Question #1: Do your kids play basketball?
Yeah, I know this is baseball season and that it’s about ready to become football season, Hooray.!!!
Basketball is a game you can play all year in Lexington County, inside or out.
I will admit that in August, it’s best to find an air-conditioned gym.
Question #2: What’s the hardest shot in basketball, especially for teenagers?
The dunk? The foul shot when everyone is watching and half of those n the gym is praying for you to miss?

The answer
Did you guess the 3 pointer from outside the line? 
You’re right.
Even harder is the stepback or step aside 3 pointer.
Few NBA players have mastered it. James Harden of the Houston Rockets is the exception, He has made it his signature shot.
By stepping back before he releases the ball, it gets the opposing player out of his face and gives him more room to shoot.
In high school, the 3-point line is more than 19 feet from the center of the rim, more than 20 feet in college and 23 in the NBA.
Besides the distance, adding to the shot’s difficulty is that in stepping back, your body is going away from where you want to shoot.
This requires upper body and arm strength that most high school players and even many in college lack.
Many coaches discourage practicing it. They would rather see high school players develop other shots and offensive skills their players’ bodies can handle,
Mastering 3-pointers requires patience, years of practice and may be too physically demanding.
How to practice
Start 5 feet from the basket and shoot until you sink one that’s nothing but net.
Now move back a step and repeat until you pass the 3-point line and can sink an all-netter. 
Next practice passing and shooting by passing to yourself, shoot, rebound and speed dribble back to the spot. You are now repeating the process of working your way back, only this time going as fast as you can, then speed up as fast as you can.
This is great conditioning.
Next work on your footing with the inside foot 1-2 step, the 2-foot jump stop, the plant-rear foot and step-in into the shot. Ask your coach for guidance.
Make one all-net shot in each of the following types of shots and work your way back to 3-point range. 
Don’t worry about missing. You won’t make every shot. Just shoot until you make the amount of shots needed to  go farther from the basket.
Don’t become discouraged. Celebrate your small successes and all-netters.
As you grow taller and build muscle, you will begin to feel more comfortable and confident on the court. 
That makes great players.

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