Ray Allen Shooting Form Breakdown 

A few details I think that should be noted: Ray Allen came from the mid range pull up era and the hand check era. When a defender can push on your hip and off balance you, it makes sense to have form like Ray Allen in order to just elevate over the top from anywhere. Ray Allen is a bit more square to the rim than modern players but that's probably because being able to turn the shooting arm side hip toward the rim without a hand check is a luxury he didn't have. Michael Jordan had somewhat similar form. You had to be able to elevate back in the day. His mid range shot looked almost identical to his 3 pt shot so that makes sense since more mid ranges were taken back in the day and less 3 pt shots, so you might as well have a form that fits both.

You're didn't talk about the arc on his shot. Ray Allen has one of the lowest arcs on a jumpshot in nba history yet he has one of the most effective shots ever which is quite a phenomenon if you ask me

underrated channel

Beyond form, I think you should talk about the mental mechanics that go into a shot because good form is like an accurate gun. But hitting the target is a different story.

You are quite right in your analysis regarding the transfer of power. One could say that Ray Allen's form is actually not efficient when it comes to transfer of strength from the legs. This makes Ray's form great for catch-and-shoot but not ideal for shooting off-dribbles or from deeper ranges. People got to realize that Ray's IQ when it comes to shot selection was amazing as well.

Players of that era held a higher set point because they were expecting hands in their face because they operated in the mid range. They needed to fade , hang , etc etc to have a chance. Esp when good scorers had to iso and create then get up and shoot. Todays game shooters are run off so many screens they just need a quick and steady release because the game is rotated around that rather than isos .

the low dip and set point does make his form unorthodox, but it is a thing of beauty. he does it incredibly smooth. noone could shoot like Ray Allen except himself

Great breakdown, I love it!

This man is the coach at my sons basketball camp. 2021 and still in amazingbasketball shape. He says he wont make a comeback but the man still hitting them 3s and ballin out. Oh and watch out for his son.... beast

Excellent analysis!

Great Video, like always.

This is such a good channel. Please continue. This was great research

Kyle korver shooting form?

Can you do a video on finger dominance? Like why Kobe,LeBron,Love,and Iguodala shoot different with an index finger release different than with a middle finger release like harden and curry or with a split finger release (index and middle finger) like paul george?

Love his form

Effective or not, I actually like his form. Though my IRL form is more like Curry cuz I lack Allen's shoulder strength to shoot long range shots at apex point consistently.

he is exceedingly smart. bless you Ray Ray.

at 5:17, you say, "I think this is the reason that Allen, despite being 6'5" tall, and being very athletic, NEVER had the shooting range of a player like Steph Curry, who's only 6'2 or 3 inches and clearly not as strong. Curry just has FAR SUPERIOR power transfer from his legs, or his jump, to his release" This is incorrect as well. Ray, while he played for the Milwaukee Bucks, played alongside Glenn "The Big Dog" Robinson, and both were very exciting to watch, because they BOTH frequently took shots from 10, 15, 18 feet from the 3 point line in the game. In their warmups, they would practice their 10 ft behind the line shot, the just before half court shot, the corner of the half shot, out of bounds shots, etc (all off-dribble, catch-and-shoot, turn-and-shoot, etc), drawing OOhs and AHHs from the crowd. They were a fun young team to watch! The ability to shoot from further behind the line was not a new thing that Steph and Harden invented. That would not be even close to being true.

I just want to say something , if your a shooter your a shooter it doesn't matter what type of form you have, either you have it or you don't. The key to be a consistent shooter you must try to have the same form every time you shoot the ball .routine routine .

5:18 Or maybe that's because he played at a time when deep threes weren't common. And he isn't a ball handbler like curry so less opportunity to just pull up from 30ft after bringing the ball up the court.

Love your emphasis on lower set points 👍🏻It's important for timing a smooth, one motion shot and overall consistent mechanics. keep up the great work!

amazing channel!

well said, the game evolved and so did the techniques.

In my opinion and personal experience, the trick with his shot is indeed the dip followed by wider arc away from the body as he loads the shot. Together with his legs, this is where he generates the momentum and power. It's like the mechanics of a catapult. He's slinging the shot(what the narrator describes as jerky fast twitch), not pushing it. I'd nearly say his shot or MORE stable than those modern shots with lower set points. Also, I thinks he's holding the ball quite firmly with the left hand. That's might play a role in the thumb flick. Look at some other footage of how Ray grabs the ball at the beginning of his shit and focus on both legt and right hand positions.

