# Why can't big men make free throws?



## Showtyme (Jun 24, 2002)

Seriously? 

I mean, I understand that most pure big guys have 90% of the offensive skill set within 8-10 feet of the hoop. This can make free throws awkward.

But how hard is it? I mean, watching Shaq shoot makes me grimace. It's like he's physically incapable of being able to give the ball nice lift or spin with his stroke, so a shooting coach got him to just line up the ball straight with his elbow tucked and hope that he gets the right push on it.

There's obviously some guys that can make FT's, but those guys generally also have a jumper in their games. So what is it? It's not like a natural-born skill, right? Free throws are TOTALLY about practice.

So what is it, then?


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## JNice (Jul 13, 2002)

..

IMO Shaq's free throw struggles are mostly because I don't think he really cares that he misses a lot of them even though he has supposedly worked on it a lot throughout the years.

But even if he had worked on them, he'd probably never be that great at it. Shaq has got some ginormous hands which does make it tougher to shoot the ball with good form and rotation. 

Still, he should shoot them better.

Ben Wallace is a guy who is an enigma at the line to me. His shot usually looks like it has good rotation and it looks like his stroke is pretty decent. It must be a confidence thing with him.

Obviously confidence is a big part. Look what happened to Nick Anderson after he missed those 4 straight free throws in the Finals for Orlando. He went from a 70% free throw shooter to a 40% shooter in a jiffy.


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## RP McMurphy (Jul 17, 2003)

I think it's just simple statistics. There are millions of 6'2" guys out there so there are bound to be plenty of them who are athletic, can handle the ball, can shoot well, and have a good work ethic. There are a lot less 7'0" people in the world, so you can make it to the league even if your game isn't well-rounded, you can't shoot, and your work ethic is mediocre. A lot of centers don't need to work on their free throws to stay in the league, so they don't.


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## yucatan (Dec 4, 2004)

It's because big men have bigger hands. You try shooting a tennis ball straight, it's practically impossible.


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## Hoopla (Jun 1, 2004)

Showtyme said:


> Seriously?
> 
> I mean, I understand that most pure big guys have 90% of the offensive skill set within 8-10 feet of the hoop. This can make free throws awkward.
> 
> ...


Practice doesn't make you good at shooting FTs; it just assures that you are performing at or near your peak, whatever that might be. As for why big men tend to be worse, there are a few factors:

* *Height *- Big men obviously will have a higher release point of the ball when they shoot FTs. So it is more natural for them to not arc the shot as much (compared to a smaller player) since they are already at a certain height. But lack of arc hurts the chances of the ball going in.

* *Hands *- their hands often dwarf the ball. It is tougher for them to get the natural spin on the ball.

* *Strength *- Sometimes they can be too strong, such that they can't have the normal stroke and follow-through that SGs have without banging it hard off the backboard. So they have to short-arm it.

To simulate some of the above, pretend you are shooting a tennis ball into a garbage can. You can see where using a high arcing shot is more difficult at your height, and also how hard it is to use good shooting form due to your increased size (obviously this is an exaggerated comparison, but just trying to illustrate a point).


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Here's my theory. The smaller you are, the higher you have to shoot the ball. The countless big men that don't shoot free throws well are mostly the guys who throw laser beams at the rim. That's my personal theory from everything I've learned about shooting and what not. I was always told to get the ball up, and the shorter you are the more you have to develop that. 




As for Shaq, the dude has never hit a jumper in his life, and he hasn't ever needed to. It's a guy like Duncan that confuses me, because he can hit jumpers alll day, but when he gets to the line it's a struggle.


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## MacDanny 6 (Jun 7, 2002)

Yeah I dont get how you can do something for so many years and not get the hang of it. Shaq has been in the league for over 13 years now, and he also played college and highschool. So he's been shooting free-throws for about 20 years and yet everytime he goes up to the line it looks as if he's never done it before. I imagine if I was a center in the NBA, if I had 20 years of experience shooting free-throws, that I would at one time or another figure out how to shoot them in order for a majority of them to go in.


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## Pimped Out (May 4, 2005)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> As for Shaq, the dude has never hit a jumper in his life, and he hasn't ever needed to. It's a guy like Duncan that confuses me, because he can hit jumpers alll day, but when he gets to the line it's a struggle.


thats always confuse me too. duncan might have a confidence problem at the line too, i mean look at game four. not only did you shoot a horrible percentage but his frustration was obvious, especially with that air ball.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Yao Ming's 7'6" and has pretty big hands, but he's about a 75-80% ft shooter. 

