Free Throw Persuasive Speech

“Free throws win games,” a phrase that athletes repeatedly hear from their basketball coaches. Even though free throws only count for a point, they tend to occur at the most critical parts of the game. Imagine, only a few seconds remain, and your team is losing by one point. Two simple free throws dictate which way the game swings. If you miss them both, your team loses. Make only one, and the game goes into overtime. Make them both, and you become the hero for your team. Thus, free throws win games. If only it is as simple as putting the ball through the net. Although free throw shooting may look like a simple task, many key components must be mastered in order to make the shot smooth and accurate.
First, we will begin with the footwork. …show more content…
Position your feet correctly, run through your routine, finishing with a breath. Place the ball at your waist, and double check that only your fingertips are touching the ball. This next part should happen in one motion. Bend your knees and hips and as you come up, bring your hands up so that the thumb on your dominant hand goes past your eye and is level with your eyebrow. Remember to keep the 90 degree angle this whole time. The off hand thumb should be in line with the middle of your nose and should end level with the middle of your forehead, remember elbow position. Bring your arm up and forward so it is about 45 degrees from your body, and let your elbow become straight as you release the ball toward the rim off of your finger tips. Rise up onto your tiptoes letting go with your off hand shortly before releasing the ball so you are not shooting with two hands. Your hand should not move to the left or right because this will put the wrong spin on the ball and alter the path of the ball. Finally, snap your wrist down so that your knuckles point to the ceiling and your pointer and middle finger are pointed to the ground. This is referred to as the follow through. In your final position, you are on your tip toes with your knuckles to the ceiling and the same two fingers pointed to the ground. Your off hand is pointed towards the basket, and you body squared away from the basket. If something is not right, correct it and do it the proper way. Free throw shooting is a skill of repetition. If you do something the wrong way repeatedly, you will form a bad habit. If you keep shooting with your hand facing the wrong way, your muscles will remember this and it will be hard to break the habit.
Although free throws only take a few seconds to shoot, there are many different components that go into it. Now, if you are put in the situation of shooting pressure free throws, you will know how to make the shots with ease