1. Toes to the Target: In addition to pointing your body in the same direction of the rim/goal/backboard about shoulders width apart, the prominent toe (Right for Right-handed shooter/Left for Left-handed shooter) should be slightly more forward. Boston Celtics Asst. Coach Kevin Eastman a similar terminology, “10 Toes to the Rim”.
2. Wrist/Wrinkles: Cocking your wrist as far back as possible will create wrinkles on the back of the wrist. These are a necessity in order to put the proper backspin on the basketball upon your release. Placing backspin on your shot makes it a “softer” shot; meaning if it hits the rim it is more likely to bounce in than fly off the rim.
3. “L”: The Humerus and the Radius/Ulna should form an “L” with your shooting arm. This ensures that you start the ball in the correct position in order to put the proper arc on your shot. Additionally, you want to make sure your the “L” is tucked in close to your body and not flying out like a chicken wing.
4. Pads & Panels: The basketball should never touch the palm of your shooting hand. It should rest softly on the pads of your hand and fingertips. You should be able to see daylight under the ball if you look straight through the space between your thumb and index finger. Additionally, your shooting hand should be centered on the panels of the basketball.
5. Knees Bent: The farther you become from your target, the more legs you need to incorporate into your shot.
6. Elbow Above Ear: On the release of the ball, as you flick your wrist and follow through your elbow should finish above your ear.
7. Freeze the Follow Through: Once the ball has left your shooting hand, freeze your follow through until the ball reaches the target. The analogy he gave was to imagine you are putting your shooting hand down into the center of the rim. Another correlation my dad always used was imagine you are trying to reach into the cookie jar on top of the refrigerator.
8. Balance: Many coaches preach to land in the same exact spot in which you left the floor after a jumpshot. However, this is impossible in order to become a great shooter. The shooter should allow for the momentum to carry them forward just slightly (ie: If you shoot a 3-pointer, you should land just in front of/on top of the 3-point line). While the shooter cannot land in the same place as they originally left their feet, they should however try to remain on balance and not lean one way or the way or fade-away. If you ever watch one of the greatest shooters of all time, Ray Allen, he is always on balance on every shot he takes.
Once Hopla reached the 3-point line and knocked down numerous 3′s he started his explanation of adding your non-shooting hand (This is by far what I consider the best part of his lecture).
He starts off by asking the campers what they call the non-shooting hand. The usual answers came flying out, Off-Hand and Guide-Hand. Immediately, Hopla said, “NO!” Here were his explanations why.