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  T H E  “S W I S HTM   R E L E A S E”  N E W S L E T T E R
        A Quarterly Conversation For Great Shooting!
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By Tom Nordland, Shooting Coach
Swish International, Inc.
Issue Number 118  --  April 2010
Tel:   888/SWISH-22  (888/794-7422)
               or 831/338-4647
Email:  Tom@swish22.com
             mailto:Tom@swish22.com
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ATTENTION: You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to
it.  If you'd like to remove yourself from this mailing list, please see
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NOT made available to other companies or individuals. We value every
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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.

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                IN THIS ISSUE
============================================

      1.  Welcome from the Coach
      2.  Purpose of this Newsletter
      3.  Comments on the NBA Playoffs and Dwight Howard’s Shooting
      4.  First Half of the Release Almost as Important as Last Half!
      5.  Item from Brian McCormick’s March ‘10 Newsletter
      6.  Three Clips of Extraordinary Swish Shooting
      7.  Four YouTube Clips on Swish from Two Brothers in Canada
      8.  KIDS' KORNER
      9.  Shooting Clinics & Camps
    10.  Get the Swish Videos
    11.  Please Bookmark this Website
    12.  How to Subscribe / Unsubscribe
    13.  Contact Information

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1.  Welcome from the Coach
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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!

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2.  Purpose of this Newsletter
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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

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3.  Comments on the NBA Playoffs and Dwight Howard’s Shooting
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I watched the opening game of the Celtics-Magic series.  It was
exhausting to watch and overall pretty ugly, as Boston won by four,
92-88.  Half time, 41 to 32, Celtics.  The Magic scored only 14 points
in the first quarter!

I say “exhausting” because the refs are allowing the games at this stage
of the Playoffs to be very physical.  They often let these guys get away
with murder.  It alters the game, of course, and I don't think it’s much
fun to watch.  Fouls are called occasionally, but it’s a sort of
slugfest.

Dwight Howard doesn’t have much offense when they’re hanging on him so
ferociously.  His offense is almost entirely dunks, short jump hooks,
and half the Free Throws he gets (and he gets a lot, since fouling him
is a defensive strategy). I could see the angry intensity in Perkins’
eyes one time after he tried to neutralize Dwight (often succeeding) by
mugging him.  It didn’t help that Dwight is still just a 50% Free Throw
shooter and has no mid-range jumpshot.  He missed five Free Throws and
they lost by four!

I heard Dwight is working with a coach on his mental game (his thought
process, his Pre-Shot Routine, etc.), and he seems to be a “tiny” bit
better.  One game, after I was first aware of that new approach, he made
13 of 18 (72% - Yeah!  Great!  Awesome! ... not really!).  But then he
was 9 for 18 the next game and 3 for 6 the next (against Atlanta, those
three games).  Against the Celtics in Game 1 he was 7 for 12 (58%),
still poor, still making about half his shots.  My prediction (to
myself) was that he would initially shoot better with this new “mental
game” and a bit of hopeful confidence, but then the novelty would wear
off and he would return to where he was before.  It’s like a golfer
getting a new putter, “the answer to his putting miseries,” he thinks
and hopes.  And it does help!  Every putt seems to have eyes for the
hole.  It works ... but only for a round or two.  It works because it’s
something “new!”  Any change in a club or racket or a routine would work
like that because the critical mind let’s up for a short time.  But
since it was the putting stroke that was mainly at fault -- not the
putter -- the failure pretty quickly returns.

Same with Dwight.  He needs help with the mechanics of his shooting, not
his mental game!  When his form is effective and repeatable and flat-out
works, then his confidence will follow.  Right now his stroke has a
couple major flaws.  It’s hard to believe that no one around him sees
them.  I would love to get him in a court for an hour and show him what
I see and help him transform.  The answers are very simple.  Learning
and trusting a new stroke is the biggest obstacle, once a person embarks
on making a change, but my approach is so simple and easy to perform, it
could be trusted very quickly.  It’s like the simplest motion, something
you can do even with great pressure.

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4.  First Half of the Shot Almost as Important as Last Half!
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I’ve had a recent insight into how best we can shoot, and it involves
the “halves” of a shot (just the simple idea of a “First Half” and a
“Last Half”) and how critical both are.

I think most players are not very aware of what they do before the
moment of Release, probably thinking it’s not that important.  They
“set” the ball somehow (they have to do something to get the ball to the
Set Point), but I think it’s often not thought about much.  But I’m
seeing ... The First Half is ALMOST as important as the Last Half!

Let me explain.

Let’s call the FIRST HALF the actions needed to get the body and ball
“ready” for the Release.  That includes footwork and body motion to get
the ball and body aligned with the basket, plus some kind of motion to
initiate the body power (leg action) and another to bring the ball up to
the Set Point (from where the Release starts).

