SHOOTING AND SHOT DEVELOPMENT
A shot you can repeat when your legs are gone.
Most players do not have a shooting problem, they have a repetition problem. Alex takes the shot apart, fixes the pieces that break down first, and puts it back together against a close out.
01 / WHAT IT IS
How do you fix a basketball shot?
You find the one or two pieces that are actually wrong, usually the feet, the guide hand or the release point, and then you do enough correct repetitions that the fix survives fatigue. There is no shortcut here. A shot changes through volume, not through a tip.
Alex starts by watching you shoot tired, not fresh. Fresh form hides everything. When a player is winded, the elbow drifts, the guide hand starts pushing and the feet stop squaring, and that is the version of the shot that shows up in the fourth quarter. Whatever breaks first is what gets worked on.
From there the work is narrow on purpose. One correction at a time, close to the rim first, then stepping back only when the fix holds. Players hate this part because it looks like going backwards. It is the fastest route there is. A player who spends three sessions shooting from ten feet with a fixed guide hand will out shoot a player who spent those three sessions launching threes with a broken one.
Then it gets tested. Off the catch with a defender closing out, off the dribble into a pull up, and off movement when the legs are already heavy. All of it outdoors at Bellevue Beach Park, Newport or Swope, on a live rim in the wind, which is a harder place to learn a shot and a better one.
02 / INSIDE A SESSION
How the shot gets rebuilt
- 01
Find what breaks under fatigue
Alex watches your shot tired rather than fresh, because that is the version that shows up late in games. The first thing to fall apart is the first thing to fix.
- 02
One correction, close to the rim
Form work starts short and moves out only when the fix holds without thinking about it. Distance is earned, it is not the starting point.
- 03
Feet and footwork into the catch
Most missed catch and shoot attempts are lost before the ball arrives. Hips, feet and hands get drilled separately until the catch is already a shot.
- 04
Shots with a hand in your face
Every session ends with contested repetitions, close outs and pull ups off the dribble. Uncontested percentages tell you nothing about a game.
04 / WHAT CHANGES
What shooting work is really buying
The only thing that has ever changed a jump shot. Volume of correct repetitions, not a cue you heard once and forgot by Thursday.
Alex's own coaching standard, not an outside statistic.
One private session. Shooting work is also run in groups of two to four, where every block finishes against a close out.
Seasonal packages available. Ask for pricing.
All shooting is done at Bellevue Beach Park, in Newport or at Swope, in wind and on public rims.
No gym and no indoor backup.
06 / Questions
What people ask about this
Will you change my shot completely?
Usually not. Full rebuilds are rare and expensive in time. Most players need one or two pieces fixed, the guide hand, the feet or the release point, and the rest of the shot is left alone because it works. Alex will tell you at the first session which one you are, and roughly how long it should take before it feels normal.
How long until my percentage goes up?
It usually dips first. A player who is thinking about a new release is slower and less accurate for a stretch, then passes where they started. Alex will not give you a week count, because that would be invented. He will tell you what the fixed version should look and feel like, so you can see the change happening rather than wait to be told.
Can I work on shooting in a small group?
Yes, and for contested shooting it is often better. Groups of two to four let every block end with a live close out, which is the part solo shooting cannot give you. If the problem is mechanical, start with private sessions and move the work into a group once the form holds up on its own.
Does shooting outdoors hurt my form?
Wind and public rims make shooting harder, and that is not all bad. A shot built outdoors has to be repeatable without a perfect environment. It is still a genuine limit worth naming: there is no gym, no climate control and no indoor alternative when the weather turns, so sessions occasionally move.