Jump Shot Falling Short: Fix It With Dip, Drop, and Drive

Your jumper feels fine up close. Step back a few feet and the ball dies short, or the whole thing turns into a throw. Coach Meech's take: that usually isn't "you need stronger arms." It's power getting lost in how you load and drive the ball.

Three connected pieces. Dip. Drop. Drive. Then keep the ball in front and release on the way up. One drill at the end puts it together at the range you're actually trying to hit from.

For a broader range plan, see how to increase shooting range. This post stays on the short-shot diagnosis and the dip-drop-drive sequence Coach Meech teaches here.

Not sure shooting is even the bottleneck right now? Find your training strategy with our free training quiz.

Dip, drop, drive

When the shot keeps coming up short from further out, Coach Meech starts here. A good dip, drop, and drive.

The dip.

Catch the ball and bring it down around your belly button. Then drive up into the rest of the shot.

People in the comments will tell you not to dip because it slows you down. Coach Meech's answer: go watch Steph. He dips on almost every shot. The dip gives you a counter movement, which means more power on the way up.

Same idea as other throwing sports. Baseball: pull the ball back, then throw. Dart: hand comes back, then forward. Shooting works the same. Catch, bring it down, push it up.

Don't shove the ball too far low. That messes with everything once you start moving up. Belly button-ish. Compact enough to push up, without giving away the power you just loaded.

The drop.

Ball goes down, body goes down with it. That's the drop.

Not a deep crouch where you're folded over. That wrecks your balance later in the shot. Drop nice and low with chest up, chin up, eyes up. Hips drop. Knees bent. Ball dips, body drops, then everything can drive back up.

The drive.

Drive the ball up nice and fast. Or lift it up nice and fast. Same idea.

Catch, dip, body drops. When you're ready to shoot, the ball drives up quick and you go right into the release. Don't drive it slow and then try to speed up halfway. That makes the shot inconsistent. Keep the ball moving at one speed the whole way. Dip low, drop low, drive fast.

Keep the ball in front

The drive only works if the ball stays in front of your body on the way up.

In front of your face. Not behind your face. Not behind your head.

Once the ball drifts behind you, the shot starts to feel like a chuck. You're stopping the ball going one way and redirecting it out toward the rim. All arms. That throwing motion shows up because you had to stop it, then make it reach.

Keep the ball moving in front, close to your center of mass, and all you're doing is redirecting it out. It's already going up. You just cover the distance from you to the rim.

Bonus from Coach Meech: that front path also cleans up the release. Up, then out. Behind you, and you're changing direction twice. Feels like a throw every time.

Release on the way up

Dip and drop get you loaded. Keeping the ball in front keeps the path clean. The third point is what ties it together for distance.

Shoot on the way up.

Best way to do that: move the ball first. Get it to your set point while your legs are still nice and low. You've dipped and dropped. Body low, ball low. On the drive, ball goes up first while the body stays down. Once it hits around your set point, everything comes up together. You're releasing on the way up, so leg power and arm power hit the ball at the same time. That's what makes further shots feel easier.

Moving the ball first does not mean pause at the set point. Get there, stop, then try to shoot again and you're recreating energy from scratch. Hard from deep. Keep the same speed. At the set point, redirect out, use the legs, finish with a strong wrist flick.

If flat trajectory is the other half of your short misses, how to get arc on your jump shot is worth pairing with this. And if a bunch of form issues are stacking on top of the short ball, check the common jump shot mistakes.

The range drill

One drill to take to the floor. Set up at the range you want to shoot from. Not closer. The actual spot.

Start with the ball already at your correct set point. Legs locked out, nice and straight. A lot of young players do form shooting with a perfect high set point, then when they really shoot it's way lower. Use the set point you actually shoot with.

From tall: bring the ball down. That's the dip. As the ball comes down, drop your body with it. Dip and drop together.

From that loaded spot, drive the ball back up. Keep it in front. Same speed, nice and fast. Once it gets back to your set point, release the legs and shoot everything going up at the same time.

That's the whole sequence in one rep. Tall, dip and drop, drive the ball first, knock the shot. Go back to that same spot you're trying to grow into and keep working the rhythm.

Want more on the plant under your jumper? Our basketball footwork drills post covers the one-two and the hop. Form reps that sit next to this sequence are in basketball shooting form drills.

FAQ

Why does my jump shot fall short from further away?

Coach Meech's read is usually lost power in the load, not weak arms. Dip the ball, drop the body with it, drive up fast with the ball in front, and release on the way up so legs and arms hit together.

Should I dip the basketball?

Yes, in this teaching. Catch and bring it to about belly-button height for a counter movement. Too low creates other problems on the way up. The "don't dip" comments ignore how many elite shooters, including Steph, dip constantly.

How low should I drop my body?

Low enough to load the hips and knees, with chest, chin and eyes still up. Not a deep crouch that throws off balance later in the shot.

Why does my shot feel like a throw from deep?

Often the ball went behind your face or head on the drive. Then you stop it and redirect out, and it becomes all arms. Keep the ball in front of your body the whole way up.

What does "shoot on the way up" mean?

Ball reaches your set point while legs are still low, then legs and arms rise together into the release. Don't pause at the set point and restart.

How do I practice this?

Use the range drill from the video. At the distance you want, start tall with the ball at your real set point. Dip and drop, drive the ball up in front at one speed, then release everything going up together.

Is this the same as a general range-building workout?

Related, but tighter. This post is the short-shot fix: dip, drop, drive, ball in front, release on the way up. For a broader range plan, use how to increase shooting range.

Find your training strategy

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