How to Increase Shooting Range in Basketball: Start at Your Set Point

Most players who want more range just start shooting from deeper and hope. Coach Meech from I Love Basketball TV starts somewhere else. Your set point. That's where the ball sits right before you shoot, and he says there are a few things about it most of you probably don't know.

Get those right and the same fix helps you two ways. More range from deep. Better touch up close.

Nine minutes on the video. Watch it, then take these notes to the gym.

Rule one: wrist under the ball

At your set point, your wrist goes underneath the basketball. Then you can push up and out, with enough power to send it up in an arc and into the rim.

Meech says a lot of players understand this and still don't get into that exact position. Two things happen instead.

Your wrist ends up behind the ball. Now it's harder to get under it and pop the ball up, so it goes out straight. Not a lot of touch. Not a lot of power. Harder to make shots.

Or the ball gets too high and drifts behind you. Then it pops straight up and never travels out. That ruins your jump shot too.

The eyebrow check

His checkpoint: wrist under the ball, fingertips near eyebrow level. That tells you your body's under the ball enough to push up and out and add power at the same time.

Don't stress about hitting your eyebrows exactly. A little higher or lower is fine. The main thing is being underneath the basketball so you can get behind it and send it where it needs to go.

Why the "perfect L" can cost you range

Lots of players get low, bring the ball up, and set it too far away from their face. They're listening to a coach who told them to make the perfect L with their arm.

But that perfect L puts the ball further from your body. Meech says that makes you weaker in your shot. Getting the ball to go up from there is pretty easy because you're under it. Getting it to go out? That's the hard part.

The ball needs to go up, out, and straight. Good at one, bad at another? That's an inefficient jump shot.

So bring the ball closer to your body. You're still at your set point, just a little further back. You keep the push up, and now you get the ball going out at the same time.

If your misses keep coming up flat or short, our post on how to get arc on your jump shot goes deeper on that up and out path.

Drill 1: Ball range, no legs

This one gets you to the same set point every single time.

Get nice and low and establish your level. Then don't use your legs at all. You stay in that same spot and the only thing moving is the basketball. Lift it to your set point. Again. Keep repping it out.

One catch, and it's a big one. Lift to the spot you actually shoot from. Meech says a lot of people practice getting to one spot and then really shoot from somewhere else. Train your real release point.

Up close: two mistakes that wreck mid-range shots

Now you're 15 feet and in. You know you need to take power off the shot or you'll send it over the rim. So how do most players take power off?

They jump lower. No explosion, no legs. Meech calls that a huge mistake. Think about a pull-up off the dribble or off a cut. Somebody's closing out or diving at your shot, and you can't get over the top of them because you aren't really jumping. Coming off the dribble with a defender right on your hip? They can block it a whole lot easier.

The second one is softer. Literally. You get to your spot, and instead of a firm wrist flick off your fingertips, you think "I'm so close, I don't want to overshoot it." So you go soft. The ball falls short, or there's no real touch on it, and the attempt's gone.

The right way to take power off: extend the set point

He admits this sounds kind of crazy. Earlier in the video he said not to hold the ball too far from your body because it takes power off your shot.

Up close, that's exactly what you want. Less power, but you're still exploding and getting over people. So let the ball get a little further from your body, up in the air. A higher set point. Then shoot a regular jump shot. Flick your wrist, use your fingertips, explode up nice and high. The ball has better touch because it's further from your body.

Meech takes a low set point, the kind Steph Curry uses when he's shooting far out, and shoots it from 7 feet. Too much power. He jokes he'd almost put a hole in the backboard.

Everything else stays the same. Ball leads. Wrist under. Fingertips. Firm flick. Only the set point changes, and only a little.

Drill 2: Form shots, then the one-leg hop

Warm up right by the rim with form shots. Extend the set point up, then shoot a regular shot with a firm wrist flick and the ball coming off your fingertips. Knock a couple down. Back up to about the middle of the lane and do the same thing.

Then the real drill. Start one foot below the free throw line. Get low on one leg. Take a big hop to the side and land with both feet at the same time. Lift quick into the shot.

Same principles. Ball leads, wrist flicks, fingertips, regular jump shot, set point just a little higher. He doesn't put a rep count on this one.

How to increase shooting range from deep: a slightly lower set point

Flip it around. You're stepping beyond the three and trying to extend your range. Meech says you might need a slightly lower set point.

Bring the ball down just a little. Lower means closer to your body, and closer means you have access to more power. More power, more distance.

That's why shooters like Steph Curry, Trae Young, and Damian Lillard have those lower set points when they're shooting super far out. They still follow the basic rule, though. A bit lower, still under the ball, so they can add power and shoot from further back.

Drill 3: Wide stance, no-jump jump shots

Set your feet outside your hips and shoulders. Wide. Now you can't jump, so there's little or no power coming from your legs. It's mostly upper body.

Try shooting with the ball all the way on top of your head like that and you'll have a hard time reaching the rim. So what do you naturally have to do? Lower the set point to get the ball from you to the hoop. The drill pretty much forces you to find it.

For the little kids

Quick bonus section from the video. Meech is talking about eight or nine year olds here, beginners who probably shouldn't be shooting past the free throw line yet.

Your levers are different. Shorter arms, shorter bodies, so you can't create power the same way. Lower your set point so your fingertips are around your chin. That way you're making power from more behind the basketball.

You still need to be a bit under it, though. A flat wrist behind the ball is basically passing it forward. All the way under, like the older players? You won't make enough power that way. Land in between.

And you won't be raising or lowering your set point by distance. You should still be close to the rim, so shoot all your shots relatively the same way. Parents, that's worth knowing before anyone starts tinkering.

Quick reference

Working on more than your jumper? The small guard workout mixes shooting with handles and finishing. Tryouts coming up? Check the at-home drills before tryouts.

Not sure your shot is even the thing holding you back? Take the free training quiz and see what to work on first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you increase shooting range in basketball?

Start with your set point. From beyond the three, Meech lowers it slightly, so the ball's closer to your body and you can get to more power. Wrist still under the ball. Wide stance, no-jump jump shots help you feel it.

Where should my set point be?

Wrist under the ball, fingertips near eyebrow level. A little higher or lower is okay.

Why do I keep missing short from mid-range?

Probably one of two things. You're jumping lower to take power off, or going soft because you're scared of overshooting. Keep jumping, keep a firm flick, and raise your set point a little instead.

Is the perfect L bad?

For your normal shot, it can hold the ball too far from your face, which makes you weaker and makes it hard to get the ball out. Bring it a little closer. Up close is the exception. There he actually extends the set point to take power off.

Should I copy Steph Curry's set point?

Depends where you're shooting from. A lower set point like his helps from way out. From 7 feet it's way too much power. Match the set point to the distance.

How should younger kids hold the ball?

Fingertips around the chin. Wrist a bit under the ball, not flat behind it. Stay close to the rim and shoot every shot about the same way.

What drill helps me find the same set point every time?

The ball range drill. Get low, don't move your legs, and lift the ball to your set point over and over.

Find your training strategy

Shooting form is one piece. You don't have to guess what comes first. Take the free training quiz and find your training strategy.

Wrist under the ball. Up, out, and straight. Change the set point, not your jump or your touc