Blog Post 8: Status Update

I have not mentioned before that I am suffering from a mild Chondromalacia, which is basically knee pains before arthritis. During this project my knee pains came back, so I had to take a break for about a week of practicing basketball. After a week, when I went back to the gym, I was quickly aware that my shots were off. I am still trying to get back to my usual rhythm.

This is a video from before I took my break. That week I was making about 50 percent of my 3 point shots (without any defense on me), I was feeling very good. I sweep my feet a little further than the shot from my previous status update blog post. I was able to create a much higher arch then when I started this project, which is a good sign because the the percentage of the ball going into the hoop increases with a higher arch. Another improvement that I have made is that I am able to achieve higher arch without losing the distance. Previously I didn't have much arm strength to shoot the ball with a very high arch while reaching the goal. So I resolved that issue by moving the ball more to my side and turning a little on my shot. 

Finally, I realized the importance of the shooting rhythm, or the flow of the body when shooting a jump shot. Before I began this project, I used to catch the ball, bring the ball above my head, and then I would pause before I continued shooting. Making a pause during a shot causes loss of momentum which results in loss of power. This overall caused me to lose my arch and range. However recently I have started shooting in a rhythm(or one motion) from the moment I square up my feet, to the moment I release the ball. 

Blog Post 7: Article ODE to Joy(Golden State Warriors)

I recently read an article from sports illustrated that explicitly explains the success of the reigning NBA champions; Golden State Warriors. The article explains how the Golden State Warriors are setting new records, and how the team's every individual "fits like a puzzle" to make a great team. The article also explained different events that occurred during the 2015-2016 season by actually interviewing the players. For instance, the article wrote about the play during a Knicks game where former NBA allstar Carmelo Anthony put his hand on Stephen Curry (Warrior's guard) head while defending him. Stephen Curry later said that he was actually pretty mad about the action of Carmelo and was going to say a couple words to him in the tunnel. But before he got a chance to do that, Carmelo came up to Curry with his son to give him a sculpture of Curry his son made in school. The article also talked a lot about the different stats of the Golden State Warriors including the most wins in a single season(passing the 96 Bulls), and the number of 3 pointers made in a season. The Warriors are currently my favorite basketball team in the league, and has impacted the game of basketball in so many ways (especially the 3-pointers).

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Blog Post 6: For my final project

 

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   For my final project, I have decided to simply record a video of me attempting multiple 3-point shots, and talk through what is good about them, or what more needs to improve. I also plan to show what kind of changes have occurred since the beginning of the project. I should be evaluated on the ideas and concepts that I have learned through this project, and also how my shooting form matches what I have learned. I have learned that 20 minutes a day for about a month was clearly not enough to make a significant difference in the way I shoot. However through the final assessment I plan to show what has changed over the course of the month, and how that made me better. I feel like the most important part of this project was the concepts I was able to learn(such as the sweep and sway, quick release, importance of the ball...etc), and therefore those should be weighed the most in evaluating the final assessment. I will make a video explaining step by step on how I have improved, and what has changed. I  will send the video, or link of the video via email so we would not need to schedule a meeting.

Blog Post 5: Status Update

I've realized recently that I kept on having to shoot with much more effort than other people in general because of the way I shoot. I was luckily able to solve this issue by bring the ball more to my right side when I bring it up to shoot. By doing this, I was able to achieve higher arch, and I was able to get my shot off with less effort. However, this made it hard for me to align the ball towards the hoop causing the ball to miss by an inch to the right. So this time, I tried to realign my shot by turning to the left a little on my jump. My actions of changing my shot was not accidental. I learned to move the ball to the side by watching Stephen Curry's shots on the internet.

Image From: http://youshouldthinkthis.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/stephen-curry-madison-square-garden.jpg

You can clearly see on this picture that his ball is to the right side of his head. Before, I thought that I had to have the ball right on the center in order to make a straight jump shot, but that turned out to be false. I am still learning new thing, and one thing I've learned is to take videos of your own jump shots (ask a friend to take the video) and analyze the things you are doing wrong or right. 

Blog Post 4: Update

Here is a short video of the shot I have been working on. I realize that it's not the best jump shot form you've seen, but it is a working progress (by the way, I missed that shot). What I want you to focus on this video is how my feet jumps forward (even 

though it's like 10 inches), and my body sways back a little. This is what I mentioned in the previous blog post about the sweep and sway. I still have to sweep forward a lot more and work on my upper body swaying back. 

