSI1_eVuhs

And don’t think for a second that Larry has stopped practicing, either. Even tho he hung up his Converses some 25 years ago, Bird can still walk into an Indiana Pacers practice in street clothes and do this:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ba...191723730.html

Read an interview with Larry conducted several years ago and the writer was fascinated when Bird swished ten three point shots in a row. What struck the scribe was not that Larry made them, but that when the ball went thru the net it bounced backwards a few times and landed right in Bird’s hands. I remember wondering what special spin or English did Larry have to apply to the rock in order to get the ball to do that?

The answer, as it turns out, was none.

Coaches always talk about the importance of follow-thru in a shooter’s form. There was no better practitioner of the exaggerated follow-thru than Sidney Deane played by Wesley Snipes in the movie White Men Can’t Jump:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o5NweFWjAw

Rasheed Wallace was famous for the saying “Ball don’t lie” usually uttered when an opponent missed a free throw after a questionable foul was called on him. I got news for ya, Sheed -- the ball lies all the time and it does so with impunity. However, the reverse statement is 100% actual and factual:

“Ball always tells the truth.”

By that I mean that when a shot is perfectly executed and true, the ball will always tell you so, by the way it feels leaving your fingertips; the rotation of it as you send it on its way; the reassuring “swish” sound it makes going thru the net and, most importantly, by the way it will bounce right back to you. It’s the ultimate positive feedback, the ball’s way of telling you:

"That shot was perfect…here, have another.”

Conversely, if you launch a shot that is not true, the ball will always let you know that, as well:

"Man that shot was fugly…dude, you gotta go chase me and try that again."

When you think about this, it all makes sense. If what a shooter does form-wise before releasing the shot is critical, shouldn’t what the ball does after you shoot it be equally important?

And what exactly is responsible for all of this spheroid positive reinforcement you ask?

Big hands

Not physically big hands because if that were the case both Donald Trump and yours truly would be totally screwed, shooting-wise. By ‘big hands’ I mean spreading the fingers of your right hand across the seams and doing the same with your left hand on the side of the ball. Releasing the ball with the fingers of your right hand spread wide across the seams produces that sweet rotation as well as provides the back spin on the ball that will automatically return it to you after it swishes.

Don’t believe me? Try it. I’m no Larry Bird but when I get into a shooting rhythm utilizing the big hands approach I can swish four, five or six of those babies in a row with ease. What you will notice is that even shots that don’t appear to be on target will go in; likewise, the noise the ball makes when it swishes is not a quiet one, but rather a loud, reassuring “thwack.”

All of which brings us to our favorite subject, the University of Dayton Flyers men’s basketball team. Right before last season started, Kendall Pollard assured us that he had worked on his FT shooting and would be much improved in the 2015-2016 campaign:

http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/new...throw-t/nn8fr/

Okay, so it turned out not so much better, KP. There is a distinct difference between shooting a lot of free throws in the off-season and making the commitment to taking free throws with the proper form that will ensure success. Recall commenting numerous times during the season in the game threads that KP was shooting FTs with his palm on the basketball and not with his fingertips. Shooting with the whole hand is what produced that goofy knuckleball spin of his. Same thing to a lesser degree with Scoochie. Likewise Charles Cooke.

So my humble suggestion for the entire Flyer squad this off-season is this:

Guys: Do what Larry Bird does. Shoot with ‘big hands.’

That’s it “From the Swamp.”
You can email me at: swampy@udpride.com
Article Tools
  #1  
By Medford on 04-13-2016, 02:18 PM
good article. At first, I was thinking, great, another Boston love affair piece, but the Boston background was just the canvas for a great article. Nice work swampy, I'll have to get my son working on that.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
By UDBrian on 04-13-2016, 05:19 PM
Great article Swampy.

Medford, Bird has a book on playing basketball. It is more like a technical manual. I would highly recommend it for someone learning to play. If you can't buy it I would guess you can get it through the library.
Reply With Quote
Comment

Article Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.1

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:13 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.6
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement System V2.6 By   Branden

Article powered by GARS 2.1.8m ©2005-2006

     
 
Copyright 1996-2012 UDPride.com. All Rights Reserved.