I recently over heard a coach teaching the 'Triple Threat" stance to a young girl. This coach was instructing the player to hold the ball at the chest level as opposed to the traditional waist level. I love outside-the-box thinking so I moved closer to hear his reasoning. He went on to justify his teaching by saying, " Most girls shoot from their chest anyway, so it is quicker to have the ball already at the chest level". WOW!!! But true. Most girls do shoot from their chest. This High School coach was dealing with the fact that the majority of girls basketball players shoot set-shots as opposed to jump-shots that incorporate the "L" Form. Apparently, his philosophy was to adjust basic fundamentals to accommodate flawed shooting technique. Is it flawed technique? What about Elite players? Do they still shoot the set shots?
A quick look at the WNBA 2008 Scoring Leaders will show that the Top 5 scorers are:
1.Diana Taurasi 24.1 ppg
2.Cappie Pondexter 21.2 ppg
3.Lauren Jackson 20.2 ppg
4.Seimone Augustus 19.1 ppg
5.Candace Parker 18.5 ppg
Besides being prolific scorers, all these ladies have their shooting form in common. They all shoot with an "L".
Most young players shoot from their chest because of the lack of strength. We all have seen young players step back to the 3-point line, "chuck" the ball from their hip and hit nothing but net. All the adults cheer for the mighty-mites who hit these seemingly miraculous shots. The problem is that the shot is out of his/her range and is not shot with proper technique. Making the basket with flawed technique is like a child pronouncing the word "Cat". We are all happy at the development in speech but we know that true command of vocabulary comes with literacy. When our child spells the word Cat with a "K"(Kat), we tell them great try but try again. We understand that our children will never become literate unless we correct the flaws in their development. Boys have a tendency of correcting their shot and adapting to the "L"as they become young men. One High School Boys coach recently told me that he witnesses this transition at the start of high school. However, most girls seem to struggle to make the same adjustment.
Here is one popular theory:
- Physiological differences prevent girls from shooting with the "L" accurately.
Shooting with the "L" takes a certain amount of upper body strength which some say prohibits most girls from shooting with the "L" consistently. But, any good shooter will tell you that balance and leg usage are just as important in good shooting. Most young players, not just girls, fail to properly use their legs in shooting. In Shooting, like most things, repetition is King. Muscle memory is developed through thousands upon thousand of shots. Since shooting from the chest is easier and takes less strength, many girls continue to use this method.
Some may use the strength theory in the example of the Top 5 WNBA Scorers. Diana Taurasi(6'0/183lbs), Lauren Jackson(6'5/196lbs),Seimone Augustus(6'0/183lbs) and Candace Parker(6'4/194lbs) are all big and strong women. However, Cappie Pondexter(5'9/175lbs) is considered small by WNBA standards.
On the local level, two of the best girl shooters in San Antonio are "L" shooters. Madison High School standout, Monica Engleman has one of the sweetest strokes in the State. The University of Kansas commit has good size and strength(5'10) but she routinely hits shots from the NBA 3-point range. This young lady uses her legs and perfect "L" release to make shots that professional men make.
One of the other premier shooters in San Antonio is Meighan Simmons of Steele High School. Simmons is currently ranked in the Top 10 nationally and already has numerous college offers. Women's Basketball Hall of Famer and current Rutgers Head Coach, C. Vivian Stringer,visited Steele High School last spring to observe Simmons in practice. Simmons(5'8) is strong and explosive but would not be considered physically big in the game of basketball. Yet, she still hits bombs from beyond 3 point range while using the "L".
So what is the big deal about the "L"? As the game gets bigger and faster, the girls who shoot from the chest will find it increasingly difficult to get their shot off while being contested. The set-shot from the chest works well when the shooter has plenty of room to operate but is ineffective when closely guarded. This is the main reason that the set-shot gave way to the jump-shot in the men's game.
Both, Engleman and Simmons, illustrate how the women's game is changing. Increased participation, better training and more athleticism is helping elevate the women's game to higher levels. As the game elevates, so will the shooting forms of girls across across the country.
Cappie Pondextor using the "L" against bigger opponents!