But no I don't have an answer as to why the likes of Shaq and TD aren't good ft shooters.


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## Magyarn (Mar 27, 2005)

Danny Fortson in hardly a great shooter, but he shot 88% on free throws. Big men like Dirk and KG have no trouble.


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## Scinos (Jun 10, 2003)

Magyarn said:


> Danny Fortson in hardly a great shooter, but he shot 88% on free throws. Big men like Dirk and KG have no trouble.


Fortson is a complete mystery. He has absolutely no offensive game outside of putbacks, but he shoots almost 90% from the line. You would think he would have a good midrange jumpshot, but he doesn't. He's like the opposite of Duncan in that regard.


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## coachhomer (Sep 23, 2004)

yucatan said:


> It's because big men have bigger hands. You try shooting a tennis ball straight, it's practically impossible.



This post says it all. Shoot for a while with a basketball, then shoot for a while with a soccer ball, then try a volley ball. These guys with huge hands will always struggle with freethrows.

C


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## maKINGSofgreatness (Aug 17, 2003)

Why Duncan can hit an open 20 foot jumpshot 85 times out of a hundred but not hit free throws at a high clip is a mystery to me as well, but about Shaq, when he was in Orlando and the question of why he can't make his fts was still a new topic, an announcer said that as a child Shaq fell out of a tree and broke his wrist, and now he can't bend it to a 90 degree angle like everyone who shoots tradititonally would. Don't know if it's true, maybe someone else knows more about this, just reiterating what I heard.


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## The Mad Viking (Jun 12, 2003)

My opinion, it is because all the free throw instructors are guards. Usually anemic little point guards. 

And they teach the wrong things. Their technique is to shoot a jumpshot, but just don't leave the floor.

The key to big guys shooting FTs is to ELIMINATE ALL UNNECESSARY MOTION. You want an action that is smooth, comfortable, and above all repeatable.

The fewer elements you move, the fewer elements you screw up. The bigger your frame, the harder it is to keep everything aligned and in sync. 

For most big guys, a tiny bit of knee bend, and probably keeping your feet flat on the floor even on follow through is best. A slowish arm action and 90% of the shot coming from the wrist and fingers.

Shaq shoots FTs with his shoulder. :sour:

Shaq is probably strong enough to stand stock-still, raise his arm straight over his head, hold it still, and shoot FTs with his wrist and fingers only. He would probably become a 90% FT shooter in a few weeks.


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## ChrisWoj (May 17, 2005)

Tim Duncan: He is the biggest mystery of them all because of his INCREDIBLE inconsistency. He has years where he shoots 76%-80%... and then he has years where he is between 59%-66%! You just don't know what you're going to get from him at the line on a yearly basis, it is a total enigma out there.

Shaquille O'Neal: I remember when Shaq was quoted by Rick Reilly some years back saying that God pushed him from that tree to break his wrist, because if he could hit jumpers he'd be perfect, and God couldn't let any man be perfect. So I guess the reason for Shaq's inability to bend his wrist for a jumper/free throw correctly is... act of God.

I love how Rick Barry says that, given one summer with Shaq, he'd turn him into an 80% free throw shooter. He said the same thing about Wilt Chamberlain... well, go look at Wilt's stats through his career, and you'll see how much that helped (hint: his next-to-last year he was 42% from the line).


-Chris.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

yucatan is correct. I did a study on this in highschool. If you take any of us with a normal hand size take a baseball or softball and them stand 15 feet away. Put a hoop up at 9' then make that hoop twice the size of the ball you are shooting, just like a basketball hoop is. See how many you make. I played basketball in school and was a decent FT shooter (about 85%) I practiced with a softball and a smaller hoop for 1 month for the study and could only manage to shoot 65%.


