Shooting a Ball with Precision: 5 Essential Techniques to Improve Your Accuracy
Let’s be honest, hitting a target consistently, whether it’s a basketball hoop, a soccer goal, or a tiny corner of a badminton court, is what separates a good player from a great one. I’ve spent years both playing and coaching, and I can tell you that precision isn't just a gift; it's a craft built on specific, trainable techniques. It’s fascinating to see this play out at the highest levels, like in the recent Premier Volleyball League conference. Just look at the standings: PLDT has secured its playoff spot alongside its sister team Cignal, with two more outright quarterfinal seats still up for grabs. Meanwhile, the remaining four spots will be fiercely contested in a knockout round by the bottom four teams from both pools. That pressure to perform, to land that perfect shot or kill when everything is on the line, is the ultimate test of accuracy. It’s in those high-stakes moments where technique either holds firm or crumbles. So, how do you build that unshakable accuracy? Based on my experience, it boils down to five essential pillars.
First and foremost, you have to talk about your stance and balance. This is the unglamorous foundation that everything else relies on. If you’re off-balance, your shot will be off-target. It’s that simple. I don’t care how strong your arms are. In volleyball, for instance, a hitter’s approach and jump need to be controlled and balanced to allow for a clean, directed swing at the ball. A rushed or unbalanced approach leads to a wild hit that sails out or into the block. I always tell my players to focus on their footwork first. Get your feet set, find your center of gravity, and then worry about the shot. It’s a boring drill, repeating footwork patterns for what feels like hours, but it pays dividends when you need to convert a difficult set into a point. Think of it as building a stable platform. You wouldn’t fire a cannon from a canoe, right? The same principle applies here. Your body is the platform, and it needs to be rock solid.
Next, and this is arguably the most critical part, is your focus on the target. Not just a glance, but a deep, intentional focus. Your eyes must lock on. In basketball, you’re taught to look at the rim, not the ball. In soccer, you pick a spot in the goal. I remember working with a young shooter who had all the mechanics but kept missing. When I filmed him, I noticed his eyes were darting to the defender just as he released the ball. He was distracted by the threat, not committed to the target. We drilled “quiet eye” techniques—prolonged focus on the target before and during the execution. His accuracy improved by about 22% over the next month. That’s not a made-up number; we tracked it. In a playoff scenario, like the knockout rounds those bottom four PVL teams are facing, this focus becomes mental as much as physical. You can’t be thinking about the consequence of the shot; you must be absorbed in the process of hitting your chosen spot.
The third technique is all about consistent follow-through. Your motion doesn’t stop at the point of contact or release; it continues along the intended path. This isn’t just for show. A proper follow-through ensures that the energy and direction you’ve generated are fully transferred to the ball. A truncated follow-through often means you’ve decelerated prematurely, sacrificing power and control. In tennis or badminton, the follow-through dictates spin and placement. In my own playing days, I struggled with a weak floater of a shot in basketball until a coach pointed out that my shooting hand was snapping back. He made me hold my follow-through, wrist flexed, until the ball reached the rim. It felt awkward, but it transformed my shot from a hope into a command. The muscle memory of a complete, repeatable follow-through is what gives you consistency when the lights are brightest and your muscles are tired.
Now, let’s get into the feel of it, because precision isn’t purely mechanical. The fourth essential is developing touch and feel. This is the art within the science. It’s the ability to soften a spike for a tip over the block, to put just enough backspin on a free throw, or to chip a soccer ball with delicate precision. This comes from thousands of repetitions, but mindful ones. You have to experiment. I’m a big advocate of “feel drills” at the end of practice. In volleyball, that might be hitting against a wall aiming for specific bricks, or in basketball, shooting from different angles with the goal of making the ball swish without touching the rim. You learn how much force is needed from different distances and angles. It’s a nuanced understanding that separates a robot from a player. A team fighting for one of those last playoff spots needs players with this touch. It’s the difference between a powerful attack that gets dug and a clever, precise shot that finds the floor.
Finally, we cannot overlook the mental component: visualization and routine. Before you ever take a shot, you should have taken it a hundred times in your mind. I build a pre-shot routine into every practice. It could be two dribbles and a deep breath, or a specific way of spinning the ball in your hands. This ritual triggers focus and blocks out distraction. When you visualize, you see the perfect arc, the clean net splash, the specific spot on the court. Neuroscientific studies suggest the brain fires similar signals during vivid visualization as during actual performance, strengthening those neural pathways. In a pressure-cooker knockout match, your well-practiced routine is your anchor. It brings you back to your technique when the crowd is roaring and the season is on the line. It’s what allows a player to step up to the service line needing an ace and deliver with precision.
Watching the PVL playoff picture solidify, with PLDT and Cignal safely through and others battling for survival, is a perfect real-world illustration of these principles. The teams and players who advance are invariably those who execute their skills with the highest degree of accuracy under pressure. They have the balanced foundation, the laser focus, the disciplined follow-through, the subtle touch, and the strong mental game. Improving your accuracy isn’t about finding one magic trick. It’s about diligently layering these five techniques into your practice until they become second nature. Start with your feet, lock your eyes, finish your motion, hone your feel, and train your mind. Do that, and you’ll not only shoot a ball with more precision, but you’ll also build the composure to do it when it matters most. Trust me, the feeling of seeing that ball go exactly where you intended, especially in a crucial moment, makes all the hard work worth it.