Before you spread any misinformation to the youngings, for #6 ALL the power comes from the legs. The untrained eye would say there’s no transfer from lower body. with Allen and Steph curry you can see the ball comes up before they’re done pushing with their legs. All the power comes from legs

I think you should try to compare players in similar situations. Allen is trying to shoot a lot, and with a “game” form. Curry was just shooting around, more relaxed. Good film nonetheless!

I had to replay the intro because that beat was fire

It's amazing he shoots with both hands

How does he shoot without fully extending his arm

should do one for jr smith

Good vid but I am not sure about your take on the 'forward jump'. Elsewhere, I have heard that the forward jump causes the shooter to lean backwards, increasing the arc of the shot. A high arc means the falling ball sees more of the basket.

I shoot like Ray Allen (he’s one of my favorite players) except I have a higher dip and my set point is in front and a little bit above my forehead, not on top of my head. It works great for me and I can hit 3s consistently without my shot being short despite it being a two set point shot and the lack of transfer of power from the legs. And yes you have to have the upper body strength to pull it off and that’s why I think it works for me

Does Ray Allen’s offhand thumb touch / flick the ball when he shoots? Or is this more of a straight guide point he uses to center?

I have noticed a huge change in my shooting by altering my foot position. I'm 31, so I grew up learning to square to the basket. I have literally spent two practice sessions trying to change my shot so I angle my feet, and it has already made me a significantly better shooter. I don't have it dialed in yet, but I am quickly becoming a good shooter, and I never have been up to this point.

I just noticed his off hand did that but regardless he still has the BEST shot I've ever seen....he's the guy i mimic with my shot.... well him and Penny Hardaway...

Hello Coach, I understand the endless hours of practice making you a better shooter, I'm actually going through from a 2 motion form to a one motion form, but my release point is high like Ray Allen, is that ok? or should I change my release point as well? I've getting results at practice, better shooting percentage and better range, however, at games, when it's tense, tend to go back to my old form and missing, is there any suggestions? thank you

Can you please PLEASE do Shawn Marion?

I shoot exactly like this, and it works well for me. I love the thumb flick! It’s weird but feels super natural to me.

🙏

The key is knowing what you have to compensate for according to your shot.

Literally learned to shot from him, from the low dip to the high set point.

Make ray allen slow mo and kyle korver please

Can u do a video on power transfer in a shot and how to do it

What this video rather proves is that mechanics are just one component of great shooting. Steph himself has a lot of "wrong" components to his mechanics, too, including the thumb flick you pan in the video. What matters is the work ethic and hours of training that these elite players put into their craft. Also, I think you should do videos on the peripherals around the shot, like Steph's exceptional work on his off hand dribbling that allows him to create space for his jump shot, which allows him to overcome a release point that is literally chest highin the wheel house of his defender. You should also do a video on the amazing core work done by Steph starting around 2012 following his ankle injury that added exceptional power and expoosuness to his hips and legs, which allows for the power transfer you casually refer to. These are all very important factors in why a player like Ray Allen would not just transform from a scorer to a shooter, but sustain that excellence for as long as he did.

I noticed that for his jump he doesn’t bend his legs that much meaning that his calves do most of the work when jumping and i think is true cause his calves are also ridiculously big

Dude in the Dwight video you mentioned that he locks his elbow in, Ray Allen did the same thing in the beginning, why did it work for him?

Do jr smiths release please

Where is the link?

The implication that Steph and Klay and some others are better shooters than Allen is false in my opinion. Allen's shot is made for hitting in the defender's face whether off a screen or not Klay almost exclusively needs screens and Stephen uses a lot of them too. Curry has more of a smooth push shot motion. Where as Ray is flicking the ball from a higher release point over any defender. KD shoots similar to Ray @6'11.

Thanks q

perfect example of 2 motion jumper, you need to have a great lower body strength to shoot like this

Ray Allen was all about getting his legs into the shot . If you look he has really strong legs one of the reason he jumps so high on the shot . That is where he got his momentum for his shot . A player like Curry shoots more with his upper body , you see his range has gotten deeper as he strengthened his arms and core .