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## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

i think it's been said a couple of times already but i'll just reiterate the point: i think the chance that a ~ 6'2'' makes the league without a jumpshot is far lower (arguably zero %) than a 7'0'' player making the league without a jumpshot. it's just different- they're asked to do different things so they practice different things, etc.

some could then wonder why a professional 7 footer doesn't just "practice" upon reaching the pros, but he might simply not have the natural talent to shoot a ball. i know so many people (both short and tall) who have spent years learning to shoot with limited (if any) success. practice helps to uncover talent, no question, but practice cannot always *build* talent. some people just don't have it. some people could practice forever and not learn how to do it. practice doesn't always make perfect,

but i think the "try shooting a tennis ball into a trash can" explanation is weak. i think it would be difficult for us to do so primarily because we haven't yet tried doing it, but i think you could master it virtually the same way you could master shooting a ball into a hoop. put differently, i don't believe that a 6'2 player's hand size in relation to a basketball is necessarily *the* reason to explain why shooting free throws is seemingly "easier" for him than it is for your typical big man. i think there are other things involved...

not the least of which is the confidence issue raised earlier. i think a lot of big men- professional and otherwise- have simply accepted the norm and no longer try to challenge that reality. in other words, they believe it partly because they're told to believe it. i think that that collective weakness flexes its muscles (!) in many other ways in our world, and we rarely seem to notice simply because it's "been that way for so long". 

peace


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## DuMa (Dec 25, 2004)

even if shaq raised his FT percentage to around 60% 70%, whatever team he plays for would have been unstoppable


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## gelf123 (Jun 4, 2005)

It's all a matter of what position they play. I meen you see big men in the post a lot more often than u see them taking big shots. Even though they dont shoot a lot, doesn't make it easier to make it when they're not being guarded.


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## kuksy21 (Jun 5, 2005)

This should be easy. There's no need for big men to make free throws! I mean surely it would help but all big men needa worry about is taking it in the guards will handle the rest. Also big men don't practice free throws that often all they concentrate on is taking it to the paint.


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

kuksy21 said:


> This should be easy. There's no need for big men to make free throws! I mean surely it would help but all big men needa worry about is taking it in the guards will handle the rest. Also big men don't practice free throws that often all they concentrate on is taking it to the paint.


I don't agree with this AT ALL. 

Those players get paid millions of dollars. Free Throw is FREE for you to take. There's no defender. Yeah, there is pressure but I am sure the pressure is higher when they try to score when a defender is on him. 

No excuse really. 

Can you imagine if Shaq can hit above 75%? 

I think all professional basketball players should shoot over 75% FT. It's part of their job. FREE throw... it's free, take it. 


Shaq's hand is TOO big but other big guys may not have that huge hands. And I am sure ALL big guys practice FT. Why? Because they get fouled inside the most! They SHOULD practice more FT. 

I think Shaq's big hand argument is weak too. I do agree that his hand is too big but I also think if shooting with ONE hand like he's been doing is too hard, why doesn't he change it? Maybe throwing it with two hands or whatever that can improve his accuracy. I know throwing with 2 hands is ugly but keep missing like that is VERY UGLY too.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

mediocre man said:


> yucatan is correct. I did a study on this in highschool. If you take any of us with a normal hand size take a baseball or softball and them stand 15 feet away. Put a hoop up at 9' then make that hoop twice the size of the ball you are shooting, just like a basketball hoop is. See how many you make. I played basketball in school and was a decent FT shooter (about 85%) I practiced with a softball and a smaller hoop for 1 month for the study and could only manage to shoot 65%.


That's interesting. This really pinpoints how much different it is for a guy like Shaq to shoot free throws, and your average 6'0 male with normal size hands to shoot free throws. It's a world of difference. 

Then someone else pointed out, big men don't have to be as good at shooting. They aren't paid to make outside shots, they are paid to bang downlow and do the dirty work there. Perimeter players are paid to make outside shots as part of their job, so in the process of shooting so many jumpers everyday and perfecting their form, they also become better free throw shooters. They are already way ahead of big men because of the other outside shooting training they've had.


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## Smooth Lotion (Jan 7, 2005)

yucatan said:


> It's because big men have bigger hands. You try shooting a tennis ball straight, it's practically impossible.


Pretty much. Unless you develop a Yao type wrist action, it's tough to be accurate.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

yucatan said:


> It's because big men have bigger hands. You try shooting a tennis ball straight, it's practically impossible.


Agreed, for some their hands are too big. That's why Amare is in a good spot. His hands are large enough to palm the ball, but not oversized catcher's mitts so he can grip the ball and shoot it in rhythm on the FT line.


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## hirschmanz (Jun 3, 2005)

HKF said:


> Agreed, for some their hands are too big. That's why Amare is in a good spot. His hands are large enough to palm the ball, but not oversized catcher's mitts so he can grip the ball and shoot it in rhythm on the FT line.


Its about time someone brought amare into this argument... a new breed of big man. Able to shoot and post up with equal deadliness.

