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South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen
The Mighty Free Throw
12/11/2017 8:21:00 AM | Women's Basketball
by Michele Schmidt, Assistant Sports Information Director
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           The art of sinking a free throw has frustrated many basketball superstars. Wilt Chamberlain shot just 51 percent while Shaquille O'Neal only 52.7 percent. On the flip side, no player in the history of the NBA was more successful at the line than Steve Nash. He drained 90.4 percent over 18 years.
           At South Dakota State, the men's and women's basketball programs have Jackrabbits who have made more than over 80 percent for their careers.
           Making a free throw is harder for some, but no matter who you are, the key to a successful free throw is practice.
           Former Jackrabbit Megan Vogel, who shot 77.7 percent from the charity stripe through her four-year career, recalls her routine.
           "I practiced free throws every time I went to the gym. Typically, I always started and ended my workout with sets of free throws, and in-between all shots, fakes, moves, etc.," she said. "I used free throws to catch my breath, but shot them while I was tired. As I got older and more skilled, I started to challenge myself by giving myself 'exit prices' to leave the gym. Most often, they were a set number of free throws in a row. Sometimes easy sets of 10, others would be 50 or 60 in a row. I only tried 100 once."
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Fundamentals
           If you ever attempted a free throw, you probably had someone help you. As a young player, the ball and the hoop seemed larger than life. But any future player understands that getting help with shooting is part of development—even the free throw.
           "I don't remember my first free throw specifically, but I remember practicing them outside at my house at a young age, especially when I was trying to eliminate jumping from my routine," Megan Waytashek recalled. "My mom was my coach growing up, so I have to give her credit for stressing the importance of the fundamentals while shooting."
           For Heather Sieler, it was also her family who helped.
           "My dad and my older siblings worked with me in the driveway on free throws," she said. "I wasn't strong enough to shoot a regular shot, so I shot them 'granny' style."Â
           If you look up "Fundamentals of Shooting a Free Throw," thousands of entries appear on the internet. Most are the same: keep your feet parallel, square your shoulders to the basket and bounce the ball three times with the inflation hole up. Keep your shooting elbow in, keep your eye on the basket and sustain your follow-through.
           For Vogel, it was the BEEF theory.
           "I went to as many basketball camps as I could as a kid and had a lot of people help me with my form," she said. "Like many people, I was told to follow the BEEF theory—Balance. Eyes. Elbow. Follow Through."
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The Mental Game
           Shaquille O'Neal routinely made free throws 70 to 80 percent of the time in practice, but when it came to game time the Hall of Famer missed more than 5,000 free throws or 2.7 misses per game in his career.
           Kevin Burke, professor of sport psychology at Queens University of Charlotte and the co-author of "Sport Psychology Library: Basketball," says that typically when players struggle to shoot free throws it's because the game suddenly shifts from reactionary to cogitative.
           "When you're at the free-throw line, you know for several seconds that you're going to be shooting a free throw," he wrote. "It's the one time in the game when everyone is watching you and watching what you're doing. It becomes a state of paralysis by analysis."
           To overcome the paralysis, most players must find confidence and practice.
           "Mentally, you must have confidence in your ability to shoot and make a free throw in a tough situation," Vogel said. "However, that confidence comes from consistent repetition over time."
           Sieler agreed.
           "I think it is important to have a consistent routine in both practice and in a game. Having the confidence to step up and make a free throw under pressure is almost all mental," she said. "By the time I reached college, I had probably shot thousands and thousands of free throws. Physically, I knew I could do it, but being able to control my emotions, breathe and do what I had practiced so many times also takes mental conditioning."
           Many players visualize the ball going in the basket. For others, like Vogel, there wasn't time for visualization.
           "Honestly, when I played I didn't hear or think about much of anything. The crowd noise, the people, and the distractions—they all seemed to disappear at times. Especially during my junior and senior year," Vogel said. "The game seemed to slow down incredibly and I had a different level of confidence than I ever had before. I do remember, the only thing that would enter my mind at the line was, time, score, situation. How much time was left? What was the score? What needed to happen after I made the free throw. I never thought about missing. I knew I had put in the work."Â
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Getting to the Line
           Have you ever noticed that certain players get to the free-throw line more than others? For the women's team at State, Vogel had that knack, visiting the charity stripe 5.2 times per game in her 120-game career. Tara Tessier, 5.0; Jennifer Johnson, 4.7; and Macy Miller, 3.4 times per game and counting.
