Imagine the Parabola

by Coach Robert

When I first started developing The Parabolic Shot, I didn’t begin with mechanics, hand placement, or even footwork. I started with my imagination.

Imagining a Parabola (back view)

I would stand in front of the basket, sometimes as far back as the three-point line, and visualize the entire parabola my shot needed to follow. I wasn’t just aiming at the hoop; I was seeing the full arc of the ball’s journey into the net. Then, I would throw the ball along that imagined line. Over time, my accuracy improved—not because I was forcing the shot, but because I was trusting the parabola.

Imagining a Parabola (side view)

I now teach my students to do the same. Before worrying about technique, they must first see the path. They must imagine the parabola and throw the ball along that trajectory until they no longer need to see it—they just know it.

You can even imagine a flat trajectory when passing!

Imagination Before Mechanics

This is a powerful first step, not just for mastering The Parabolic Shot, but for developing a creative approach to basketball. Too often, players are confined by what they see in reality rather than what they can envision. The ability to trust something beyond immediate perception is what separates great shooters from average ones.

It reminds me of a scene in The Karate Kid (2010) when Mr. Han has his student, Dre, repeatedly pick up his jacket, hang it up, and put it on the floor. To Dre, this seemed pointless—until he realized that these motions were secretly ingraining fundamental Kung Fu movements into his body. Once he accepted the process, he was no longer mimicking Kung Fu; he was doing it.

The Parabolic Shot follows the same principle. The initial phase—imagining the arc—is not just about visualization. It’s about rewiring how a player understands shooting. Only once they internalize the parabola can they progress to refining hand placement, stance, and targeting.

The Hardest Part: Faith

Most players struggle to have faith in The Parabolic Shot. Years of traditional form-shooting instruction have conditioned them to rely on rigid mechanics. When they first attempt this method, they feel uncomfortable. They might miss shots. And missing often leads to self-doubt.

This is why I used to hesitate to teach it the same way I learned it. My wife always told me, “Make them go through the same steps you did.” But I thought I could shortcut the process for them. I was wrong.

I recently learned in a spar session that players need the mental context before they can truly grasp the technique. They must walk the same path, step by step, before they can arrive at the same understanding.

The Practice

1. Stand in front of the basket, out to the three-point line.

   
   

2. Imagine the entire arc of the shot from your position into the basket. See it vividly.

   
   

3. Throw the ball along that imagined line. Don’t worry about makes or misses—just focus on following the parabola.

   
   

4. Repeat for 30 minutes.

   
   

5. Once The Parabolic Shot becomes second nature, shift your focus to targeting links on the front rim. Now, shoot without consciously imagining the arc—throwing the ball in the shape of a parabola.

Have faith in physics.

Shalom.