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----------------------------------------------------------------- T H E “S W I S H R E L E A S E” N E W S L E T T E R A Quarterly Conversation FOR Great Shooting! ----------------------------------------------------------------- By Tom Nordland, Shooting Coach Swish International, Inc. Issue Number 114 -- April 2009 Tel: 888/SWISH-22 (888/794-7422) or 831/338-4647 Email: Tom@swish22.com mailto:Tom@swish22.com -----------------------------------------------------------------
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PLEASE excuse the advertisement paragraph you'll see at the top of this Newsletter. Because I have a “free” service with the Mail List company (Topica), they insert that ad to help them pay for the service. Sorry for the little commercialism.
============================================ IN THIS ISSUE ============================================
1. Welcome from the Coach 2. Purpose of this Newsletter 3. Using Video Clips More and More 4. Criticism of My Swish Video Clips 5. My Yearly Plug of Joe Ehrmann 6. More Testimonials 7. KIDS' KORNER 8. Shooting Clinics & Camps 9. Get the Swish Videos 10. How to Subscribe / Unsubscribe 11. Contact Information
------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Welcome from the Coach ------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to my “Swish Release” Basketball Shooting Newsletter. Each issue I write about the skill of shooting in the game today and how it can be more effectively learned and coached. If you like what I'm saying, please tell others about it and suggest they subscribe, too. Remember: Great Shooting CAN be taught!
------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Purpose of this Newsletter ------------------------------------------------------------
This newsletter is a vehicle for communicating what I know about shooting and for a conversation on how shooting can be improved. With your help, I intend to shift the game and help players and coaches everywhere re-discover the Lost Art of Shooting. Thank you for reading this and subscribing to it and sharing it with your friends. -- Tom Nordland
------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Using Video Clips More and More ------------------------------------------------------------
As I’m sure most Internet people are learning, video clips are an amazing way to communicate a message. You can say and demonstrate things so easily and powerfully with that medium.
I’ve been working to digitize clips to show the Swish way of shooting, as well as clips that show the special approach that the Swish videos bring to learning and coaching it. My videos, especially Swish 2, show how to approach the skill as a learner and as a coach. They teach two things:
(1) A wonderful, natural and effective “technique” of shooting as revealed to me (high school star, lost shot for over 30 years, now 20 years studying, writing about and teaching the method), and ...
(2) How to learn and coach it: A Methodology for learning and teaching the skill, using awareness of the student more than the words of the coach. It’s about remembering that the “genius” is in the student, not the teacher or coach!
I’ve been trained by some remarkable coaches in how learning and coaching work, and I bring that to the table with my expertise in shooting.
So, with that introduction, here is where you can view these clips, what I’m calling a “taste” of Swish. Enjoy!!!
http://www.swish22.com/assets/ATasteOfSwish.html
------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Criticism of My Swish Video Clips ------------------------------------------------------------
I sometimes get critical comments about the Swish video clips I have posted on video sites like YouTube. The majority of comments are complimentary, but once in awhile I get something like “This stuff is so lame,” or “I’d block your shot out of the gym!”
My clips show players learning how to become great shooters, and already demonstrating accuracy and consistency. You could say they’re “working on their shots.” You can call it boring, if you want, but to master anything, you have to approach it slowly and seriously. If you can, break it down into its parts to learn it before putting it back together. Keep it small and slow at first, increasing speed and distance only as you can do it beautifully close in. And I’m talking about swishes, dead-center shots a lot of the time, not just making them any old way.
ONLY AS FAST AND FAR AS YOU CAN FEEL As one of my mentors put it in learning a golf swing, “Take it back only as slowly and as far back as you can feel it.” Let’s call that a “Learning speed.” As you increase awareness, your stroke (or swing or dance or jump or whatever skill you’re learning) will naturally develop and extend longer and faster. When you lose it, just slow it back down again until it’s re-learned, re-discovered. You need to build a foundation of control and success. When you do, then you’re on your way to exceptional shooting. If, rather, you spend all your time at the 3-Pt line hoping shots go in, and then, when they don’t, charge in and dunk the ball (if you can), good luck for your shooting future! You’re going to need it.
YOU DON’T LEARN IT AT GAMESPEED! So, my impatient players out there, learn it small and slow! It won’t speed things up to go at full speed and spend a lot of time at the 3-pt lilne. Golfers who go to a driving range and then spend most of their time hitting drivers, one of the most difficult clubs to master, don’t learn so fast. It works better to start small and close in, starting perhaps with chip shots and then moving back to work on pitches and then the short irons. Small and slow you can feel things, then move to longer shots, woods, etc.
