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PureShootersTM is a multi-week program developed by LoneStar Basketball Academy to train and promote shooting accuracy in a competitive shooting environment.  This skill is sometimes referred to as "clutch" shooting and is what defines a great shooter...making the winning free throw when the game is on the line...knocking down the "wide-open" three...being a high-percentage shooter.  It requires sound shooting mechanics, such as: proper footwork; a balanced stable base; precise and proper hand-to-ball positioning; effective leg-force transfer; constant and fully extended release; strong and consistent follow-through; proper body and joint alignment; correct angle of release and high arch.  It requires mental, as well as, physical training, and deals with focusing, concentration, confidence and relaxation.

The PureShootersTM Training program promotes the use of sound shooting mechanics and utilizes a unique shooting game called PureShooterTM, originated by Rick Allison, President and Founder of LoneStar Basketball Academy.  This game provides a standard, highly-structured, competitive, free-throw and perimeter shooting challenge that requires participants to repetitively demonstrate consistent shooting (above 50% accuracy) in order to break the barrier to advanced scoring.  Click here to see some advanced scoring examples.  Because the game is standardized, PureShooter scores become meaningful in comparing shooting proficiency among participants.  Individual shooting scores are tabulated and tracked court-side on a laptop computer and stored for subsequent evaluation.  Proficiency development and progress, as indicated by personal high score and scoring averages (i.e., "PureShooter average", FT average, 2-point average and 3-point average) are measured week by week during the course of the program.  Proficiency accomplishment goals are defined for advanced scoring -- they are:  the 100 club, the 125 club, the 150 club, the 175 club, and the 200 club .  These milestones are extremely challanging, but can be accomplished through dedicated effort and concentration.   The PureShooter Highs section on the LBA website recognizes all those individuals who have achieved one of these milestones and provides a record of the highest scores to date.  

In addition to the PureShooter game, this program also works on further development of each athlete's ball-handling skills through the use of 1-ball and 2-ball dribbling stations.  We believe that most players do not take the time that they should to improve on their dribbling skills.  A player should always strive to become quicker and more dextrous with the basketball.  This program provides ample opportunities for this to happen.  We also believe that as the player becomes more comfortable handling the ball, his or her mind will become more relaxed and better able to find their shooting rhythm.

Between the 1-ball and 2-ball dribbling stations is the "secondary shooting" station.  At this station, each partner-group will play "basketball golf" from various spots on the floor.   In this game each player shoots 3 shots from a specific location.   A swish is scored as "1 under", a non-swish make is scored "even", and a miss is scored as "1 over". A running count is kept and the final score is recorded.  It should be recognized that the athlete is accountable for every shot in this program.  This is an important concept for the player to embrace.  It's too easy for players to just throw up shots and have no idea how many they have shot and how many they have made.  By recording their shot statistics they become aware of the importance of approaching each shot with the same "relaxed intensity".

Format:

The PureShootersTM program is a multi-week training program that runs in 4-week segments.  A 4-week segment is composed of four 75-minute training sessions (one per week) with a maximum of 8 athletes in a session.  Within a session, the 8 athletes are partnered up and take turns shooting one frame of the PureShooter game at one basket.  While one set of partners is shooting their PureShooter frame, the other partners are at one of three stations:  the 2-ball dribbling station, the "secondary shooting" station, or the 1-ball dribbling station.  Partners rotate from station to station when a partner-group completes a PureShooter frame.  The rotation is...PureShooter station to...2-ball station to...'secondary shooting' station to...1-ball station back to...PureShooter station.

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