Hop vs the 1-2 shot style: “Ball in the air feet in the air”

In 1985 Nelson Franse (Jr.) of the University of New Mexico was changed from a 1-2 shooting style to the Hop Method. He was coming up on his senior year in college and was an above average shooter, but he had a slow release. So we changed him to the Hop. He proceeded to make 100 3-point shots with this new style everyday all summer long. His senior year he was terrific and won several games for the Lobos late in the game.

Matt Stock (Fresno State University) did the same thing as Nelson, converting over to the quicker style and rose to a different level in college basketball. He is now a assistant at University of California Santa Barbara and teaches the Hop whenever he can. He dedicated himself to the change and it paid dividends.

I personally favor the Hop (also used by Ray Allen-Boston/Miami) to the “1-2 shot style” but like the legendary Del Harris said“You probably need both”.

I believe it is quicker but it will take some inner game of trusting in your body and mind to make it work to your advantage. If you asked Ray, Nelson and Matt I’m sure they would say it took hard work and trust.

Here is an excellent video illustrating this method.