Master 1-Legged Form Shooting: Perfect Your Mechanics
Great shooters are built from the ground up, but to truly polish your release, you sometimes need to strip away the jump and focus entirely on the upper body. 1-Legged Form Shooting (often called Kneeling Form Shooting) is a foundational shooting drill designed to isolate your shooting mechanics, improve core stability, and build consistent muscle memory. Whether you are a beginner learning the basics or an elite scorer fine-tuning your touch, this drill forces you to maintain perfect posture without relying on your legs for power.
How to Perform This Drill
- Setup: Position yourself 5-6 feet directly in front of the rim. Drop down to one knee—specifically, your shooting-side knee should be on the floor, while your non-shooting foot is planted flat on the ground in front of you.
- Align: Tuck the toes of your grounded foot to engage your core and stabilize your balance. Align your shooting hip, shoulder, and elbow in a straight vertical line toward the basket.
- Load: Bring the basketball into your shot pocket. Ensure your hand is under the ball and your elbow is bent at an approximate 90-degree angle (the "L" shape).
- Execute: Without using any momentum from your lower body, lift the ball smoothly to your set point and extend your arm upward and outward toward the rim.
- Finish: Snap your wrist aggressively on the release, creating optimal backspin. Hold your follow-through high until the ball goes through the net.
Why This Drill Works
This drill is effective because it utilizes the concept of mechanical isolation. By removing the legs and the jump from the equation, you expose any flaws in your upper body mechanics, such as a flaring elbow ("chicken wing") or an off-center guide hand. It forces you to generate power strictly through the kinetic chain of your arm extension and wrist snap, ensuring that your release is smooth and repeatable. Furthermore, balancing on one knee requires significant core engagement, which is the hidden secret to maintaining balance during difficult shots in real game situations.
Pro Tips
- Check your elbow: Before you shoot, look at your shooting arm. Your elbow should be tucked in and pointing directly at the rim, not flaring out to the side.
- Freeze the finish: Don't drop your hand immediately after the release. Keep your arm extended and your wrist snapped ("goose neck") until the ball hits the floor to reinforce the muscle memory of a full extension.
- Engage your core: If you find yourself wobbling side-to-side, your core is too loose. Tighten your stomach muscles to create a stable base; you cannot shoot consistently from an unstable platform.
- Target the hooks: Aim small, miss small. Instead of just looking at the rim generally, focus your eyes on the specific net hooks at the back of the rim to dial in your accuracy.