The SECOND HALF is the Release and what happens with and after it,
including the aiming of the ball, the adjustment of arch to allow for
distance control, and the Follow Through.

Why do I say the First Half is “ALMOST” as important?

I say that because a great Release (the second half) can correct faulty
and off-line power and setting (the first half), but if the Release
isn’t accurate with distance and direction, no matter how wonderful the
first half was, the ball ain’t going to go into the basket!  The Release
is still the most important element, but if the ball is on line and
moving before the Release action, it just makes everything easier.

Check it out!  Do a sloppy first half and shoot and see how you can
still make the shot sometimes, but it takes extra focus and maybe extra
power.  It’s just made more difficult.  Then do a great first half and a
sloppy Release and Follow Through and see how unlikely it is that you’ll
make the shot.  Now do great first and second halves and see how easy
and accurate your shooting becomes!

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5.  Item from Brian McCormick’s March ‘10 Newsletter
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[Ed note:  This is an interesting article about the difference between
Athleticism and Skills by Brian McCormick, a wonderful coach and trainer
who lives in southern California.  The game of basketball is shifting
toward players who are more “athletic,” but the level of skills (like
shooting) is deteriorating.  This article illustrates the difference,
and why skills like those of Roger Federer are so valuable and
important.]

A Quick Word: Tennis and Athleticism

“I went to the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and watched Roger
Federer  and James Blake (both lost). The contrast between the two was
stark.

“Blake is described as one of the tour’s quickest players, and he gets
to a lot of balls. However, everything looks hard. Watching him live, it
is easy to see why he has been plagued by injuries. He is aggressive and
makes hard stops and starts. He is very physical, but his movements are
not fluid. He is exciting as he pounds forehands and sprints after every
ball, but you can see the toll on his body.

“Federer, meanwhile, makes the game look easy. He moves effortlessly.
There is no wasted motion. When he strikes the ball, he is always on
balance. He glides around the court efficiently and quickly, not with
the same jolting stops and starts as Blake. Of course, he is rarely
injured. His game appears more skilled than physical because his
movements are fluid and graceful.

“At the tournament, I imagined Federer and Blake as junior players. Most
basketball coaches would select a player like Blake over a player like
Federer. You notice Blake’s work rate and his quickness, while Federer’s
brilliance is often subtle and unnoticed. If you watched Federer in a
tournament with other players running in and out and no scoreboard (like
a basketball scrimmage at try-outs), he is often unspectacular. Blake,
on the other hand, runs down balls and makes you notice his effort or
hits a huge forehand and draws attention to his power. As you watch
Federer more and more, you notice his brilliance and his consistent
shot-making. The difference epitomizes John Wooden’s aphorism: “Don’t
mistake activity with achievement.”

“While many watch Federer and Blake and believe that their differences
are skill-related (and some may be), Federer is the superior athlete.
Analysts comment frequently on Federer’s skills and Blake’s athletic
traits, but Federer is a better athlete - his movement is flawless and
his hands are amazing. His reaction time and balance enable him to get
to more balls and strike the balls with power. His superior athleticism
enhances his skill. Blake may have more pure speed and absolute
strength, but Federer’s agility, reaction time, balance, lateral
movement and flexibility give him the advantage on the court.

“When we watch basketball players, this athleticism often goes
unnoticed. We notice the explosive athlete who dunks or blocks shots. We
miss the athlete who wastes no motion and moves his body into perfect
position to enhance his skill execution.

“Most of my team this season appeared to shoot poorly. However, their
flaws were more athletic than skill-specific. They struggled to
decelerate or they lacked the coordination between their upper and lower
bodies when they jumped. Their lack of athleticism was apparent in basic
drills like skipping. While they improved during the season, their
undeveloped athletic skills undermine their skill performance.

“I am coaching volleyball, and we suffer from the same issue. We
struggle on low balls because we lack flexibility. We cannot do things
like side lunges and struggle to drop our hips into a front lunge. While
our skill execution needs improvement, we also need to improve our
overall athleticism, even though we have a couple players who jump
pretty well.

“Athleticism is more than pure speed or vertical jump and well-developed
general athletic skills enhance players’ sport-specific skill execution.
As young children spend more time in structured activities and play
less, these skills appear to be less developed. If players do not
develop these athletic skills through play (tag, stickball, nerf
football, etc), coaches need to incorporate some basic athletic
development into their practices to enhance their players’ long term
development.”