He doesn' t lock his elbow

allens shot is more of a chuck in a jumping motion

at 2:22, you say that he adds power to his shot by jumping forward, which is incorrect. Watch his shoulders on the jump, they stay in the same place, making his shot release more stable than a forward jumpshooter. One of his explicit focuses is to jump straight up, no matter which direction his momentum is coming from. In other words, he DOES NOT want to jump in any direction, as it would affect his shot in ways he doesn't want. If you watch his shoulders distance from the basket on his jump and fall, you will see that his shoulders and the ball, are almost exactly in the same position distance from the hoop-wise for every single shot, reducing the total amount of variables that he needs to account for on the shot.

he knows what a baby suppose to know and Jesus tell his son everything and he always make sure his baby Ray is satisfied. and know how to handle that. and never be wrong or disappointed.

5:21 dawg, ray allen does have the extra range. if you watched him at the celbrity all star game he made like 3 4 pointers

i am amazed how many of these people can dunk but they still shoot from a point lower than the rim. if i can dunk i would probably release the ball higher than that. but then thats a slowass release

His shooting arm never fully extended.

he's cross-eye dominant

I wss here ✝️

ray allen is the best ever 3 shooter from all past eras

When ur really athletic jumping 12 inches off the ground to shoot is not a big deal when u got a 40 inch vertical. It’s just a quick bounce to a hood athlete.

Higher set point is actually much more precise than lower for me.

Don’t exist a perfect technique exist a perfect release for a player

Ray Allen had to jump because it was better defense.. if defenses intensity was emphasized in this era you would see a lot more Jump shooters.. then more of a set shot .. ray allen could shoot over played ..most set shooters have a hard time shooting over good defense..

does kawhi leonard have the same shooting form as ray allen

Hell no. Curry’s form is unique and all but we’d rather have allen’s wet jumper tbh

shuttlesworth has the best looking shot of all time behind MJ

Did he square his toe ?

Reggie Miller has a more perfect jumpshot, his shot was unorthodox ONLY due to how his hands would slap afterwards, but what you do after the release is completely irrelevant. If you look at Reggie Millers form (perfect hand positioning, perfect degree angle), time of release at the peak before falling down (Ray Allen's release is AS he is falling down kinda, which is late and wrong), coming straight up and down on the same spot (Ray Allens is jumping FORWARDS, which is wrong), literally everything is PERFECT..... yeah so he slaps his two hands after release, it doesnt matter, you could do a dab, wave, dance afterwards if you want, completely irrelevant.... the ball as you can see recieves a perfect backspin.

Nice try but you are wrong about where allen doesn't use his legs for strength on his jump shot. He's even said in interviews that he gets the power from his legs. I think it was somewhere in his boring autobiography I read

mix off both would could be good

Kevin durant shooting form plz

funny how jason richardson is right under steve nash on the all time list

Hi

Steph, Klay, Harden, Gordon........Mike Conley ??

Short ppl need 1 motion shooting obviously if you're 6'5 u can afford to use hang time 😉

I am next up

Bullshit, Ray Allen's form is one of the best ever and some records are just hard to break.

its ugly in 2k

He had to jump to the apex due the the physical nature of the the game to create separation. Todays game is jog down the court, take a set shot, not jump shot. Miss, make, or get a weak foul called. Rinse and repeat. The nba is becoming a joke. Need to get rid of zone defense, go back to straight man to man, lose the hand checking rule, get rid of Adam Silver, and some how get MJ back.

his shot arc looks pretty flat here also. funny that ray allen has been practicing a bad form his whole life, but at least he perfected it. Klay's form is close to perfect though, hard to see how shooters in the future will make his form look bad.

Well said. The evolution of the shooting game has left Ray Allen in the dustbin of history.

There is no turn in Allen shot.

How can you recommend people to move away from the high set point of the “past”? That high set point was used to absolutely bury teams in the playoffs and championships by the best players in the game like MJ and Kobe. When you have players all in your face defending the shot, I take the high set point any day. Look how the rockets are nullifying the warriors deep 3 pointers. Get up in Curry’s face and it’s over, he’s useless. Get up in MJ’s face with his high-set fade away and you get embarrassed.

You forgot that Allen hasn't got a proper follow-through (he doesn't properly extend his right arm).

call me ja morant

"smaller jump for more power", That makes no sense, if you have a weak jump you need more of the power coming from your arms, however you need less arm power if you jump higher because your body's lift puts power behind the ball

Lol

Clearly never played basketball or watched Allen other than stats

what a lot of advertising😂

Good clips, gay video

His shot is primary leg-generated. Delete this

You Can't Shoot