How to Shoot a Basketball with Your Left Hand
We’ve previously discussed how to practice your layup with your left hand and figured that learning how to shoot a basketball with your left hand would also be worth discussing.
Learning how to shoot with both your right and left hands will not only make you a more dominant shooter but will also help to give you the confidence needed to score over tight defenses and from difficult spots on the court.
Practicing the left-handed shot will not only give you more confidence when it comes to scoring but will also help you to be a more dominant player.
However, when it comes to scoring, it is just as important to be able to do so with your dominant hand as it is to be able to do so with your non-dominant hand.
Typically, the dominant hand in basketball is the right-hand. This is because a majority of players are right-handed. In fact, worldwide, nearly 90% of people are right-handed.
As-such, most players are able to efficiently and easily score with their right hand. However, doing so with the left-hand can prove to be more difficult and challenging.
That is why we are going to discuss and provide you with a step-by-step on how to shoot a basketball with your left hand that will make you a more efficient player and give you the confidence to shoot with either hand.
Practice Your Dribble
One of the most effective ways to learning and improving how to shoot with your left hand is to practice your dribble with your left hand. Practicing your left-handed dribble will not only help you to learn how to dribble with your non-dominant hand but will also help to strengthen the core muscles in that hand.
Dribbling practices are meant to be easy and efficient. Don’t overthink them.
One great dribbling exercise is to simply dribble the basketball up-and-down the length of the court utilizing only your left hand. This can, and should, include variations of the dribble, including keeping the dribble close to your body and performing an in-and-out dribble with the ball.
Floater and Hook-Shot
Another great way to learn how to shoot with your left hand is to work on shots that are closer to the basket. This will not only help to train your non-dominant hand but will also give you the confidence needed to finish strong at the rim with either hand.
To do this exercise, begin on the left-hand arc of the rim, towards the three-point line. Dribbling in with your left hand, release a floater from that hand either off the backboard or straight into the hoop.
Whether you make or miss the shot, grab the rebound and dribble approximately 3-6 feet from the rim and release a hook-shot with your left hand. Again, regardless of whether you made the shot or not, grab the rebound and dribble back out to your starting spot. Repeat this exercise for ten-minutes.
Free Throw Shot with the Left Hand
While it is admirable that you are looking to work on your left-handed shot, we wouldn’t recommend taking a free-throw shot with your non-dominant hand. As the free-throw is a free shot, you should do so with your dominant hand, increasing the likelihood and probability of a made shot.
However, when practicing your left-hand shot, doing so from the free-throw line is a great exercise. Stand at the free-throw line and bring the ball to your chest. Lifting the ball in the air, cup the ball beneath your left-hand, utilizing your right-hand to stabilize the ball.
Utilizing the muscles in your left hand, give the ball a push as you flick your wrist as the shot comes off. Ensure that you maintain follow-through with your left hand.
You may note that doing so is particularly difficult. However, with each subsequent shot attempt, you will find it easier and easier to perform.
Jump Shot with the Left Hand
As you progress through practicing how to shoot with your left hand, you will get to the point of needing to shoot a jump shot with your left hand.
To do so, you will simply follow the routine we mentioned above for practicing how to shoot a free-throw with your left hand. Standing within 10-15 feet from the rim, hold the ball to your chest.
As you elevate and have your feet leave the ground, bring the ball up, cupping the ball with your left-hand. Utilizing your right-hand to hold and stabilize the ball, release the ball at the apex of your jump, with the power and force of the ball coming from your left hand.
Tennis Ball Dribble
A major issue that so many players encounter when it comes to learning how to shoot with their left hands is the mere fact that their left hand is simply less dominant and less worked-out on then their right hand.
In order to rectify this, you will need to spend time solely focused on developing your non-dominant hand.
One way to do this is to practice dribbling skills with a tennis ball on a basketball court. Utilizing a tennis ball, you will learn how to more properly dribble and will develop the muscles in your left hand.
There are two great ways to develop the muscles in your non-dominant hand with a tennis ball.
The first is to simply dribble up-and-down the court with your left hand with a tennis ball. You can dribble normally or choose to dribble closer to the floor.
Either way, both methods should help you to exercise your left-hand muscles.
The second, and more difficult method, is to hold a tennis ball in your right-hand as you dribble with your left.
This will help you develop better hand-eye coordination and stability. To make it even more difficult, you may opt to throw the tennis ball in your right hand in the air as you continue to dribble with your left.