Wussification of pick-up basketball? I don't think you should be in a self contained bubble when shooting. If anything, that just means your opponent is having trouble guarding you if he is simply yelling at you or playing patty cake with your stomach. I don't think anyone should get angry at someone screaming at you when you shoot. Don't think that should affect your shot. The running at you only to do nothing I equate with Shane Battier going up to contest a shot by face guarding. Shane opponents after a while just shoot the ball normally because they know he isn't going to block the shot. Your opponent shouldn't touch you because it is a foul but the contact is so small that you look like a chump if you call it in a pick-up game. Like someone said kick your leg out and let him run into your foot.
Never said it made me angry (or that I find it explicitly effective) ... just that it's annoying. Don't think it's against the rules just exists in the grey space of chicken-****-dom that warrants a good throwing to the floor or two.
I wave my hands, clap, make noise, anything, if I can't get to the shooter on time. It's better than letting him take an unobstructed shot IMO. I can't always out play someone physically, especially younger and faster players, so I have to try to cover them the best I can. Anyway, I think it's a great way to distract if you do it to the timid types. From the sounds of it, the OP is one of those types because he's bringing this topic up. Don't let it faze you, it's part of the game. It's a lot of fun to drain a shot over a heckler. In fact, that just pumps you up more. That can often be the downside... if they shoot well then they'll heat up on you because you stoked the fire by saying something. So yeah it's worth it sometimes but not always.
I do that all the time though. If you notice a man running full speed at you, you're going to instinctively attempt to avoid it in midair; not only disrupting you from the natural motion of your shot, but it will also cause you to enter "panic mode" and recklessly shoot without aiming. Touching the chest (not the stomach, that serves little purpose other than being more difficult to detect) will cause them to cave in as well.
I hate it when there's that one sorry a** cocky player who will say "oh that's money" or "in there" every time they shoot. Then the majority of the time they'll brick their shots. Annoys the hell out of me. I mean I can see if ur like Kobe or something but come on...
How about spitting on the shooter's face while shooting? I would think that would distract them enough to miss also.
You can call a foul all you want, no one gives a ****. The REF will call the foul, and if the ref didn't see it, you're sol ese. It's dirty, but it's gamesmanship
You don't shout "its in there" or "Oh that's money" while you're having sex? Wait, oops... wrong thread.
Now that I'm playing basketball competitively again, I use the yelling thing quite often, mostly when girls are going up for layups. Layups are 95% mental, so I do anything to throw them off or make them think I might be close enough to block their shot. I try to do that stomach tap when I can remember since it is pretty effective, but I typically go for the shane battier/ chuck hayes hand in their face move. My pet peeve is when people prematurely box me out when I'm still shooting, which completely affects my shot, and although is a foul, is often missed by the refs.
Like I said I didn't find it particularly effective (maybe a forced miss every once in awhile) but more just incredibly annoying. I find players who physically can't fully deal with what's happening on the floor who have to resort to girlish tactics like screaming can be exposed as timid types if you just throw them to the floor every once in awhile. Game-man-ship is a 2 way street I suppose.
Throwing someone down is not at all on the same level as trying to distract a shooter. In fact, it's straight up a great way to injure someone or get your ass whooped. Man up. If it bothers you that much, get some ear plugs or get off the court.
You are absolutely correct, Rabbi Goldman. Cool, silky smooth athletes such as myself and Kobe put our energy towards playing the game, not bush league girl tactics. Do we say "count it" before we knock down jumpers? Of course we do, because we know it's good and shooting is all about confidence. But pretending to take someone's legs out is something players with low self esteem and ability do. Or smaller guys who know they can't keep up with the pace of the game. It's just an embarrassment but it won't stop me from bringing the heat.
That's weird. I've never been bothered by claps or yells. If I miss or make it, it's because of my form or practice. Never thought much about it actually, until now. A guy I play frequently with is really good at cheap dirty tricks without the refs noticing. Stuff like holding you down or pulling you back without even your teammates noticing. He does the stomach tap or my waist when I'm shooting. I hate guys like him. I usually do a little flop on him to get him back.