 

Also, before I started this project, I did not dip. A dip is when a player brings down the ball below the waist before the shot. This gives the body more rhythm, and makes it easier to shoot the ball. I still have a lot more that I need to do before the project is finished, but I honestly do think I am making some progress. I have been able to make a lot more shots during games lately, and I hope it gets to a point where I will be able to make shots with a defender guarding me.

Blog post 3: Stephen Curry and Larry Bird

When discussing the influential figures in basketball who has made the 3 pointer what it is today, there are many players that could be mentioned such as T-Mac, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Chuch Person, Reggie Miller...etc. Larry Bird, for starters, is probably one of the most influential NBA player that popularized the 3 point shot. His iconic walk off after hitting the last 3 of the 3 point contest is still one of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Bird's 3-point percentage was actually not considered that high. He finished his career with a 3 point shooting percentage of around 37% which isn't bad, but not that impressive either. However, his shooting percentage wasn't what made him the superstar he is considered today. He is known for hitting the shots in the most important moments of the game, or clutch!

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Another player that is currently influencing and changing the game recently with his 3-pointer is the famous Stephen Curry. Stephen Curry is definitely not the most physical or athletic player in the game. However he has won an MVP of the 2014-2015 season, 2014-15 season championship title, champion of the 2014 all star 3 point contest, and he has the record for the 1st,2nd,4th, and 7th most 3-points field goals made in a single season. He has amazed many people in the past 3 seasons with his ability to shoot 3 pointers. Stephen Curry's style of game play was certainly a game changer for the NBA with his quick release and unbelievable range. He has and still is influencing the game of basketball and 3-point shooting in so many ways.

Image From: http://menshairstylesclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/stephen-curry-3-min.jpg

Blog post 2: Importance of the basketball

My bruised fingertip recovered in a couple of days so I was able to go back to the gym and practice my jump shots. However, before I do that, there was something that I needed to do. I bought my old basketball about half a year ago, and to be honest, I haven't completely taken good care of it. I've used the basketball on a cement court on multiple occasions(even though it was an indoor ball), and I also left the ball out in the rain one day. As a result of this, my ball has lost almost all its grip, and it's color. The grip on a ball is very important when shooting jump shots. Without a good grip, the ball is likely to slip off the finger during shooting. It is also very difficult to navigate the ball when the ball is slippery. I found out that there were different kinds of sprays and appliances I could use on the ball to enhance the grip. However, I figured it would be easier to just go buy a ball. On Saturday, I met up with a  friend, and headed to Sports Authority. At first, I wanted to buy an official NBA game ball, but after searching around on the internet, I found out that the official game ball costs around $150. Clearly, I couldn't afford that so I ended up buying Wilson Evolution Basketball (around $50), which was still a very decent ball.

Image from: http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/02/63/88/02/0002638802186_500X500.jpg

Blog post 1: Use of Fingertips and the sweep and sway

This week I went to my local gym to start my practice on 3-point shooting and while I was fooling around on the shorter 8 foot rim, trying to dunk, I accidentally ended up bruising the tip of my index and middle finger. I tried to practice the Jump shots after that, but it seemed useless due to the irritating pain I had to endure every time I shot a ball or even touched it. Through this I couldn't help but realize the importance of fingertips on 3 point shooting. Most shooters say they know it in their fingertips whether the ball is going in the hoop or not right after they shoot the ball. I also researched some important tips on 3 point shooting and one concept that I came across that seemed very interesting was called the sweep and sway. This is when the shooter leaps (little less than a feet or so) forward while swaying the upper body back a little in the motion of shooting. This helps the shooter achieve more arch in the jump shot which leads to a better change of the ball going in the hoop. Most players say that they do the sweep and sway without even realizing it. I hope to practice this as soon as my fingers get better and see if it actually works.

Image from:http://i0.wp.com/focusedshooter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/jump-shot.png?resize=513%2C340

Intro to Project

My name is Joonoh Chun and for the next couple of weeks I will be constantly posting blog entries about how to develop skills for perimeter shooting in basketball. In Basketball, the 3 point shooting is one of the most important aspects of the game. It is the quickest way to cut down the score deficit while trailing ,and also a great way to get the players fired up. Due to many famous players such as Stephen Curry, the 3-point shooting is more famous then ever. Many players, even centers, practice 3 point shooting to improve their game. The 3 point shots are very tricky because everything, from your feet to the snap of the wrist, has to be perfect and in rhythm in order to make consistent shots. My blog will explore the many ways to improve on 3 point jump shots by looking at different NBA players that have had success at the 3 point line, analyzing different shooting forms, and basically learning other skills that helps develop the perfect shot. Through this project I eventually hope to have increased my own 3 point accuracy and be able to have developed a consistent jump shot form that works for me.

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