A free-throw is a term, more or less, used in the basketball world. It would also be appropriate to call it a foul shot. If one is unfamiliar with sports, then this post will almost make no sense, but bare with me. Those who are familiar with sports, namely basketball, might disagree with me on the fact that a free throw is an art-form. Just to clarify things, I have not or will not play in the NBA (National Basketball Association) and for those reading I'm pretty sure none of you have or will. However, some of you have played in organized basketball, whether in high school or college.
If you have played basketball in either of those two scenarios then you might understand why shooting a free-throw is an art form. For others, let us begin to describe the mechanics of a free-throw. The rules are simple. If a basketball player gets pushed, shoved, hit or smacked in any way while attempting a shot, the shooter gets a chance of shooting 2 (or 3 depending on the distance of the shot) shots at a foul line. The foul line is usually 15 feet from the basketball rim. To give you an idea, the 3-pointer line is around 22-23 feet away from the basket depending if you play non-NBA basketball or NBA basketball. Back to the subject at hand. When at the foul line, the shooter gets an open shot opportunity to shoot the basket with no one blocking him/her. Everyone else is either at the side line or in the back court. This may seem like an easy shot right? 15 feet from the rim, no one blocking you, what can go wrong?
What can wrong amounts to a lot of things. But before I get into that, to give you an idea of how hard it is to shoot consistently at the free-throw line, only 3 NBA players have averaged at least 90% from the free-throw line. These players are Stephen Curry (currently playing), Steve Nash (retired) and Mark Price (retired). All these players are or have been professional basketball players. Yet, only these 3 out of all the basketball players to have lived and to have stepped on the court have shot almost lights out. Yes, not even Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan or Lebron James shoot nearly as efficient as the aforementioned players. If not even these great basketball players can shoot nearly as well as Curry, Nash and Price, then what makes it so hard. There are several things actually. One is the crowd. When playing in an arena filled with hundreds of people, the environment is insanely different from that of a pickup game. Players need to be able to drown out the noise and practice under noisy conditions to become habituated to the environment. Another reason is the shot form. The reason why Curry, Nash and Price all shot 90% or higher from the line is because most of their shots have a consistency. This consistency involves the bending of legs, the raising of the arms and the release point of the ball. Most players vary in the degree (angle) they release the ball, but the key to the shot going in most of the time is to keep the degree change from each shot to a minimum and to perfect a proper shooting form.
I am no coach in basketball, so there is no point in trying to convey what I think the proper shooting form is. Again, everyone is different. Once you have mastered the shot form, minimizing the varying angles of release from shot to shot and even drowning out the noises of the crowd, your free throws still might not be that good. Why? It could be due to fatigue if you are playing an organized basketball game. Or it could be due to slippery hands or the most minor distractions that happened to distract you at that moment.
Ultimately, shooting a free-throw is an art form because there is no one way to shoot it. Unlike the rules of basketball itself, which can be taught and mastered, the free-throw cannot. Every person's shooting style is different and even if it may not look the most proper, it might work for that person. There have been people in the NBA who shot at a considerable percentage from shooting underhanded.
