counterintuitively in basketball, shooting is mainly about pushing the ball up in the air (against gravity) rather than forward. that means the legs are the pri

counterintuitively in basketball, shooting is mainly about pushing the ball up in the air (against gravity) rather than forward. that means the legs are the primary actuator used in shooting, rather than the arms, as most beginners assume. the arms mainly provide the finer motor control needed to guide the ball through the hoop. this misperception sometimes comes from watching nba players (like lebron) who are so strong they can shoot primarily from their arms, but that's not most people. steph curry's absurd range, for instance, comes mainly from his legs (efficiently utilized by a tight shooting form).