           Waytashek attempted just 2.9 free throws per game, but missed just 64 free throws in five years.
           "I obviously wanted to go 100 percent from the line every game. Personally, missing free throws in a game was a pet peeve of mine," Waytashek said. "When I missed, I had to have a short memory because if I thought too much about it, it affected my next opportunity at the line."
           Vogel's tenacity for getting to the foul line wasn't by accident.
           "If my first few shots did not go in from the 3-point line, I always thought about getting to the line. I knew I needed to help our team in a multitude of ways, including attacking the rim and posting up," she said. "With that said, I did not have a lot of finesse to my game. I was more of a bull in a china shop, so there were only two options when I attacked the hoop off the drive or in the post—charge or get fouled."
           For Sieler, getting to the charity stripe wasn't her focus when she played.
           "I was never really focused on scoring a lot of points. If my shots were not falling, though, it always helped to get to the line to get into a rhythm," she said. "I think it was good any time any of my teammates or I was shooting a free throw. We really had an unselfish team and anyone on the floor could score and get the team going again."  Â
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Free Throws Are Gifts
           Guinness Book of World Records free-throws shooter Tom Amberry often said "A free throw is a gift."
           Seiler, Waytashek and Vogel acknowledge the simplicity of a free throw and that confidence and practice leads to made free throws often and in important moments throughout a basketball player's career.
           "It's a chance for free points and over the course of the game, made free throws can absolutely make the difference in a win or loss for your team," Sieler said.
           Vogel said, "I would tell younger players that if you want to be great (at basketball), free-throw shooting has to be a part of your game. Not only do you have to get to the line, but you also must be confident in your ability to make free throws once you get there. For me, it always seemed like free points."
           "I would tell them that they are the easiest points possible in the game, but mastering them comes with repetition," Waytashek said. "Every player can be an excellent free-throw shooter if they have the determination and diligence to practice."
Â
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           The art of sinking a free throw has frustrated many basketball superstars. Wilt Chamberlain shot just 51 percent while Shaquille O'Neal only 52.7 percent. On the flip side, no player in the history of the NBA was more successful at the line than Steve Nash. He drained 90.4 percent over 18 years.
           At South Dakota State, the men's and women's basketball programs have Jackrabbits who have made more than over 80 percent for their careers.
           Making a free throw is harder for some, but no matter who you are, the key to a successful free throw is practice.
           Former Jackrabbit Megan Vogel, who shot 77.7 percent from the charity stripe through her four-year career, recalls her routine.
           "I practiced free throws every time I went to the gym. Typically, I always started and ended my workout with sets of free throws, and in-between all shots, fakes, moves, etc.," she said. "I used free throws to catch my breath, but shot them while I was tired. As I got older and more skilled, I started to challenge myself by giving myself 'exit prices' to leave the gym. Most often, they were a set number of free throws in a row. Sometimes easy sets of 10, others would be 50 or 60 in a row. I only tried 100 once."
Â
Fundamentals
           If you ever attempted a free throw, you probably had someone help you. As a young player, the ball and the hoop seemed larger than life. But any future player understands that getting help with shooting is part of development—even the free throw.
           "I don't remember my first free throw specifically, but I remember practicing them outside at my house at a young age, especially when I was trying to eliminate jumping from my routine," Megan Waytashek recalled. "My mom was my coach growing up, so I have to give her credit for stressing the importance of the fundamentals while shooting."
           For Heather Sieler, it was also her family who helped.
           "My dad and my older siblings worked with me in the driveway on free throws," she said. "I wasn't strong enough to shoot a regular shot, so I shot them 'granny' style."Â
           If you look up "Fundamentals of Shooting a Free Throw," thousands of entries appear on the internet. Most are the same: keep your feet parallel, square your shoulders to the basket and bounce the ball three times with the inflation hole up. Keep your shooting elbow in, keep your eye on the basket and sustain your follow-through.