Brian McCormick, M.S.S., PES
Sign up for his newsletter:  http://playmakersleague.com/newsletter/
Website:  http://playmakersleague.com/
Email:  hard2guardinc@yahoo.com

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6.  Three Clips of Extraordinary Swish Shooting
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•  Here is video footage of a 14-year-old “Swish” shooter, recorded
three years after learning the Swish Method from Tom in Maryland. To
this day he and his dad continue using the tools and methods they
learned, and Gavin here brilliantly demonstrates the technique.  Look at
the beauty of his shooting!
     Gavin shooting
(http://go.webvideoplayer.com/view/RHZhKYJ0tiD4Ec9CTkaW23246)

•  Here's a clip of a 12 year old boy (93 lbs, says his dad) named Joe
from Palo Alto I've coached a few times.  Just see the control and
confidence this young boy has.  It's the confidence of "knowing."  He
recently won a shooting championship at a big sports academy in Florida,
beating boys up through high school, some of whom are committed to
Division 1 schools.
     Joe shooting mid-range shots
(http://go.webvideoplayer.com/view/eGB9csEvgAmqRfTanxIY23668)

•  NEW:  Here is the latest of Joe from Palo Alto, draining 3's.
     Joe shooting 3’s
(http://go.webvideoplayer.com/view/nkywrjFxdOqJmhbopaUC24581)

This is what I teach!  Anybody can learn to do this!  It’s what Diana
Taurasi and Becky Hammon are doing, and Steph Curry, and Fernandez from
Portland, and Heinrich and Rose from Chicago, and almost all of the
better shooters you see.  They’re not necessarily geniuses.  They’ve
just mastered some simple stuff that anyone can figure out ... if
they’re not hammered every day in practice to “Square Up,” “Flip your
Wrist,” “Have the Elbow under the Ball,” “Shoot at the Top of the Jump,”
etc.

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7.  Four YouTube Clips on Swish from Two Brothers in Canada
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Here are clips by the “Shooters Touch” guys from YouTube, two brothers,
Eugene and Michael Tran, from Winnepeg, Manitoba:

#1: The “Pure” Swish Release
        (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM50WkV4LfU=email)
#2: Outside shooting, some F/T’s
        (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1INT_hZPDo0=email)
#3: UpForce as a percent
        (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93KGlpSAaHo=email)
#4:  Answering questions about the Swish Method (5/9/10)
        (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnuzCih03Jw=email)

They’ve been giving me great testimonials on YouTube.  These clips are
their view of what the Swish approach to shooting is, and how simple it
can be.

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8.  KIDS' KORNER
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Practice Distinctions (different “aspects” of a shot)!

When you have some extra time, make your practice shooting sessions more
productive by spending a few minutes playing with -- examining, testing,
having fun with -- different aspects of this fascinating sports skill.
Things you could study include power (where does it come from, how big
is it, etc.?), how you set the ball, alignment, spin, height, etc.  With
your developing sense of awareness, shoot around and focus on one or a
couple new things each time.  Don’t be so serious.  Miss on purpose, aim
to hit the back rim, the front rim, the right rim, etc.  Add time to
play and go crazy, too, but pay attention so you learn.  In the goofing
off and the fun stuff can be found learning.  Just don’t goof off all
the time as you won’t learn as much.

When I go to practice shooting (something I really love), I often decide
to work/play with one of the list of distinctions in this article (or
some new ones).

A Distinction is a “quality or feature that differentiates, that makes
distinct.”  It’s a way of defining something.  With shooting, the above
are a few distinctions, and here are some more.  In your examining you
will come to know what they mean.

Some ideas for you to play with:
        Catching the UpForce (connecting to and using the leg energy)
        Percent of UpForce caught  (from zero to 100%)
        Inertia (creating and “catching” it)
        The Constant Release (the relaxed wrist, “Push & Flop” motion)
        Arch  (and varying it to control distance)
        Shots with Movement & Dribbling
        Catch & Shoot Shots
        Runners & Floaters
        Full Extension of the arm (elbow locking)
        “Full Out,” meaning about 70% of max. speed and force
        Dipping
        Direction/Accuracy
        Opposite Hand Shooting
        Chain Reaction -- what the leg action (UpForce) starts in the shot motion
        Letting It Fly!
        No Fear!  No holding back!

        (Feel free to add some of your own -- things that matter!)

This kind of practice can be revolutionary, opening doors to more and
more awareness.  You’ll come to know better why you make and why you
miss shots.  Add the Swish way of shooting (showing you where you want
to get) to this magical awareness stuff and you’ll soon be knocking them
down from everywhere! ... and you’ll enjoy the game a lot more!

