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Mirror Mechanics: Mastering the Fundamentals of the Shot
- Marvin Harvey
- Jul 27
- 3 min read
By Marvin Harvey, The Original Shot Doctor
📍 Practice in Front of the Mirror: The Power of Repetition and Alignment
The mirror doesn’t lie. It reflects your form back to you—every motion, every angle, every error. One of the most powerful tools for developing elite shooting mechanics is deliberate mirror training. Here’s a step-by-step drill to lock in your shooting programming:
Mirror Drill: Daily Repetition Checklist
✅ Assume the set-point position Focus your eyes on the “W” marked on the mirror. Is everything within the lines of the rim?
✅ Bring hands up the center line of your body Keep it clean. No drifting left or right.
✅ Check the elbow Is it pointing directly at your “W” on the mirror?
✅ Watch the hand path Do the hands cross the line of your eyes? That’s a sign of balance.
✅ Ready for release The wrist crossing the eye line is your trigger.
✅ Throw your hand forward (throwing motion)Feel the wrist bounce naturally, with no tension.
✅ Check non-shooting hand placement It should be inside the lines of the ears—quiet and supportive.
✅ Is the lower body engaged?As the upper body moves, so should the base. Synchronization = shot flow.
Repeat until your muscle memory becomes instinct. The mirror becomes your best coach.
🎯 Releasing the Elbow: Programming Your Arc
The elbow determines the level of arc. While advanced arc programming comes later with steppers, you can begin now by practicing the Ten Levels of Arc.
📊 Levels 1–10 Chart Coming Soon(Visual aid: label levels used in game shooting, and those to avoid)
Training your elbow to release with intent builds the muscle memory required for soft, high-percentage shots.
✋ Non-Shooting Hand Discipline
Your non-shooting hand has one job: assist and guide.
No steering.
No flicking.
No drifting.
Use the mirror to spot when it leaves its place too early. Keep it steady and relaxed until the ball departs the fingertips. Assistance—not interference.
Master the Set Shot: The Most Underrated Skill in the Game
In today’s game, the most missed shot?The wide open one.
Why?Because it’s the least practiced.
Players like Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan, Raja Bell, Sam Cassell, JJ Redick, Cynthia Cooper, and Marie Ferdinand all had one thing in common—they mastered the set shot through simplicity, not complexity.
Train the set shot like it’s a game-winner. Footwork. Catch. Balance. Fire. Over and over.
👣 Toes Coming Off the Floor: The Power Transfer
I remember breaking down Marie Ferdinand’s shot in Orlando. We slowed the video down frame by frame. The shooting form? Perfect. The power transfer? Flawless.
As the ball left her fingertips, her toes lifted just 1.5 inches off the floor, indicating:
🔄 Complete energy transfer
🧘♀️ Perfect balance
🎯 Pure release
That micro-lift wasn't a jump—it was the body's natural response to power flowing upward from the ground through the shot. That’s what mastery looks like.
🌱 Staying Grounded: Lessons from Chucky Atkins
When I first started working with Chucky Atkins, we had to fix one critical issue: premature knee bend.
He was bending before the ball had even started rising. The result? He was jumping into the shot before his body was ready, leading to powerless, out-of-sync releases.
After an in-depth form breakdown, we taught him to stay grounded—wait until the upper body initiated the motion before rising.
That small change led to big results:Chucky made 1,000 three-pointers a day during his 2005 off-season. In many sessions, he hit 100 out of 110 shots from five different spots.
Staying grounded = power + control + repeatability.
✍️ Final Thought: Mechanics First, Movement Second
Whether you're in front of a crowd or a mirror, your form should be the same.
Program the elbow.
Control the non-shooting hand.
Trust your toes.
Stay grounded.
Let the mirror reveal the truth.
Every great shooter mastered the mirror before they mastered the game.
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