           For Vogel, it was the BEEF theory.
           "I went to as many basketball camps as I could as a kid and had a lot of people help me with my form," she said. "Like many people, I was told to follow the BEEF theory—Balance. Eyes. Elbow. Follow Through."
Â
The Mental Game
           Shaquille O'Neal routinely made free throws 70 to 80 percent of the time in practice, but when it came to game time the Hall of Famer missed more than 5,000 free throws or 2.7 misses per game in his career.
           Kevin Burke, professor of sport psychology at Queens University of Charlotte and the co-author of "Sport Psychology Library: Basketball," says that typically when players struggle to shoot free throws it's because the game suddenly shifts from reactionary to cogitative.
           "When you're at the free-throw line, you know for several seconds that you're going to be shooting a free throw," he wrote. "It's the one time in the game when everyone is watching you and watching what you're doing. It becomes a state of paralysis by analysis."
           To overcome the paralysis, most players must find confidence and practice.
           "Mentally, you must have confidence in your ability to shoot and make a free throw in a tough situation," Vogel said. "However, that confidence comes from consistent repetition over time."
           Sieler agreed.
           "I think it is important to have a consistent routine in both practice and in a game. Having the confidence to step up and make a free throw under pressure is almost all mental," she said. "By the time I reached college, I had probably shot thousands and thousands of free throws. Physically, I knew I could do it, but being able to control my emotions, breathe and do what I had practiced so many times also takes mental conditioning."
           Many players visualize the ball going in the basket. For others, like Vogel, there wasn't time for visualization.
           "Honestly, when I played I didn't hear or think about much of anything. The crowd noise, the people, and the distractions—they all seemed to disappear at times. Especially during my junior and senior year," Vogel said. "The game seemed to slow down incredibly and I had a different level of confidence than I ever had before. I do remember, the only thing that would enter my mind at the line was, time, score, situation. How much time was left? What was the score? What needed to happen after I made the free throw. I never thought about missing. I knew I had put in the work."Â
Â
Getting to the Line
           Have you ever noticed that certain players get to the free-throw line more than others? For the women's team at State, Vogel had that knack, visiting the charity stripe 5.2 times per game in her 120-game career. Tara Tessier, 5.0; Jennifer Johnson, 4.7; and Macy Miller, 3.4 times per game and counting.
           Waytashek attempted just 2.9 free throws per game, but missed just 64 free throws in five years.
           "I obviously wanted to go 100 percent from the line every game. Personally, missing free throws in a game was a pet peeve of mine," Waytashek said. "When I missed, I had to have a short memory because if I thought too much about it, it affected my next opportunity at the line."
           Vogel's tenacity for getting to the foul line wasn't by accident.
           "If my first few shots did not go in from the 3-point line, I always thought about getting to the line. I knew I needed to help our team in a multitude of ways, including attacking the rim and posting up," she said. "With that said, I did not have a lot of finesse to my game. I was more of a bull in a china shop, so there were only two options when I attacked the hoop off the drive or in the post—charge or get fouled."
           For Sieler, getting to the charity stripe wasn't her focus when she played.
           "I was never really focused on scoring a lot of points. If my shots were not falling, though, it always helped to get to the line to get into a rhythm," she said. "I think it was good any time any of my teammates or I was shooting a free throw. We really had an unselfish team and anyone on the floor could score and get the team going again."  Â
Â
Free Throws Are Gifts
           Guinness Book of World Records free-throws shooter Tom Amberry often said "A free throw is a gift."
           Seiler, Waytashek and Vogel acknowledge the simplicity of a free throw and that confidence and practice leads to made free throws often and in important moments throughout a basketball player's career.
           "It's a chance for free points and over the course of the game, made free throws can absolutely make the difference in a win or loss for your team," Sieler said.
           Vogel said, "I would tell younger players that if you want to be great (at basketball), free-throw shooting has to be a part of your game. Not only do you have to get to the line, but you also must be confident in your ability to make free throws once you get there. For me, it always seemed like free points."
           "I would tell them that they are the easiest points possible in the game, but mastering them comes with repetition," Waytashek said. "Every player can be an excellent free-throw shooter if they have the determination and diligence to practice."
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