“No one is guarding you, It is just you and the basket”; is one of the famous motivational sayings used when being taught how to make a free throw. With that being said, the overall ability to shoot and make a free throw is probably taken for granted by most spectators. It is a shot that is presumed to go in every time considering it is a free throw. So why do basketball players miss? In the following, I have displayed an imagery script that an athlete can use as a guide towards learning this physical skill, or in helping with the mental preparation.
Sight
In executing the particular skill of shooting a jump shot, the use of sight is the most important sense to have. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player to play the game, could debate this statement considering he was able to successfully make two free throws while competing in an organized game with his eyes closed. For that task itself, he relied on muscle memory and all the years he had of performing this skill which resulted in a great deal of confidence. The use of imagery was more valuable than the use of sight. He was able to visualize a successful shot.1 The use of eyesight in all ball sports are imperative especially in this particular task of shooting a free throw. The eyes send information to the brain, that is later processed, and those signals are then distributed to the body. You must continue to keep your eyes on the target until the ball reaches the basket. Eyes open and eyes closed is a free throw shooting drill that is very helpful. When shooting with your eyes closed, it allows the other 
Via Google images.
senses to be highlighted and used.
Sound
Unlike the sport of golf, the use of sound is utilized by the opposing team’s fans as a strategy to distract the player from making the free throw. In this case, the player must use his mental toughness to eliminate all sounds that could cause him to miss the free throw.2 From my internal perspective, the sound of bouncing the ball three times was a part of the normal process that I used as a technique. With this task, selective hearing is key. Focusing on the overall process of shooting the ball is imperative. That process can consist of information from the referee communicating on how many shots you have, the bouncing of the ball, and in some cases motivation by your teammates. Eliminate all sounds and say your personal keywords from start to finish when shooting the free throw.
Touch
After the ability of sight, the sense of touch is second on the list of most valuable senses. Touch is everything and can separate a great shooter from an average shooter or terrible shooter. One of the biggest sayings coaches and analysts of the game say when a “big man” is a great shooter is, “he has a great touch”. This saying is used often in this case due to the fact that big man have big hands which can be a problem when shooting a basketball. Developing a routine from the time the player receives the ball and to the release is important.
Successful free throw shooting requires the use of your senses. This allows you to produce the same shot with the same mechanics. Again, before shooting the free throw, use imagery to visualize a successful shot. Visualization and imagery can help produce confidence and a smooth flowing routine that can ensure the success of your desire.
Even though sight could be considered the most important sense while playing basketball, all the other senses are imperative to the process. All works together as a cohesive unit to achieve the desire success.
1Lanzillo,A.(2015). Basketball Mental Aspect. Retrieved from http://www.coachesclipboard.net/Basketball-Imagine.html
2Knudson, D. (1997). The Impact of Vision and Vision training on sport performance. Retrieved from http://sportsci.org/news/ferret/visionreview/visionreview.html.
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