2025-11-10 10:00

I remember the first time a coach pulled me aside after a game and showed me the footage - my elbows were flying everywhere during my jump shots. I looked like I was trying to swat imaginary bees rather than shooting a basketball. That moment stuck with me because it wasn't just about fixing my form; it was about understanding why this bad habit develops and how to systematically eliminate it from your game.

The Filipino phrase "hindi puwedeng habambuhay" - you can't stay like that forever - perfectly captures the mentality needed to correct excessive elbow swinging. I've seen too many players develop this habit early in their careers and never truly address it, limiting their shooting accuracy and potentially creating dangerous situations on court. When I work with developing athletes, I always emphasize that you can't keep eating the same meal forever - sometimes you need to taste something different. In basketball terms, you can't keep relying on the same flawed mechanics forever; you need to develop new, more efficient movements.

Let me break down why this happens physically. Most players develop excessive elbow flare because they're trying to generate more power from their upper body rather than their legs. I tracked my own shooting for three months and found that when my elbow swung out more than 15 degrees from my body, my shooting percentage dropped from 45% to just 28%. That's a massive difference that could cost you games. The elbow should act like a hinge, moving primarily up and down rather than side to side. When it swings outward, you lose alignment with the basket and introduce unnecessary variables into your shot.

What really helped me was focusing on the "different job" concept from that Filipino wisdom. Your elbow has a specific job in the shooting motion, and swinging excessively means it's trying to do work that belongs to other parts of your body. I started thinking of my shooting form as a coordinated system where each component has its role. The legs generate power, the core provides stability, and the shooting arm directs that energy toward the basket. When one part tries to do another's job, the whole system breaks down.

Here's a drill that transformed my shooting form within just two weeks. Stand about 5 feet from the basket and place a water bottle on your shooting elbow. If the bottle falls when you shoot, you know your elbow is swinging out too much. Start with form shooting at this distance, making 50 shots daily while keeping the bottle balanced. Gradually move back as you build consistency. I went from having the bottle fall on nearly every shot to maintaining it through my entire shooting motion up to the three-point line. This simple feedback mechanism creates the muscle memory needed for proper alignment.

Another aspect many coaches overlook is the mental component. I found myself swinging my elbows more when I was tired or stressed during games. The body defaults to what feels powerful rather than what's technically correct. That's where the "we have to move on" mentality becomes crucial. You have to mentally move on from the desire for that extra perceived power and trust that proper mechanics will deliver better results. I keep a small notebook where I track not just my shooting percentages but also my mental state during games. Over 40 games last season, I noticed that my elbow flare increased by approximately 23% when I was fatigued or anxious.

The transition to better form isn't always smooth. When I first started correcting my elbow position, my shooting percentage actually dropped temporarily. This is where many players give up and revert to old habits. But just like the wisdom suggests, you can't eat the same meal forever. You have to push through that awkward phase where your body is learning a new movement pattern. For me, it took about three weeks of consistent practice before my shooting percentage not only recovered but surpassed my previous best.

I'm particularly passionate about this topic because I see so many young players developing bad habits that could be easily corrected with proper attention. The basketball community often focuses on flashy moves and three-point shooting while neglecting these fundamental mechanical details. But I'd argue that fixing your elbow alignment might add more points to your game than practicing half-court shots ever will. It's the unglamorous work that separates good shooters from great ones.

Looking back at my own journey, the most significant improvement came when I started filming every practice session. The visual feedback was undeniable. What felt like a straight shot to me was clearly flawed on camera. I recommend players invest in even a basic smartphone tripod and review their form regularly. Our muscle memory can deceive us, but video doesn't lie. After implementing video analysis into my routine, I reduced my excessive elbow movement by roughly 70% over two months.

The beautiful thing about basketball is that there's always something to improve, always a "different trabaho" to master. For shooting form, the work never really ends. Even now, during warm-ups, I'll occasionally catch my elbow drifting out and need to reset my focus. The key is developing the awareness to catch these deviations early and the discipline to correct them immediately. This continuous refinement process is what makes basketball such a rewarding sport to play and study.

Ultimately, eliminating excessive elbow swing comes down to understanding that your shooting form is a living, evolving aspect of your game. You can't stay with what feels comfortable if it's technically flawed. The temporary discomfort of change leads to lasting improvement. My shooting percentage improved from 38% to 46% after fixing my elbow alignment, and more importantly, my shot became more consistent under pressure. That's the taste of improvement that makes all the work worthwhile - the different flavor that the wisdom speaks about, the reason we can't just keep eating the same meal forever when there's better nourishment available for our game.