The mid-range shot can be something that gives you a lot of trouble. If you want to ensure that your overall basketball game is good, you have to master this technique. Not only are you shooting at a farther distance, you are trying to deal with game play in one of the busiest areas of the court. Your teammates are trying to make sure you are in a good position to score, and the opposing team is trying to close in before you get a chance to score.
This means that when playing in the mid-range area of the court you are going to need to be able to dribble, set up and shoot rapidly. You need to take care of your shooting form, and that your ball handling is difficult to counter. If you’ve spent a lot of time working in these techniques, you’ll have the chance to keep the ball long enough to set up for the ideal mid-range shot and score for your team.
Footwork is critical here. It allows you to move around the court and break free of opposing players. It also allows you to maintain your balance when the time comes to take an important shot. Therefore, in order to master the mid-range shot, you need to practice your footwork through drills and practice. You want to make sure you are taking steps which are going to keep you balanced and this means longer steps are in order. Keep yourself low and your knees should stay bent so you can use your body to cover the ball.
Learn to move without seeming to look where you are going. Make sure, that the other team can’t read your body language and tell which direction you are going. If you are able to explode away in the opposite direction than what they had anticipated, they will be following you instead of you working to break past them. This makes it a lot easier for you to get into a good position, and to make your shot.
Shooting from farther away is going to require more power. This is where regular training to increase your vertical thrust is important. Being able to explode upward and get height on your jumps while remaining balanced is going to put you in a great position to score. Your ball will arc upward and head for the basket, while you remain in a good body position through the duration of your shot.
Practicing these methods at varying speeds is key. It is important to practice at game speed because you want to simulate what you will experience, when you are in the middle of a game, but also slower drills that will allow you to focus on your form are also critical for success. Find a good balance between the two.
Working on your mid-range shot is not difficult, but it does involve serious training, as well as the right drills. By strengthening the muscles of your back, abs and legs in addition to working on form and footwork will mean that you become a force to be reckoned with on all areas of the court.
Picture credit: Nathan Dainty • Creative Commons Attribution
