Use A Habit Tracker This Summer To Become A Better Shooter
Set Goals And Track Your Shooting
The first time that I tracked my shooting was during summer camp when I was in middle school. The camp had a 5000 Shot Club, and I could become a member and get a T-shirt if I made 5000 shots over the rest of the summer. I was determined to make the Shot Club and get my free T-shirt, so I got to work. When the summer ended, I was a member of the 5000 Shot Club and I got my T-shirt (which unfortunately wasn’t that cool), but the great thing was, my shooting improved.
After that, I spent more time shooting and tracking, and it continued to pay off.
During my first season playing basketball in High School, I averaged 3 points per game. The next year I averaged 17 points per game and was one of the leading scores in the Greater Spokane League. What changed? I set a goal to become a better shooter, worked on my shot and tracked the whole process.
Start by setting shooting goals for the summer, and beyond, and then put them in writing. Add when you want to achieve the goals, why you want to achieve them, action steps to reach them, and possible obstacles that may arrive, and how you will overcome these obstacles. The most important thing to do is write your goals down and begin taking steps to reach them.
When I was coaching, I had a Summer Shooting Challenge to encourage players to work on their shooting over the summer. I made a simple form where players could write down goals and a page with blank spaces for each day of the summer. The players took time to write down their goals and then took shots and tracked them.
Use A Habit Tracker
A habit tracker is a place where you write down what you are doing each day to meet your goals. It helps you reach your goals because the act of tracking is motivating and you get to see that you are working toward your goal. It’s also satisfying to mark your habit tracker and feel the satisfaction of the daily progress.
According to the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, research shows that people who track their progress on goals that they have set, are more likely to improve than those who don’t. When you see that you are moving toward a goal, you get even more motivated to keep working toward that goal. Each day of marking off your calendar feeds your desire to get better. You get visual proof of your hard work.
It just takes a few minutes each day to get your shots in. And once you start, a few minutes often become more. As you’re shooting, take a variety of shots from different areas on the court. Shoot lay-ins and make post moves and drives using both hands. Work on jumpers. Workaround the outside and extend your range. Work toward your shooting goals and track your effort.
How To Track Your Shooting
You can track your shooting many different ways; on a calendar, in a journal, with a list on your phone or any number of ways that you can think of. You can try the Summer Shooting Challenge form I put together. If you’re a detail-oriented person, you can make a more complex chart that divides out how many of each type of shot you will take each day. However, this might seem too complicated to some people and might deter you from reaching your goal. It’s better to consistently track one habit than to sporadically track a bunch.
And if you miss a day, that’s okay. No one is perfect and it is summer. But if you really want to achieve your goals, then it’s important to get back on schedule, even if it means that some days you only have the chance to put up a few shots, the important thing is that you get out and shoot. Because with every shot you take you are moving in the right direction.
Set a shooting goal for this summer, track your shooting in a way that works best for you and see what happens.
“There is no limit to the goals you can attain, the success you can achieve—your possibilities are as endless as your dreams.”
-D. Crowe
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Use A Habit Tracker This Summer To Become A Better Shooter
Set Goals And Track Your Shooting
The first time that I tracked my shooting was during summer camp when I was in middle school. The camp had a 5000 Shot Club, and I could become a member and get a T-shirt if I made 5000 shots over the rest of the summer. I was determined to make the Shot Club and get my free T-shirt, so I got to work. When the summer ended, I was a member of the 5000 Shot Club and I got my T-shirt (which unfortunately wasn’t that cool), but the great thing was, my shooting improved.
After that, I spent more time shooting and tracking, and it continued to pay off.
During my first season playing basketball in High School, I averaged 3 points per game. The next year I averaged 17 points per game and was one of the leading scores in the Greater Spokane League. What changed? I set a goal to become a better shooter, worked on my shot and tracked the whole process.
Start by setting shooting goals for the summer, and beyond, and then put them in writing. Add when you want to achieve the goals, why you want to achieve them, action steps to reach them, and possible obstacles that may arrive, and how you will overcome these obstacles. The most important thing to do is write your goals down and begin taking steps to reach them.
When I was coaching, I had a Summer Shooting Challenge to encourage players to work on their shooting over the summer. I made a simple form where players could write down goals and a page with blank spaces for each day of the summer. The players took time to write down their goals and then took shots and tracked them.
Use A Habit Tracker
A habit tracker is a place where you write down what you are doing each day to meet your goals. It helps you reach your goals because the act of tracking is motivating and you get to see that you are working toward your goal. It’s also satisfying to mark your habit tracker and feel the satisfaction of the daily progress.
According to the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, research shows that people who track their progress on goals that they have set, are more likely to improve than those who don’t. When you see that you are moving toward a goal, you get even more motivated to keep working toward that goal. Each day of marking off your calendar feeds your desire to get better. You get visual proof of your hard work.
It just takes a few minutes each day to get your shots in. And once you start, a few minutes often become more. As you’re shooting, take a variety of shots from different areas on the court. Shoot lay-ins and make post moves and drives using both hands. Work on jumpers. Workaround the outside and extend your range. Work toward your shooting goals and track your effort.
How To Track Your Shooting
You can track your shooting many different ways; on a calendar, in a journal, with a list on your phone or any number of ways that you can think of. You can try the Summer Shooting Challenge form I put together. If you’re a detail-oriented person, you can make a more complex chart that divides out how many of each type of shot you will take each day. However, this might seem too complicated to some people and might deter you from reaching your goal. It’s better to consistently track one habit than to sporadically track a bunch.
And if you miss a day, that’s okay. No one is perfect and it is summer. But if you really want to achieve your goals, then it’s important to get back on schedule, even if it means that some days you only have the chance to put up a few shots, the important thing is that you get out and shoot. Because with every shot you take you are moving in the right direction.
Set a shooting goal for this summer, track your shooting in a way that works best for you and see what happens.
“There is no limit to the goals you can attain, the success you can achieve—your possibilities are as endless as your dreams.”
-D. Crowe