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9.  Shooting Clinics & Camps
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SHOOTING CLINICS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

        SAN CARLOS, CALIF. -- One 4-hour clinic
                Sat., May 29th, 10AM-2PM
                At Paye’s Place
                Limit 26 players
                For more details and enrollment, go to my website
                        http://www.swish22.com/clinics see "Clinics & Camps”)
                PDF Flyer for San Carlos clinic:               
                        http://www.swish22.com/assets/PayesPlaceFlyer.pdf

        BOULDER CREEK, CALIF.  -- Choice of two 4-hour Clinics:
                Sun., May 30th, 1-5PM, or...
                Sun., June 6th, 1-5PM
                At Boulder Creek Recreation Center
                Limit 12 players
                For more details and enrollment, go to my website
                        http://www.swish22.com/clinics (see “Clinics & Camps”)
                PDF Flyer for Boulder Creek clinics:           
                        http://www.swish22.com/assets/BCRCFlyer.pdf


OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTRY BEING CONSIDERED:
        •  Northern California
        •  Southern California
        •  Atlanta
        •  Chicago
        •  Denver
        •  Green Bay
        •  Indiana          <-- July 8-13 approx., clinics being formed
        •  Kansas City
        •  Minnesota     <-- July 22-28 approx., clinics being formed
        •  New England
        •  New Jersey/New York/Eastern PA
        •  Pittsburgh
        •  Seattle
        •  South Dakota (Rapid City)
        •  Utah/ western Colorado

Stay in touch with my Clinics & Camps” webpage for the latest:
        http://www.swish22.com/clinics

If you have access to a gym and could help host a clinic or two, contact
me:  888/SWISH-22  (888/794-7422)


PARTNERSHIPS WITH BASKETBALL CENTERS?

I would like to establish relationships with basketball centers that
have multiple courts and large databases of players and coaches.  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 email lists will
love to get coaching in the game’s most important skill ...  shooting!
We could do clinics throughout the year.

Northern California is my home option, but I’ll consider basketball
centers in other parts of the country as well, including traveling there
periodically to train coaches.  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.

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10.  Get the Swish Videos
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See this color PDF that describes the “promise” of Swish.  There really
IS a big problem in the great game of basketball, and this new flyer of
ours describes the challenge and the opportunity my coaching offers.
Print it out (in color or not) and share it with your friends:

        New Swish Flyer – the Story of the Swish way of shooting!
(http://www.swish22.com/assets/SwishFlyer.pdf)

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 Newsletter awhile back.  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.”

DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE
1)  U.S. & Canadian markets, NTSC format DVD’s:  $5 off (Use discount
code ‘Deduct$5,’ without the quote signs).

2)  For most international markets, PAL format DVD’s: (Since we have
excess inventory of PAL DVD’s, plus shipping is prohibitively high,
we’re offering these higher discounts:
        $10 off for one video; Use this code:  ‘International$10’  (without
quotes)
        $15 off for the Package of both DVD’s (Pkg #2):  Use:
“International$15’.

As one coach 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: http://www.swish22.com/

WORKNG ON SWISH 3 AND AN EBOOK ON COACHING SWISH
Note:  Swish 3 and an eBook on how to coach the Swish way of shooting
are in process.  I expect to have Swish 3, on Free Throws, to be
produced by the end of summer, and in the next month or so I will have
the eBook done.  It will be 60+ pages and include photos and video clips
to help bring the words to life!

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11.  Please Bookmark this Website
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I invite you to bookmark my Website (http://www.swish22.com) so you can
go there easily to catch my latest comments on shooting.  You can read
about my videos there (including endorsements, testimonials, reviews and
an overview of the videos), my coaching, and the many articles on
shooting I've written.  You can see video clips and archived back issues
of this Newsletter and, of course, subscribe, if you're not already
getting this on a regular basis.  

Please tell others about this newsletter, my site, and my videos.
Forward the newsletter to them and suggest they read it and the many
archived issues.  Send them the URL and let them know there's a proven
method for powerful shooting. This great game of ours deserves a
Renaissance in shooting!

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12.  How to Subscribe / Unsubscribe
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To SUBSCRIBE to this Newsletter, click on the link below.

***Important: Please note that when you "subscribe," Topica, the company
that manages the free list for me, will send you a "confirmation" email
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The first option is to click on a link to Topica where they will ask you
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free mailings lists, discussion groups, etc., but I think most of you
just want to subscribe to the newsletter. You do that most easily by the
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need to key anything.

Click on this email -- it will start the subscription process:
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13.  Contact Information
------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Nordland, Swish International, Inc.
325 Crows Nest Drive
Boulder Creek, CA  95006
Website:  Swish 22 website (http://www.swish22.com)
------------------------------------------------------------
Tel:   888/SWISH-22  (888/794-7422)
         or 831/338-4647
Email:  Email Tom  (mailto:Tom@swish22.com)
Originator of the Official Swish Method of Shooting!
For a Basketball Shooting Renaissance!


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