The ninth and final step is shooting the basketball. During this step you simultaneously straighten your legs, extend your shooting elbow, and flick your shooting wrist and fingers forward. You should hold this position until the ball is half way to the basketball rim. Your shooting arm should end up fully extended above your head with the palm of your hand facing the ground as shown in the first picture. These actions should all occur in one smooth motion. You should aim to release the ball with an arc of about 50 degrees which can be seen in the third picture above.



This step is where the F from the BEEF shooting acronym comes into play. This F stands for follow through which is the flipping of your wrist and fingers forward as you release the ball. This is a very important step as it is what guides the basketball to the rim and gives it a backspin.





Note: Your feet should not leave the ground during this step. It is okay to rock onto your toes as long as you maintain your balance throughout the shooting motion.



Your first 100 shoots will likely feel unnatural and you will probably not shoot a great percentage. Don't worry or get discouraged as this is common. It often takes hours of practice and thousands of shots before this step is mastered.





