Sports

basketball free throws

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Shooting free kicks successfully requires confidence, good mechanics, routine, relaxation, rhythm and concentration. Routine, relaxation and rhythm contribute to concentration and confidence.

Confidence

Think positively. You always shoot from the same spot on the line. Nobody is guarding you. The basket is big. Three and a half balls fit in the hoop. With confidence, and solid mechanics, you can’t miss it.

Stand a few feet behind the free throw line until the referee hands you the ball. You will be more relaxed there. If you hear negative comments from the crowd or acknowledge your own negative thoughts, interrupt them with the word stop. Take a deep breath and let go of negative thoughts as you exhale. Replace them with a positive affirmation statement like I’m a shooter! Nothing but net! or Tell it!

Routine

Develop a solid routine for your free kick. A routine helps you relax, focus and shoot with rhythm. Most importantly, using a routine will improve your confidence. The routine may include dribbling a set number of times, checking a mechanic or two, using imagery to mentally practice your free kick just before you shoot it, and taking deep breaths to relax. Get into a solid routine and stick to it; it’s a mistake to copy fads or repeatedly change your routine.

Here’s a sample routine that you can adjust to suit you. Once you receive the ball, place your feet, making sure to line up the ball (not your head) with the center of the basket. Use the small notch mark on the floor in the exact middle of the free throw line that marks the free throw circle. Place your shooting foot slightly outside of this mark, aligning the ball with the center of the basket.

Most players use the one-handed shot for a free kick and take the time to control each of the basic mechanics: balance, hand position, elbow alignment, sight (focus), pace, and follow-through.

Set in a balanced posture. Some players bounce the ball a certain number of times to help them relax. When you dribble the ball, keep your shooting hand up. This helps you have your shooting hand facing the basket when you set up the high stance to shoot. Use a relaxed hand position and align your index finger with the valve on the ball. Next, check the alignment of your elbow. Some players don’t have the flexibility to have their hand facing the basket and their elbow in. It’s more important to have your shooting hand facing the basket than it is to have your elbow all the way in. If your hand tends to turn to the side when you bring your elbow in, let your elbow hang out a bit.

Relaxation

Learn to relax when you shoot free kicks. You have more time to think with free kicks than with other shots. Overexerting yourself can cause undue physical or emotional stress. Use deep breathing to relax your mind and body. For a free kick, you need to especially relax your shoulders; take a deep breath and let your shoulders drop and release. Do the same with your arms, hands and fingers. Learn to relax other parts of your body. Controlling your breathing and relaxing your muscles is especially helpful in a free throw routine.

Concentration

Before shooting, visualize a successful shot. Visualizing just before shooting can produce a smoother, more continuous rhythm and increase confidence. Just before shooting, focus on your target just above the front of the rim. Keep your focus on the target while shooting.

Swing

Start your shot high and use the up and down movement of your legs to get the rhythm rather than lowering the ball to get the rhythm. The up and down movement of the legs provides momentum for the shot and is particularly useful when shooting late in the game when the legs are tired. By starting with the ball high and using your legs to keep up the pace, you will lessen the chance of error that can come from bringing the ball down.

Shoot the free kick with a smooth and flowing rhythm. Use custom keywords to help establish a smooth, sequential pace for free kicks. Say your words to the rhythm of your shot. For example, if your trigger words are legs and through and your anchor word is yes, put them together: legs through yes! – in rhythm with your shot, from the start of your shot until the ball is released. Using custom keywords in this way sets your pace, improves your mechanics, and builds confidence.

act like a shooter

Exaggerate your follow through, keeping your eyes on the target and your shooting arm up until the ball hits the basket. Keeping your track is not only good mechanically, but more importantly, you look and act like a marksman.

common mistake

You feel tense before and during your free kick.

Correction

Use deep breathing to relax your mind and body. Inhale deeply and exhale fully. Relax your shoulders, letting them drop and slack. Do the same with your arms, hands and fingers. Learn to relax other parts of your body as needed.

Free kick drills

1. Daily free throw practice

Shoot a set number of free throws each day. Practice series of 10 free throws after other drills. Because a player rarely shoots more than two consecutive free throws during a game, when doing this drill, he never shoots more than two consecutive free throws without going out of line.

Practice under pressure. Use your imagination and compete against yourself. For example, imagine that time is up and scoring the free kick will win the game. Record the number of free throws made out of 100 attempts. Constantly challenge your own record. Do the same for consecutive free throws.

Be confident. Use positive affirmations before you go to the line and visualize a successful shot just before you shoot. Having a routine helps build confidence for free kicks. Use deep breathing and muscle relaxation techniques.

Approach. The final step before shooting is to remove all distractions and focus on the basket. Say your custom keywords in rhythm from the start of your free kick to the release of the ball. If you miss, visualize a successful free kick with good form, again saying your keywords.

Shoot 100 free throws. Score yourself based on the total number of free throws taken. Record your score. Also record the most number of consecutive free throws. Challenge your record every time you do the exercise.