THE CLIPS REVEAL SOMETHINGS, THE VIDEOS MUCH MORE... See if you can imitate what you see in the video clips, starting with learning the Release in close, not from the 3-Pt line. The Swish videos will really show you what you need to learn and master. The Release is the key thing to master. If you can’t stand 4-6 feet away (further for bigger, stronger players) and, with little or no leg action make 5, 10, 15 in a row or more any time you choose, then you haven’t learned the Release yet. Going back and adding speed and complexity isn’t going to help. In fact it will probably hurt, because your confidence will start to be eroded. You’ll be ingraining ineffective actions.
Starting small and slow allows the body to learn and integrate all the motions, and then, as you move back, the whole motion can start to be developed on a bigger scale.
AFTER LEARNING THE RELEASE, THEN ADD SPEED, DISTANCE AND PRESSURE As to getting your shots blocked, you just have to learn to work off the dribble and use picks and screens to get open, and THEN, with your mastery of the Release, your shots will go in. If you shoot quick and high, as the Swish Way teaches, you just need a small opening and ... Swish!
------------------------------------------------------------ 5. My Yearly Plug of Joe Ehrmann ------------------------------------------------------------
FROM BOYS TO MEN I’ve written about this before, but it can’t be over promoted. A former Baltimore Colts All-Pro defensive lineman named Joe Ehrmann leads an organization and website called “Building Men and Women.” It’s about how, as a society, we fail at developing boys into mature men.
View this 9:43 min. video clip to see Joe’s amazing story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQRRGIaZjNs
His website is: http://www.buildingmenandwomen.org
Joe uses football to teach the boys about the true nature of “masculinity,” how it isn’t what he calls the “Three Myths of Masculinity,” sports success, how much money you make, or sexual conquest. Instead it’s about “relationships.”
He has developed programs to help teach the stuff he’s developed. This is awesome stuff for both kids and coaches. I agree with Joe that “immature men” is one of our society’s biggest failures and problems. His wife is leading a parallel organization for women, but the crime, the gang activity, the spousal abuse, etc., are mostly done by men who have little regard for others or themselves. They aren’t asking the questions Joe feels are paramount: “Who do you love and who loves you?” and “What are you doing for others?”
I experienced a high level of athletic success in high school, and I can see how it retarded my development as a person. I thought I was someone special, so I didn’t have to work so hard at learning and developing other talents. It took me a long time to mature. If my buddies had been gang bangers or druggies, I could easily have been swallowed into those ways of life.
------------------------------------------------------------ 6. More Testimonials ------------------------------------------------------------
“Tom, good to hear from you. I am going to disagree that your Industrial Engineering [my major in college] background had nothing to do with your approach to developing the Swish Process. IE's think very systematically and break things down into little pieces so that each can be examined, improved and the optimal "process flow" documented and put in place. In that regard, Swish 2 has Industrial Engineering written all over it. If you had been a liberal arts major, Swish 2 would look very different and probably wouldn't be nearly as well done. Nothing against liberal arts majors, but they weren't trained to think the way engineers do.
“When I say ‘engineered,’ I don't necessarily mean deep dark science that is hard to comprehend. I am just referring to a very organized approach that is thorough, systematic and pays attention to detail. Fundamentally, that's what you have done.
“The Swish Process lies between all of the ineffective ‘Just Line It Up and Shoot’ and ‘Gadget’ approaches on one side and the "off the deep end complex Noah's Arc shooting machine" on the other. Swish is organized and complete with a foundation of basic science and engineering concepts, but it still has room for and believes in the human ability to sense what it takes to be successful. Coach, I think that's right where you want to be because that's what makes Swish both different and special.”
-- Terry Tucker, Jasper, Indiana
[Ed note: Terry also wrote the “More Mechanical than Mysterious” quote that appears at the top of my home page.]
------------------------- “Tom, I have an 11 year old son who has been playing basketball for 3 years. He always used a 2-hand set shot and developed bad habits with a flat arc, no spin, no shooters roll, etc. He has a good eye, and the 2-hand shot actually worked well, but now the other kids have developed jump shots and his coaches have really been on him to shoot correctly. Unfortunately mostly airballs and misses. He's a strong kid 5'4" and 130lb. (plays football) but just couldn't get it.
