Look below the ball
Watch a shot twice. First, follow the ball. Then watch only the preparation: the feet, the loading of the legs, and the relationship between the trunk and the target.
The second viewing often produces a more useful coaching question. Did the athlete have a controllable position to shoot from? Did the delivery pull the body away from that position? Could the athlete finish and recover? In NST, those observations connect Base and Anchor.
Alignment is a relationship
A camera angle can make different body parts look like a straight line. That is not a reason to force every athlete into the same geometry. Height, range, task, and individual movement solutions matter.
Use alignment to ask whether the supporting and executing parts are organized toward the intended action. The elbow has a relationship to the hand and target; the trunk has a relationship to the supporting legs. The whole action matters more than one photogenic instant.
What measurement adds
A 2023 study used markerless motion capture to examine free throws in 34 experienced recreational male players. Proficiency was associated with several movement characteristics, but stance width and alignment did not significantly distinguish the groups. Observed associations are not a universal shooting prescription.
Cabarkapa et al. · 2023 ↗Make one adjustment observable
Choose a manageable target and keep the task stable. Record a short sequence from a consistent angle with the whole body visible. Review support, delivery, and recovery separately before choosing one adjustment.
Repeat without immediately increasing distance. When you try the other hand, let the distance reflect that hand’s current control. Do not demand a difficult long-range attempt simply to make the two trials look equal.
A more intentional shot is not only a made shot. It is a shot whose preparation, direction, and recovery you can notice—and work on again.