Here’s How Ray Allen Teaches Jump Shooting

In this clip, JJ Redick admires Ray Allen’s shooting form and ask Ray how he learned to shoot, how he now teaches people, and the best way to do so.

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Steph Curry on hot one said that uh if he was to teach someone how to shoot he would teach Klay Thompson’s form um I wanted to shoot like you like not just like makes and misses but like I legitimately wanted to shoot a jump shot like you release point I even shot a flatter shot because you shot a flatter shot when you look at different guys shooting the basketball curious how you learned how to shoot that way why it worked for you specifically but also how would you teach and I know you you have with your kids but how would you teach and who would you emulate for shooting the basketball well again I I think that the there’s a a similar analogy uh to golf like you take somebody who can’t who’s never swung a golf club and they want golf lessons first thing I would say is go play golf go to the range hit balls for a couple a week or so and then come back let me see what your body has developed now you know what your body can and cannot do and now we can work from there cuz I don’t want to try and force you in a position that you you can’t get to you know tightness like whatever athletic ability is sometimes a guy will go to a golf instructor golf instructor is trying to make them get to a space that their body just can’t get to so if I’m teaching I’m watching the kid exactly what they can and cannot do based on their physical limitations or you know abilities right not everyone can shoot a jump shot like you yeah that’s a fact like Joel embiid has great for but Joel embiid is not going to elevate no 28 30 inches off the ground on the shot it’s just not not GNA happen for him but what I will do is because I have the issue with my with my sons so every kid at a young age you know a lot of times what happens and I found this fascinating because my boys at a younger age and even my 17year old now he he doesn’t do it anymore but used to push from underneath his chin so he pushed the ball up like that why because they’re using their body power-wise because they don’t understand shooting and they think that’s what they need to thrust the ball in the air so you know we have a trampoline you know in in our yard and the boys are bouncing up and down on a trampoline and they got you know the Hoops on on both sides so they’re I mean they’re over here like they they’re their games are always like fascina look out the window and watch them because they’ll do back flips between the legs like my now 12 year-old he’s had a dunk contest where he’s like doing everything spins and dunking and then he shoots it and I was watching him one time shoot this basketball he’s got the ball in his hands he’s gone with rotation and everything and I was like so he can shoot like that with his fingertips but when he gets a bigger ball he’s shooting because because now that Ball’s too big for him so now he’s hoisting now he’s pushing from underneath his chin now his form’s off he’s just trying to get the ball in air and thing is is he’ll be proficient that’s still making the shot because he can adjust he can adapt so in many instances the kids in young age definitely need smaller balls so it doesn’t help them develop that habit of pushing and then when they get older now he’s at the age where he’s still doing the same things you you know you see a lot where the kids end up doing like this and everybody’s follow through was right here and I always tell them don’t follow through with your guide hand it’s always right here don’t do that because that’s what they’re used to doing from here so now they evolve to get up here and they’re doing the same thing so the first thing that I I tell every kid when they shoot is I watch how they hold the ball because a lot of times they hold it in their Palm so remember if I and I what I do is I’ll throw the football have a football throw it at them you you never catch the football down here you know and then I throw a golf ball at him you don’t catch the golf ball like that you catch it up here I said so when I give you the basketball don’t catch the basketball here so when you shoot the last thing happens is it rolls off your fingers so now if you’re on the free throw line watch watch college watch the pros you know Pros do it because they’re skilled at it they’re ad dep at it but some other guys are really bad Shooters because they let the ball start here and then it rolls all the way here all the way to Here and Now once it gets to here their motions already right here they have no touch and they have to push Josh Hart yeah so it gets here and it’s like it’s like they’re pushing with their arm to get the ball off their hands it’s not in their wrist anymore it’s interesting if we think about basketball shooting not as a push but a throw if I was throwing a baseball unless I was trying to throw a [ __ ] up Pitch mhm I would not throw with my palm never I was even a football yeah it’s it’s the fingers that are releasing it’s not the Palm there’s obviously some Shooters uh Mike Dunley Damen Lillard that shoot on the but I watch all of them some of them that shoot in the Palm they got to do like this because they got to really throw it they get really Adept at being able to do that but specifically kids because I I always watch it and I try to get them to see it and and and I even pull up my own clips and I don’t want everybody to have to shoot it like me but I’ve had success because I duplicated those same habits and we’re talking about getting the ball off fast you know you’re talking about moving your feet and getting the ball off quickly so if you look at me on the free throw line the one thing that you’ll see is the ball is always served up so you you could put your hand through my uh right here on my palm and the ball’s sitting up here it’s not sitting like that flat right what happens is they’re holding the whole ball because they it’s an insecurity because most people say oh I’m not filling the ball it’s not going to you know I’m and then they end up pushing like this whole it’s a match can I match my lift with my release that is the the the the trick because once you get into a real game if you can match that now you’re cooking with hot grease it’s really interesting when I would have bad shooting workouts what when you would have a bad shooting workout I’m assume you did the same thing like if I felt like man everything’s just not in alignment right now my muscle memory is off I just sto the drill and go right to the free throw go right to the free throw line let me figure this out the release Point thing is huge