2. Free kicks with eyes open and eyes closed

Research has shown that combining free throw practice with eyes closed and free throw practice with eyes open improves shooting more than free throw practice with eyes open alone. Shooting with your eyes closed removes vision as your dominant sense, heightening your other senses, particularly your kinesthetic sense (feeling of body movement) and touch.

Visualize a successful shot and focus on the basket immediately before closing your eyes. Shoot a free kick with your eyes closed.

Begin the drill by shooting 5 free throws with your eyes open. Have a teammate rebound each shot and keep track of how many shots he makes out of 5 and how many consecutive shots he makes.

After shooting 5 free throws with your eyes open, shoot 5 free throws with your eyes closed. Have a teammate bounce the ball and give you their feedback on each shot, including the reaction of the ball in the hoop. Use this feedback and your kinesthetic and tactile senses to adjust your shot as needed.

Complete the drill by shooting 5 free throws with your eyes open. Have a teammate rebound each shot and keep track of how many shots he makes out of 5 and how many consecutive shots he makes.

Score yourself based on the total number of free throws taken. Record your score. Also record the most number of consecutive free throws. Challenge your record every time you do the exercise.

Tours Travel

Giving money to charity at or near death

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If you want to donate money to charity and are planning your estate, what’s the best way to do it? There is the option to donate to charity each year or as a lump sum upon death. At the time of death, there are options to donate to charity as part of your will, through life insurance, or by donating assets. There are considerations to keep in mind when making these decisions:

What is my income level and what do I need for my lifestyle now and on the day of my death?

If you have a high annual income (high would mean you’re paying the highest tax rates) and you don’t need this money for everyday expenses, then donating to charity while you live might be a good idea. You can make this decision each year if your income fluctuates, or if you have a year in which income increases, such as a year when a property is sold or capital gains are made on investments. There would be a trade-off between lowering current tax rates and lowering them for the estate. You’ll also want to consider how quickly you want to donate to charity and whether you’d like to see how your money is used.

There are many personal opinions that come up regarding charitable organizations and how they should be done, so it requires some introspection to ask yourself what your preferred method of giving would be. It’s a good idea to ask your favorite charities how they’d like to receive their donations: lump sum vs. frequency and assets vs. cash. Some charities have a hard time handling large sums of money because they may not have the facilities to allocate it where they need it. Other charities may have unpredictable funds from other sources if large sums are donated that would disrupt their cash flows. Depending on the type of donation, a charity can put it to different uses and this would make it easier for the donations to be used.

If I give donations at the time of my death, how should I do it?

Donating your RRSP

What about donating RRSP, RRIF or LIRA accounts to charity? Why do this? These accounts may be subject to heavy taxes depending on your income on the day of death and the balance remaining on the day of death. This strategy is similar to donating stocks that have large unrealized capital gains at death that could be nullified if the shares were donated to charity prior to sale.

Donate through your will

The disadvantages are that the will can be challenged or changed, which can affect the intended outcome of the charitable gift. There are also probate fees that apply to anything that passes through a will.

Gift of Life Insurance by Will

This donation is made upon death. Keep in mind that the donation is made by inheritance and at the time of death. Please note that “cultural gifts” and “ecological gifts” are taxed differently. Gifts may be claimed: in the estate tax year in which the gift is made, a prior estate tax year, or one of the individual’s last two tax years up to 100% of net income. The farm can also transfer gift credits up to 5 years into the future if it is a Graduated Rate (GRE) farm or 10 years for ecologically sensitive lands. Note that a gift given through a will or through probate is treated the same. The donation consists of a lump sum and the tax receipt is made to the estate and not to the individual. There are probate fees, public disclosure, and the possibility of estate contestability.

Life Insurance Donations by Naming a Charity as Beneficiary of the Insurance Policy

The person in this case would not qualify for a charitable contribution tax credit for the premiums paid. This would be done when an insurance policy is about to be renewed or expires. If you let the policy expire by not paying premiums, you may not get any value for it or you may get a cash surrender value that may be less than its fair market value. Life insurance policies can be donated 1) by changing the charity’s assignment as beneficiary and upon death. The estate would receive a tax credit based on the amount of the gift. Another way is to 2) change the ownership and beneficiary of the policy to the charity. The charity should be asked if they would accept this type of gift. This method is useful for direct donations instead of using third parties. Can the donation credit be used? It is worth a maximum of 75% of net income with a 5-year carryover.

