Basketball shooting training aid and method of use

Abstract

A training aid for improving a player's skill in shooting a basketball. The training aid includes a substantially planar surface and foot positioning indicia viewable on the planar surface. The foot positioning indicia include a lead foot indicia and a plurality of trailing foot indicia. Each of the trailing foot indicia define a separate foot placement position for the player's trailing foot wherein the training aid is usable by players having different sizes by selecting one of the plurality trailing foot indicia appropriate for the size of the player and using the lead foot indicia and the selected one of the trailing foot indicia to define suitable lead and trailing foot positions for the player when shooting the basketball. The planar surface may take the form of the upper surface of a floor mat repositionable on the court and having alignment indicia for properly positioning the mat.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention.[0002]The present invention relates the game of basketball and, more particularly, to a training aid useful in assisting a player develop better shooting skills.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]There are a wide variety of known techniques and training aids for improving a basketball player's shooting skills. Many of the known training aids are cumbersome to set up and employ. For example, it is known to place a free standing structure on the basketball court which has a height approximating the up-stretched arms of another player. A player practicing his shooting skills would stand behind such a structure and shoot the basketball over the structure toward the basketball hoop thereby simulating a shot over the up-stretched arms of a defensive player. Other known training aids must be attached to the basketball hoop itself which generally necessitates the use of a ladder to attach the training aid for use and the s...

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