Are Free Throws really that hard to make?

[ClonesTwenty1]

I am personally no D1 athlete, but back in school I use to be able consistently stand and hit 7/10 or 8/10 free throws. I guess I don’t know what I am missing with this team and why we can’t make them consistently. It’s been like this for Iowa State even going back to Fred’s teams. I imagine they practice them and get shots up. It’s like their brains melt to mush when they stand behind the free throw line.

 

[mynameisjonas]

We all know you are 5/10 at best.

 

[jspeels]

BRE really struggles, more on the road! At this stage I don’t know if it’s fixable. That’s the one shot you can shoot over and over in a gym on your own!

 

[ClonesTwenty1]

We all know you are 5/10 at best.

CF free throw contest. CW provides free tickets to KC Big 12 tourney to winner.

 

[paysclone]

I think a hack-a-Rob or hack-a-Lipsey strategy in the final 5 minutes of a close game would be a easy way to win, especially in 1-1 bonus

 

[Bigman38]

If there is a single poster on this board that could shoot 70% in similar conditions I would be shocked

 

[nfrine]

Need to make Emily Ryan the designated FT shooter. We would have won by 10.

 

[madguy30]

A 15 foot straight away jumper is also a hard shot to make.

If it was an easy thing, you'd have many teams with lots of 90% free throw shooters on teams and it's not a thing.

Baylor also missed a bunch late in the game.

 

[Die4Cy]

Saw a study years ago that indicated heavy weightlifting negatively impacted free throw shooting accuracy, but I think there's been plenty of research to rebut that in the years that followed. It's about perfecting a repetitive motion, not about being too tired or adding bulk that makes the shot more difficult.

 

[amishclone]

People sneer at "muh granny style" free throws. In reality we should call out any player still using "loser style" free throws and any coaches who allow their players to do it. I much prefer making free throws to win than looking cool while losing.

 

[Billups06]

I am personally no D1 athlete, but back in school I use to be able consistently stand and hit 7/10 or 8/10 free throws. I guess I don’t know what I am missing with this team and why we can’t make them consistently. It’s been like this for Iowa State even going back to Fred’s teams. I imagine they practice them and get shots up. It’s like their brains melt to mush when they stand behind the free throw line.

Do you have the box scores of the games you went 8/10 and 7/10?

 

[ISUCubswin]

I don’t know that I’d shoot 5/10 from the line in a crazy atmosphere.

I do know I wouldn’t miss the rim by 2 feet in the craziest of environments.

 

[Lineup]

If there is a single poster on this board that could shoot 70% in similar conditions I would be shocked

well they are D-1 players come on

 

[madguy30]

If there is a single poster on this board that could shoot 70% in similar conditions I would be shocked

In an arena surrounded by 10-15,000 people watching you and some sort of precarious situation pending on whether you make the shot or not.

Michael Jordan was one of the most OCD, motor-memory conditioned athletes you'll ever find but shot 83% for his career.

 

[fsanford]

Baylor made like 5 of 12 in the 2nd half and it was quiet when they shot. Given the pressure of the situation , yes they can be hard to make.

 

[ClonesFTW]

Our free throw performance the last 3 seasons has sucked for two reasons:

1. We aren’t a great shooting team in general
2. The defense we play requires a ton of energy, these guys are tired

 

[ISUCubswin]

If they wanted to make free throws even more difficult, they could just have our bigs try shoot wide open layups

 

[pourcyne]

Myself, I was great at free throws but not much else. Then again, I don't think I had any b****y fans who thought they owned me.

 

[ISUCubswin]

It wouldn’t be the worst for TJ to steal whatever Fenelly does for free throws. The women are consistently a much better free throw shooting team.

 

[ca4cy]

Villanova was consistently among the best FT shooting teams in the country under Jay Wright and there weren't many programs that were playing on a bigger stage than them year in and year out.

I wondered if anybody pulled him aside last week and asked what he was doing with his teams, physically AND mentally that resulted in that kind of success. If not, it was a wasted opportunity.