Life insurance policy donations directly to a charity

In case 2), the fair market value is used, which is usually higher than the cash salvage value. Who will pay the premiums once the insurance policy is donated? The insured can continue to pay the premiums and get additional tax credits for the payments if they are made after the insurance policy is transferred to charity, or the premiums can be deducted from the policy’s cash value. Other donors to the charity itself may also pay the premiums. The charity may prefer to pay the premiums as if the donor agrees to pay the premiums and does not, the insurance policy will lapse. Please note that the features of the life insurance policy should be thoroughly verified to ensure that the correct fair market value is arrived at. In the second case, there are no probate fees, no contestability of the estate, and no problem with creditors and the estate. This case may apply to a new or existing life insurance policy during your lifetime. The rest of the inheritance can be kept in full for the other beneficiaries. Donating a life insurance policy can be cheaper than giving a cash gift because the investment income is generated within the life insurance policy. Keep in mind that if there is a split of an insurance policy between a donor and a charity, the CRA does not want an advantage in favor of the donor. The benefits to the charity and the donor must be clearly separated, otherwise the charity’s tax deduction would not be allowed. The person making the donation has to calculate the value of the split, which is likely to be done with the help of an insurance underwriter or actuary.

asset donation

This method consists of donating assets in kind when there is an unrealized capital gain or loss implicit in the transaction. This is called a gift of capital assets and the total gift limit is increased by 25% of the taxable capital gain. The donor may designate a value between the ACB (Adjusted Cost Basis) and FMV (Fair Market Value) of the donated property to calculate the capital gains and tax credit. If an insurance policy is purchased to replace the value of donated assets (and offset the tax consequences of a capital gain), the tax savings from the gift can be applied toward the purchase of the insurance policy.

Donor-advised funds and foundations

A donor-advised fund is an endowment fund. Money is deposited into the fund and the fixed payment is made to registered charities. There is flexibility as to when donations are made and to whom. This can be used as a legacy of charitable donations, as the donations can continue after death and be your heirs as well. The money is donated to an organization that invests the initial donation, manages where the proceeds are donated, invests the money guided by you, and issues the tax receipts.

Technology

How to Zero a Telescopic Sight

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You just bought a new rifle scope, adjusted it, and let me guess… for some reason your shots don’t land near the scope?

Sadly there is more to precision shooting with the rifle scope than just dropping the scope on the rifle and shooting forever like a SAS sniper! You have to “zero it”.

Think about it. it’s like a bicycle wheel. If you tighten the screws badly, too much on one side for example, it turns badly and rubs the brake pads. It’s the same with a telescopic sight. If it is not set up correctly you will be offline and even at short BB, airsoft and paintball ranges this will affect your accuracy immediately. At longer ranges it will miss by a mile (well, figuratively anyway!)

What does “zeroing a scope” mean?

Zeroing a scope or scope means putting the scope in position so that when you fire. Ground zero if you want. The Point of Impact There is much discussion among shooters about the best way to zero a scope or scope. What I’ve written below is what I’ve been sending out to my eBay outreach buyers for the last year and I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on it, so I know it’s ok!

How to zero a rifle scope

First, you need to establish a firm foundation by snugly adjusting the scope mounts.

  1. First put the scope mounts on the rifle with the top mounts removed.
  2. Tighten them in place using 1/2 turns at a time to get them as tight and level as possible, meaning the downward pressure is as even as possible. In this point don’t fully tighten them as you may want to slide them up and down a bit.
  3. Now take the scope and place it on top of the open mounts of the rifle.
    • Make sure the windage and elevation turrets are one above and one to the right (these are the “turrets” in the crosshairs. You’ll use them later to make micro-adjustments and field adjustments for windage)
  4. Then fit the top mounting brackets and tighten them. Again, use partial twists to tighten them.
    • Do not fully tighten at this stage, you may still need to tighten a bit.

zero the scope

  1. Lie down in your normal shooting position and check that you can see well through the scope…
    • The distance between your eye and the rear sight lens is called Eye Relief.
    • Unlike the cartoons, he doesn’t wear a viewer by pressing his eye against the viewer’s lens!
  2. Once you’re comfortable, complete the bolting of all the brackets so your setup is solid.
    • be careful at this stage to keep the final turns partial and one by one to ensure even pressure.

Now is the time to zero out the range to fire:

  1. load the rifle
  2. Assume your standard prone/prone shooting position.
    • Prone is the best way, because if you try shooting from standing or kneeling positions, you hesitate more and it’s more difficult to do a “real test”.
  3. Put some sort of target in place, say 20 yards, or whatever you think your “standard” range will be.
  4. Using a crosshair in the center of the target – Take 2 or 3 shots – Where do they land in relation to where you want them? Right, left, up, down – dead (lucky you!)
  • 2-3 shots is best as it will average out the shooter’s inaccuracy and give you a more “meaningful” feel for how far or close you are to true zero.

Now is the time to use the windage and elevation turrets to reset it. These are the 2 turrets on the top right of the scope. See my website for photos.

  1. Models vary, you’ll likely unscrew a cap and expose a coin-twist or finger-knurled type of dial.
  2. The upper turret adjusts up and down. The right left and right.
  3. If you have the instructions for your scopes, they should have a table with figures telling you what each click setting means in terms of crosshair movement at “x” distance, say 1/8 inch at 100 meters.

Use one-click turns and each time take a new shot to gauge where the shot now lands – the dials basically adjust the position of the crosshair from top to bottom and left to right.

It’s basically trial and error, but with trial and error you’ll get to where you need to be and you can trust that your shots will go where it says they will. This can take some time and a lot of shots. Be patient!