Shot form - expanded BEEF

There are plenty of resources available to coaches and players to help them teach/learn proper shooting techniques - books available at Barnes & Noble or online at Amazon or Indigo, dvd's listed at Championship Productions and Human Kinetics, to name a few. Coaches often use the acronym of B.E.E.F. to help simplify shooting instruction - what follows is an expanded version with some extra teaching:

• Before - you catch the ball, need to be ready to catch and shoot, legs loaded, fingers pointing to the sky
• Base - feet far enough apart so a coach could not tip you backwards if they pushed a finger at your forehead
• Balance - be centered in every way and not leaning (to a side or front/back)
• Behind - need to get it down low enough to use big powerful muscles in the legs
• Eyes - focus them at the rim (visualize the ball going in)
• Elbow - under ball for power and direction, holding a ball should look like a waiter balancing a tray of food
  
• Elevate - shot power comes from legs, up through the body to the arms, and the ball must use that power to go up with a good angle of arc (for entry into the hoop)
• Extend - shooting arm should take the ball up (over a defender's hand) NOT out (toward a defender)
  
• Every time - repetition, get in shots using the same routine on a daily basis, must develop the muscle memory
• Evaluate - be the master of your own shot, understand enough to know why a ball is missing left or right or coming up short
• Energy - do shooting drills on the move, simulate game conditions, transfer forward motion into upward energy
  
• Feet - need to be squared to the target every shot
• Fingers - last two to touch the ball on release should be the index and middle (fork)
• Follow through - when ball leaves the shooting hand, fingers need to be pointing at the target and held there (don't pull the shooting hand back)
• Free Throw - beyond shots from in close to the hoop, FT line is a great place to practice shot form (same distance, same form, routine, lots of reps)
• Feet moving - active feet, follow your shot, rebound the ball (you have the advantage over the other team as you took the shot and know the path)
• Far - take your shots from further away ONLY when you have mastered your technique and are shooting a high percentage closer to the hoop
• Fun - shooting is one of the most enjoyable aspects of basketball, do it properly, take plenty of shots