If you have been paying attention to the NCAA tournament, you know that the final four is set after yet another great weekend of basketball with so many games being decided in the last minute. Next weekend, Butler, Michigan State, West Virginia, and Duke will battle it out for the chance to play for the national title. Noticeably absent from that list of four is the tournament’s overall number one seed and arguably the best and most consistent team all season, Kansas. Why? Simple…Ali Farokmanesh and Northern Iowa took them out in the second round.
The great part about the NCAA tournament is that you get to watch guys who are not household names step up and play basketball on such a big stage. Ali Farokmanesh is no acception and man can this guy shoot the basketball. In the first round he hit a deep three in the closing seconds to help his team beat UNLV. Then for an encore, in the second round on a 2 on 1 break with 21 seconds left in the game and his team only up one point, he pulls up and nails the three pointer that stopped the Kansas Jayhawks. It should also be mentioned that these were not the only two three-pointers that Farokmanesh hit in these two games. He actually had five in the first game and four in the second. Simply stated, the guy can shoot. So how did it happen, what does it take to shoot the ball like Ali Farokmanesh?
I recently read an email that was written and sent to me by Randy Brown of the Iowa Player Development Academy that detailed exactly what Ali Farokmanesh does to become a great shooter, and below is that email.
I watched as they went through a competitive shooting routine with Assistant coach P.J. Hogan.
As I watched I noticed three things:
1. Good shooters, like Johnny and Ali, prepare to shoot by getting in a low stance with their hands ready; we call that showing a “window” at IPDA. As they caught the ball, they were in a low stance and ready to shoot the ball quickly.
Most players catch the ball upright and it takes time and movement to bend their knees and prepare to shoot. By the time you do this, it’s too late to take the shot.
If you like to shoot, learn how to prepare how to shoot!
I’ve never met a player who doesn’t like to shoot, but rarely see players who properly and consistently prepare to shoot—-which makes no sense to me at all!
2. The workout was competitive and required concentration and toughness. This was following a very intense 90 minute workout so these two guys were very fatigued. They helped and encouraged each other through the workout as good teammates do!
3. 90% of their missed shots were long, not short. A common fault of young players is missing most of their shots short, not long. The reason; see #1–catching the ball low/shot preparation. Even after a tough workout, misses were long not shot. That was very impressive to me and should be something all players strive for.
Why are Ali and Johnny great shooters?
They make extra, competitive shooting when tired, a priority every day! EVERY DAY!
At my Elite Basketball Training workouts the players are challenged to become complete basketball players, players that can pass dribble, and shoot at the highest athletic ability that they are capable of. The key to their success is to put in a quality workout each and every time that they train with me.
Don’t miss out on an opportunity to become a complete player. Contact me about the Elite Basketball Training programs to see which ones are the best fit for you.
