
The Proof Is In The Pudding!
"Form is the most important thing when shooting a basketball: says Coach Glen Heffernan, Boys Head Basketball Coach at Mather High School in Illinois. In his twenty years of coaching at both college and high school level, he has instructed boys to "keep their elbows in and their arms straight" many times. But if you simply tell someone how to do something, chances are they'll forget because you aren't making the change instinctual. With Straight Shot, the boys can see what they are doing and can see when they get it right, so they build actual muscle memory for "perfect form." This immediate feedback can improve a player's scoring percentage within about ten minutes.
Straight Shot is easy to set up and takes only about five minutes for the coach to review the demo before it is ready to use. It improves shooting the ball from any distance and is a great tool for any age, player, and for any position; because whether you are a guard, forward, or center, the team always benefits with better shooters. Coach Hefferman sets up Straight Shot at the free-throw line for his high school students but would set it three to four feet away from the basket for younger kids. While kid's initial reactions to Straight Shot may be skeptical as they were not sure what it would do, they are quickly won over when their shooting percentages go from 50% to 70% or even 80%. Coach Hefferman will put aside a couple of players at a time during practice and have them shoot ten baskets without Straight Shot and then another ten using the mirror. The immediate gratification of getting more baskets is exciting, and the beauty of Straight Shot is that once the proper form is learned, it doesn't go away again in the pressure of a game. Because arm positioning is now a natural, learned movement, the proper form, and the success stays.
It should come as no surprise that in Coach Hefferman's two years with Mather High School, the basketball team's win/loss record has made a dramatic upturn. "Before I was hired, the team won only three games the entire season. As soon as I started, I got all the players working with Straight Shot, and we won seventeen games that first year. This year we won twenty-five games and had only four losses. The proof is in the pudding."
Although team results may vary, Straight Shot will definitely make every player a better shooter and will be a valuable part of your team.
Written by Courtney Clark
Former Emmy Award-Winning Producer and Writer For NBC News