“He was feeling dejected, and me frustrated because I wasn't able to help. Then I read about Swish22. I studied the website, watched the video clips, and downloaded the Learning the Swish Method PDF. The results are nothing less than a miracle. I just gave him the basic concepts of upforce, pure release, high and soft arc and watched him make 100's of shots (left & right handed as he is ambidextrous).
“My wife was watching from the kitchen and came outside in awe. 5, 10, even 15 shots in a row. I don't know how this will translate under pressure, but I give you a lot of credit for making the game more fun and helping a father and son have the best practice ever. I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.”
All the best always, -- Conrad Herwig (location unknown)
------------------------- “Hi Tom, The DVDs finally made it to my home. I guess they were stuck in customs before and over the holidays. In case a future customer wants to know, the fees (tax and/or customs) were 6 Euros 75.
“I've already watched the first DVD in one sitting.
“A little background follows:
“My boys are just starting out, so the good thing is that they don't have to unlearn years of misguided advice. Given that the younger is just 8 (and there is simply more time to learn all the skills) I am concentrating on the 11-year-old for now.
“I grabbed nearly all the books on basketball off amazon.com, ordered your video and a few others (Dave Hopla and others that came recommended along with yours) to teach myself as much as I can about basketball. I'm also planning to become a certified coach with the German Basketball Federation this coming year.
“I used to play basketball at school somewhat competitively in England between the ages of 15 and 18, an easy choice given that I was already 6'7" (2m), although I didn't go any further :-). Since I started so late, I never learned to dribble properly, and I never learned to shoot (from range) properly. I was still on the team, useful for rebounds and defense.
“My own experience, as well as watching my son Pavel (the 11-year-old) join a team with some more experienced U12 and U14 players, I see that a beginner's biggest deficits are in dribbling and passing. In my opinion dribbling just takes a lot of repetition, but there is not a lot one can do wrong once one has learned not to hit the ball.
“Learning to shoot on the other hand really needs guidance. And there is not sufficient time in team practices (although if I were coach, I would make sure to allocate time for it).
“In one of the books called ‘Coaching Youth Basketball’ --- there are several --- the author relates the experience he had with his son one summer, simply rebounding shot after shot and helping his son to get perhaps 10,000 shots in, after which the son made the team and the coach remarked that he had never seen such huge improvement. So I decided to concentrate on shooting. And when that decision was clear I also decided to find out exactly what different authors/coaches say about shooting and make up my own mind; I am able to start with a clean slate here.
“No-one ever taught me how to shoot beyond some basic fundamentals. All I was told to get better was to throw more. And some seemed to be naturals, so I was content with my role.
“By now of course I realize that shooting well can be taught; and not only do I know why I myself shot so badly in my youth, but I see all the mistakes the players in my son's team practice make (I try not to interfere with the coaching, though. I guess I will just teach my son, and when the coach sees the improvement, I'll let him know my ‘secret’ :-).
“The two big things I did (was taught) wrong: I was taught to release at the highest point of the jump, and I was taught to almost violently flip my wrist. The wrist thing I suspect now was the biggest problem. I tried to analyze my grip, and what I could do to improve it within the context of the violent wrist flipping (or, rather, how I could teach my son the best grip within that framework). I thought it would be necessary to bend the wrist laterally a little, because the index finger is much shorter than the middle finger, and if you use the hand actively the ball will tend to go to one side because it is pushed harder by the middle finger. Then I saw pictures recommending a grip with the valve in between those two fingers, and they just didn't make any sense at that time.
“While waiting for your video I read some of the articles on your site, and the biggest eye-opener was that the wrist should just be relaxed. I actually tried it without a ball and for some reason was astonished that if you flip your wrist it ends up in exactly the same position (but relaxed) as the one I used to try to achieve actively. It all makes sense now, including the grip; when you just let the wrist flop and the shoot is more of a push (a bit like a shot put, except it starts higher), the length of the fingers (and all the adjustments I had to make from that) are simply taken out of the variability equation.
“In trying to give my son at least an overview about the mechanics, I had told him (before I had this just-mentioned revelation) to use the active wrist. Luckily he hasn't made it permanent yet, and of course I have told him that in that particular detail I happened to be wrong.