Back to the tennis ball argument, if you're paying me millions of dollars, I am going to practice that until I can make it at least half the time.


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## On Thre3 (Nov 26, 2003)

im suprised no ones mentioned hand eye coordination. Im a terrible free throw shooter, and im 5'5. Everyone compliments me on my form tho, but my hand eye coordination is bad, and my eyes are bad in general.


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## Showtyme (Jun 24, 2002)

You know what, though? I have one of those little mini hoops with the tiny ball about the size of a softball and with the hoop of proportional size. I try to shoot it from about twelve feet (because with the bigger size, the distance should feel smaller as well), and while it IS difficult, I was shooting about 70%, and with practice, I think I could get it to about 75%. I'm about 6'0.5, 195 lbs. I'm pretty horrible at basketball, actually, but if I just mimick what I know to be good form, and I line up the ball pretty straight, it's fairly reliable.

So I, also, don't buy the tennis ball-trash can analogy.


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## Ballscientist (Nov 11, 2002)

Actually the distance between the big man's hand and the rim are closer than the little man, so it would be easier for big man to make the free throw. On the other hand, the little man has a smart hand and the big man has a stupid hand.


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## thekid (Apr 3, 2003)

Probably because most have big hands and also that they play close to the basket and never develop a shooting touch or proper jumper techniques, which would lead to good free throw shooting, as seen more often in guards and perimeter players.


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## Ilusha97 (Jun 5, 2005)

its totally the size

Big people NEED to be big because of their positions, 

Shaq need to be as huge as he is so he can still dominate in the paint

My point is when you lift like most post players do you start to lose your flexablity and grace

After this happens putting just the right amount of spin on it and getting it ever so gracefully in the hoop can be a challenge

You get used to slamming it down the throught of the rim with 2 guys desperately trying to guard you that your shot loses its sence of grace and you become a power player......AKA: A 46.1% free throw shooter........SHAQ...


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## SheriffKilla (Jan 1, 2004)

ya i dunno its amazing

and some people airball them too

i had a similar problem to Duncan/Walker/Webber and many others
who are very incosisten in their Free throw percentage from season to season
for me it was a confidence problem
once i would miss one its like i forgot how to shoot and i would have to start all over and i would sometimes miss 3 in a row after wards
i was a 90 percent shooter from FT and than i would shoot 55 percent but i was easily the best midrange shooter on my team..
however when i lost confidence it messed me up
i see all the points of the small hands, not havin natural talent for shootin, hand eye coordination...

but how do people AIRBALL a free throw?
i just saw duncan air ball one a few games ago 

i dont understand i mean no matter how bad i shot and i sometimes messed up my FTs real bad when i shot with low confidence i would still manage at least hit back board..

how the **** do you airball a freethrow...


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## Showtyme (Jun 24, 2002)

Ilusha97 said:


> its totally the size
> 
> Big people NEED to be big because of their positions,
> 
> ...


This is true, and I can understand it. Shaq makes sense to me; 100% of his basketball development went to his post game, and he excels there.

But balanced big men should not be unheard of in this league. The average 6-9 power forward should be able to sink FT's at a 75% clip. Seriously.

The muscle and size factor makes sense to me, it's tougher to get coordination. I can understand that as well, and maybe that's the best explanation.

Is Kneepad still around? Or Dan Rosenbaum? I wonder if there's stats available to compare FT% with lbs./inch, or maybe wingspan? Or % of points scored in the paint indexed against FT%?


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## On Thre3 (Nov 26, 2003)

fjkdsi said:


> ya i dunno its amazing
> 
> and some people airball them too
> 
> ...


that happens to me when i get nervous. I liked the first part of you're post, but i dont see whats the diffrence between hitting backboard, and airballing. Yes both are embarrasing, but you should have been able to answer your own question. Hit backboard=too much; airball=too little. Airballing freethrows(and backboard) occur for these reasons: fatique, confidence, lack of practice, anxiety.


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## hirschmanz (Jun 3, 2005)

Showtyme said:


> This is true, and I can understand it. Shaq makes sense to me; 100% of his basketball development went to his post game, and he excels there.
> 
> But balanced big men should not be unheard of in this league. The average 6-9 power forward should be able to sink FT's at a 75% clip. Seriously.
> 
> ...



Correct me if I'm wrong, but most 6'9' power forwards CAN shoot 65-70% or better


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