How to Shoot a Basketball Free Throw

Using the Proper Alignment and Hand Placement

Line up the ball, not your body, with the rim. Using the middle of the free-throw stripe to position yourself can lead to an awkward 30 to 45 angle to the rim, and likely a bad free throw shot. Instead, hold the ball in your shooting hand. Then, stand in front of the basket and draw an invisible line from the ball in your hand to the rim of the basket. Your right toes will be just to the left of center and your right arm should line up with the basket. Positioning yourself this way will minimize your left-to-right or right-to-left movement and give you a more consistent free throw shot. If you are a left handed shooter, you may want to practice a two handed free throw. It’s difficult to be an accurate shooter with two hands, so you can use your left hand as your shooting hand if it feels comfortable.

Keep your legs hip width apart and your shoulders square to the basket. Some shooters keep their toes lined up behind the free throw line. Some shooters stagger their feet slightly. Try to find a stance where you feel balanced. You don’t want a lopsided stance as this will lead to a poor shot. If you are a right handed shooter, your left foot may be a bit further back from your right foot. If you’re a left handed shooter, your right foot may be a bit further back from your left foot.

Place your weight forward into your toes, but keep your back straight. Don’t lean forward. Simply transfer your weight forward into your toes. Keeping your back straight will keep you from stepping over the free throw line and getting a foul in a game.

Bend your legs a little at the knees. Your legs are what will provide the upward power for your shot. So you want to place your weight in your toes and bend your legs to access this power, or the “up” motion. Some players find it more natural to stand with their knees straight and then initiate the shooting motion by dipping down and bending their knees. Then, they will straighten their knees as they go up for the shot, or a “down then up” motion. Do whatever technique feels comfortable and natural for you.

Hold the ball on the tops of the fingers of your shooting hand, specifically your thumb, pointer, and middle fingers. Do not hold the ball in the palm of your shooting hand, as you won’t generate enough power from your palm to throw the ball properly. Hold the ball so the black lines on the basketball are going across the ball. This will help with your throw. There should be a little pocket of space between your palm and the ball. Press your thumb, pointer and middle fingers against the ball to get a sense of the right hand placement. When you release the ball, those three fingers should be the last to touch the ball. This will give you a nice backspin, giving you a better chance of a successful shot.

Releasing the Ball Properly

Use your free hand to balance the ball. Hold the ball on the tops of the fingers of your shooting hand and place your other hand on the other side of the ball. Your shooting hand should be under the ball and your free hand should be beside the ball. It will act as your guide hand and make sure the ball stays balanced as you take the free throw.

Make sure your elbow is straight and close to your body. Don’t let your elbow flap out to one side. Scoop it down and up so it is close to your body and in line with the rim. It should make an “L” shape.

Keep your eyes on the rim. As you shoot, don’t take your eyes off the target! Lock your eyes on the rim, not the ball. The sudden jerk of your head from the rim to the ball will throw off your shot.

Take a deep breath, bend your knees slightly, and shoot. Your thumb, pointer and middle finger should be the last to touch the ball. This will give you a nice backspin or rotation on the ball. Make sure you come up on your toes as you release the ball. Coming up on your toes will ensure you are releasing as much power as possible from your legs into the shot. Make sure your back is straight and you aren’t lunging forward with your upper body. If you miss the basket by a few feet, this means you may need more power. Adjust this by jumping a little on your release to give your shot more power. If you overshoot the basket, you may need less power in your throw. Adjust this by throwing with less force and further back from the free throw line.

Follow-through on your toes. Keep your shooting hand up in a “gooseneck” after you release the ball, until it goes into the net. You should be up on your toes and looking at the rim, not the ball in the air or as it lands in the rim.

Maintaining Your Mental Game

Practice, practice, practice. A big part of a successful free throw shot in maintaining your focus and technique on every free throw. The only way to do this is to practice your free throw technique every day, at every practice until it becomes natural and almost like second nature. That way, when you are at the free throw line during a game, with one five seconds to go, surrounded by all the noise of the fans, you can simply focus on the rim and make the free throw, just like you practiced. Try to shoot 25 shots every day for 5 days of each week. Keep track of how many free throws you make and how many you miss. If you aren’t making more than you miss, there may be a flaw in your technique. So evaluate your level of success and adjust your stance or your arm placement accordingly. As you practice, think: BEEF. Balance the ball, keep your Eye on the rim, keep your Elbow straight, and Follow through.

Find your free throw ritual. Because a free throw does not involve defense, you can create a small ritual or routine before you make your shot. For example, every time Michael Jordan took a free throw, he followed the same ritual: spin the ball, dribble three times, spin the ball again, and then shoot. Relying on a ritual that you have practiced many times will relax and focus you before you take the shot. Create your own small ritual during your free throw practice. Start every free throw with this ritual so it feels natural and comfortable.

Do a shooting drill. This can help you with your distance control, which is the control you have over how far or how short the ball goes when you shoot it. Stand 9 inches in front of the free throw line. Maintaining your free throw technique, shoot the ball, aiming for the back of the rim. Do this several times, missing the shot, but aiming at the back of the rim. Move 9 inches behind the line and hit the front of rim on each shot. Do this several time, missing the shot but hitting the front of the rim. Finally, move back to the free throw line and get into your free throw position. Try to swish each shot, using the same distance control you used in the previous spots on the court.

Work up to making a free throw with your eyes closed. This may sound impossible, especially when you are just starting to get comfortable with your free throw technique. But once you develop a good technique and your technique feels comfortable through practice, you should be able to close your eyes, shoot, and swish the ball.