Do These 3 Things to Make More Free Throws

Free throws are crucial in basketball, often determining the outcome of games. Yet, many players struggle to consistently convert these seemingly simple shots.

If you're looking to improve your free throw percentage and in-game performance, there's one key factor that can make all the difference: adding pressure to your workouts.

Add Pressure to Your Shooting
By incorporating elements of pressure and consequence into your free throw practice, you can develop the mental fortitude and focus necessary to excel when it matters most. 

Let's look at three effective strategies to add pressure to your workouts and help you become a more reliable free throw shooter.

1. Adding Consequences for Missed Shots
   One way to simulate game-like pressure during your free throw practice is by attaching consequences to missed shots.
   
   For every missed free throw, impose a physical consequence such as performing 10 pushups or completing a series of sprints. This not only adds a sense of accountability but also replicates the pressure and intensity you would experience in a real game situation.
   
   The fear of facing consequences for missed shots forces you to focus, concentrate, and treat each free throw attempt with the utmost importance. 

2. "Icing" the Win
   Incorporating competitive drills into your free throw practice is another effective method to add pressure and enhance your performance.
   
   During multiplayer drills, make it a rule that the winning player must make a free throw to "ice" the victory. If they miss the free throw, they don't get the win, and the competition continues.
   
   In my training, I'll see an athlete or a team lose simply because they couldn't hit the game-clinching free throw. I've even seen a player or team win multiple times, but miss the free throw every time, allowing another athlete or team a chance to win.
   
   You can imagine how that team that couldn't hit a free throw feels when the other team wins and is able to hit their game-clinching free throw. 
   
   Putting yourself in a high-pressure situation where you must deliver under stress simulates the clutch moments of a game. This allows you to train your mind and body to remain composed and make your free throws with confidence.

3. Limited Free Throw Attempts:
   In games, you often have limited opportunities to shoot free throws, making each one critical.
   
   To replicate this scenario in your workouts, limit your free throw attempts between drills to just one or two shots, regardless of whether you make or miss.
   
   This teaches you to focus and make the most of your chances, just like in a game. By creating a sense of urgency and scarcity, you learn to value and capitalize on every free throw opportunity, enhancing your concentration and mental toughness.

Improving Your Free Throws with Swish Hoop
In the Swish Hoop app, each workout ends with a Free Throw drill. You can add pressure to this drill by first setting a targeted goal that you need to achieve.

For example, you can set a goal for yourself on the app to make 5 out of 6 free throws. If you fail, you can add a consequence like 10 pushups.

You can also select any of the various Free Throw Drills in the app which require you to take or make anywhere from 5-150 shots!

Building Mental Strength
Improving your free throw shooting requires more than just mindlessly practicing the same routine over and over again. By adding pressure and consequence to your workouts, you can cultivate the mental fortitude and focus necessary to excel in game situations.

Incorporating consequences for missed shots, icing the win with crucial free throws, and limiting your attempts to replicate game scenarios are effective strategies to enhance your performance from the free throw line.

Embrace these pressure-inducing techniques in your training regimen and watch as your free throw percentage rises, making you a more valuable asset to your team.

Remember, success in basketball is often determined by how you handle pressure, so use your workouts to prepare yourself to thrive in those crucial moments.