The iso drill is a drill that I use a lot. The name is stolen from my mentor as he was doing a very similar drill with a player and using this name for the drill, and since I couldn’t come up with a good name for it theft seemed like the only option.
Basically the iso drill asks a player to isolate the last part of their shot, from their forehead (or shot pocket) to the release. I use it the most when a player brings the ball back behind their head. Start with your body set up, legs bent and bring the ball up to your forehead. Bend your wrist and elbow so that your upper arm is parallel to the floor, your forearm is relatively vertical, and your hand is close to parallel to the floor. Your elbow should be pointed at the rim and the ball resting on a nice platform of your hand.
This spot is the fork in the road for a lot of shooter, the point at which their shot starts hurting them not helping them. I ask players to stay at that spot for 3 seconds to feel the spot and re-wire what the first move from that shot should be. From this point the ball should move up, and slightly forward, but a lot of players will start to bring it backwards. From that isolation position think about popping your elbow straight up in the air, then snapping your wrist.
This should be a simple, short, compact motion without a lot of wasted movement. As you practice, make sure the movement feels simple.
“LIKE” our Facebook Group