“I haven't been able to practice with him since then, but I am very eager to do so, especially on this. The rudiments of the leg motion seems to come naturally for most kids, although I did have to tell him to make sure he jumps straight up (his initial, completely unguided attempts at shooting looked more like passes). Also, I try to make him put his elbow up above the shoulder. However, I will analyze if I'm not overtaxing him with this request, strength-wise. I have bought three balls, a size 5, a 6 and a regular-size. The 5 is for his brother (and they also have this size at his practice) and the six would be for him. Unfortunately they use full-size balls at his practice. It's not a huge problem, given that he's already taller than Mugsy Bogues, but I will keep an eye on it, and now that I have watched your first DVD, emphasize the leg action and the "wobbly wrist" consistent release with a high arc rather than specific release point.
“Anyway, I was anxious to get practicing again after I had read your article (that includes the progression from the natural release to higher distances), and now that I have seen this progression on the DVD 1 I am even more anxious to try it.
“I'll watch the DVDs with both my sons, but of course they won't understand the talking. I'll do my best and simultaneously translate the most important bits.
“Quite honestly I believe that my son, with the help of your DVD as well as a bit of the other literature I've read (much of the literature on shooting talks about the more complicated parts of shooting), will be the best shooter in the U12, and possibly among the better shooters in the U14, in a very short time (mainly because they currently shoot so badly). Of course, once that happens, I will talk to the coach to help him help the other kids improve, too. I'll keep you updated on our progress.”
Happy New Year and kind regards, -- Nicolai C., Munich, Germany
------------------------- “Tom, I don't think we have conversed since last season. I though I would give you a little update on my youngest, Cameron.
“He's in the 8th grade this year and doing well. He's been averaging 15-20 points per game this season. Most teams either double-team him or stick one guy on him continually. As you can imagine this gets to be quite a drag after a while, so he has had to work hard to get open for a shot. This past Monday a team made the mistake of staying in a zone the entire game. Cam ate it alive. He ended up 7-10 from three range (several from around 22'-25'), 2-2 from the Free Throw line and totaling 29 points for the evening. The team spent most of the 4th quarter just passing it around and not shooting.
“Your method has been a boon to his game. He's been using your method for around 7 years now. I still have coaches tell me to have him "square up" and that he would even be a better shooter! I have to laugh at that. Upforce is so simple.”
God Bless Kevin W., Barrackville, WV
------------------------------------------------------------ 7. KIDS' KORNER ------------------------------------------------------------
THIS LIFE IS NOT A REHEARSAL -- ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT!
I thought to advise young people again to ask for what they want. First, of course, is finding out what it is you want, but then be like a bulldog hanging onto it and moving in that direction.
Shooting a basketball is an example of the kinds of things that can appear in your life as something you can come to really “want.” The key, then, is to look at it and decide what it is and how you might learn to do it. It’s best if you can get a coach / teacher / partner to help you on the path, since it’s hard to figure things out by ourselves. Some can do that well, and we call them geniuses or masters, great “talents.” But most of us get only glimpses of what’s possible and we usually forget them. Getting a partner to coach or partner to work with you can magnify your efforts.
The key is “knowing” what you want and then asking for help. As I’ve said before in these newsletters, people love to be asked to help, so that’s not a big problem, but in regards to a coach or teacher who can really help and guide you, there is a problem: Do the people who materialize to offer their help know anything? Do they know the real stuff? Can they truly help you, or do they just parrot the prevailing wisdom, even if it doesn’t help you? So you need to differentiate the real help from the false help.
I write constantly about the key principles of shooting that I’ve discovered truly make a difference. Most of them differ from what is normally taught these days, but I can prove that what I say is the “way of the great shooters.” If someone can do that, prove his/her key points, then you really have something. If the person gives you information that isn’t provable, and/or doesn’t really work that well or easily, then perhaps that person is not a great teacher. If not, keep searching, keep asking to be shown.
------------------------------------------------------------ 8. Shooting Clinics & Camps ------------------------------------------------------------
PARTNERSHIPS WITH BASKETBALL CENTERS? I’m interested in establishing relationships with basketball centers that have multiple courts and large databases. We can run joint shooting clinics and camps and share the revenue. You provide the court(s) and the players and I’ll provide the coaching and training of coaches. Your membership and people on your general databases will love to get coaching in the game’s most important skill: shooting! We could do clinics throughout the year.
Northern California is my best option, but I’ll consider other venues as well. My top coach-in-training, Ernest Johnson, lives in Washington, D.C., and so if you’re in that area contact me and I’ll have Ernest contact you.
