Shooting is a very important part of the game. There are three different points given for different shots. You can get one point for a free-throw. You can get two points for shooting anywhere in front of the three point line. Behind the three point line it is three points.

     In this picture Kobe Bryant is dunking the ball. In basketball there are many different kinds of shots. You can dunk, do lay-ups, hook shots, bank shots, jump shots, and if you get fouled you can shoot free-throws.

     In the old days Rick Barry shot free-throws with the underhand throw. This type of shot is not very common, but can be certainly effective. Rick Barry had the second highest free-throw percentage was .900. He made 3,818 of his 4,243 attempts.

     One of the most effective shots is the jump shot. This shot was first used in the 1920s. It didn’t take hold in the NBA until 1940. In the jump shot you shoot the ball from over your head and leap into the air and at the very top release. Reggie Miller is a player that used the jump shot to become one of the greatest jump shot shooters.

     A very common shot is the hook shot. You throw the ball over your head with one hand. In a game forward players use this shot a lot to get the ball over there opponent’s hands. This shot is used under the basket and is hard for your opponent’s to deflect it.