THREE GENERAL OPTIONS AVAILABLE I’m now offering a choice (mix and match) of three clinic/camp formats:
HALF-DAY CLINICS: This is the “Signature” format as it gives me ample time to lead a slow, awareness-filled experience in learning. By the end, participants know fairly deeply what and how to practice and how to coach themselves. That’s the only way this coaching is really going to stick! These clinics are 4 hours long, and I can do one or two per day.
TWO-HOUR FREE THROW CLINICS This format is similar to the 4-day clinics, but serves more as an introduction to self-coaching. Its main focus is applying Swish principles to the Free Throw, including my latest discoveries about this simple, can-be-frustrating shot. The “Swish Free Throw” makes this shot easy, a sure thing! I can do 2-4 of these clinics per day, or mix them in with the other formats.
TWO-DAY CAMPS: These are 7 hour, two-day experiences, with a suggested 3 1/2 hours the first day and 3 1/2 hours the second (other formats are also possible). The two-day experience gives the students an evening in between to watch the Swish DVDs, practice what they are learning, and develop questions to ask. The second day becomes magical as the kids get more deeply what’s possible and learn additional ways to practice it and play with it. I can do two of these Camp formats in a two-day period, with both a morning camp and an afternoon camp.
CLINICS THIS SPRING, SUMMER AND FALL? I expect to do a lot of travel this off season, starting now and extending through the spring, summer and fall. If you’d like to organize something, let me know. It can be an effective fundraiser for you while giving your kids the gift of shooting.
Clinics currently being planned: • Boulder Creek, CA: May 16-17 and June 13-14 • Wrightstown, WI (near Green Bay): June 7-10 • Rapid City, SD: July 19-24 • Twin Cities, MN: July 31-Aug. 11
Being considered: • Chicago • Connecticut & Massachusetts & environs • Los Angeles • Northern California • San Diego • Seattle/Spokane
(See the “Clinics” page for the latest details and Guidelines) (http://www.swish22.com/clinics).
Contact me if you can help organize something: 888/794-7422
------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Get the Swish Videos ------------------------------------------------------------
Let me again encourage you to get the Swish videos, if you haven't already. Swish 2 may deserve the “Academy Award” of shooting videos, as Coach Bill Dale put it in a recent Newsletter. These videos are poised to help shift the way shooting is taught everywhere. They reveal a very simple approach to shooting that can be seen to be the way the greatest shooters have always shot. They teach kids how to learn and practice, and HOW TO COACH THEMSELVES! That's Huge! They also, especially Swish 2, teach how to coach others in shooting excellence!
Get both Swish and Swish 2 with the discounted “package” price of $44.90 plus shipping (and tax if you're in Calif.). The original Swish is a “classic,” especially for younger players, well worth the price of $15 (half price, no extra shipping) it costs to get both. Swish 2, two-hours long, is my “masterpiece.”
As a coach from Indiana (Terry Tucker -- see above testimonial) put it, “The answer to the shooting woes is mechanical, not mysterious ... physical, not mental.” (Click here to see the whole quote "More Mechanical than Mysterious." http://www.swish22.com/assets/ttucker.html)
If you're a coach and want to coach shooting, I've got some special coaching tools I'll send you when you purchase Swish 2. There are also lesson plans and coaching stuff on the “For Coaches” page: http://www.swish22.com/forcoaches. Sign up on the Coaches’ Email List there. I’ll be developing more materials soon to help you view the videos and teach the Swish Method. I want to inform and empower YOU to coach this skill most effectively. We all need to work at this to “right the ship,” as it's said. Shooting is at such a low ebb, we need something different from what's been coached the last 20-25 years.
For more information and to order the videos:
------------------------------------------------------------ 10. How to Subscribe / Unsubscribe ------------------------------------------------------------
To SUBSCRIBE to this Newsletter, click on the link below.
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------------------------------------------------------------ 11. Contact Information ------------------------------------------------------------ Tom Nordland, Swish International, Inc. 325 Crows Nest Drive Boulder Creek, CA 95006 Website: http://www.swish22.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Tel: 888/SWISH-22 (888/794-7422) or 831/338-4647 Email: mailto:Tom@swish22.com Originator of the Official Swish Method of Shooting! For a Basketball Shooting Renaissance!
------------------------------------------------------------ (c) Copyright 2009 Swish International, Inc. All Rights Reserved ------------------------------------------------------------
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