Hoop Lab

Hoop Lab Our mission is to build the Complete Basketball Player and to provide year round training options so you will have everything you need to achieve your goal!

09/03/2026

🏈 Think about a QB throwing a perfect spiral.

You can almost tell the second it leaves their hand that it was a clean throw.

Now think about shooting a basketball.

Same concept.

A QB uses the rotation of the football as feedback on how cleanly it came off their hand. As a shooter, we can use the rotation of the basketball the exact same way.

That’s one of the biggest reasons I wanted the ZL Shooting Ball to have different colored panels.

When that red and white ball starts rotating, you can actually SEE what happened at release.

Clean backspin? Your hand was probably in a pretty good position behind the ball and it came off your fingers clean.

Ball rotating sideways? Now we have something to look at.

Is the guide hand getting involved?
Is the thumb pushing?
Is the ball coming off the side of the shooting hand?
Are the fingers finishing through the ball consistently?

The rotation becomes feedback.

And here’s the important part…

A quarterback CAN complete a pass with an ugly spiral.

A basketball player CAN make a shot with ugly rotation.

That doesn’t mean we ignore it.

Because development isn’t about whether ONE shot went in.

It’s about building a release you can repeat.

Quarterbacks chase a tight, consistent spiral.

Shooters should chase clean, consistent rotation.

Sometimes the ball tells you what happened before the result does. 🎯

09/02/2026

You don’t have to be the oldest, biggest or most talented player in the gym to be a Cleaner.

Cal is 10 years old and already has something that’s hard to teach.

He WORKS.

In Tim Grover’s book Relentless, he talks about three types of competitors: Coolers, Closers and Cleaners.

A Cleaner doesn’t need to be begged to work. They don’t need constant motivation. They’re never really satisfied with where they’re at because they’re always chasing the next level.

That’s Cal.

And at 10 years old, I’m not worried about what kind of player he is right now. I’m more interested in the habits he’s building and the way he approaches getting better.

Skills can be developed. Shots can be fixed. Handles can get tighter. Players can get stronger and faster.

But learning how to WORK, how to be coachable, how to struggle through something and keep going?

Build that early and basketball has a way of taking care of the rest.

That’s a Cleaner mentality.

09/01/2026

A really broken down way to work on the jump stop into your shot.

We’re starting with a broad jump to exaggerate the forward momentum. The goal isn’t how far they can jump. It’s what they can do once their feet hit the ground.

Both feet land together and from there they have to go right up into their shot.

No extra step.
No adjusting their feet.
No standing up and resetting.
No fixing their hands.

Land, absorb, go up.

By exaggerating the jump forward, they’re forced to learn how to control their momentum, absorb the landing and turn that forward force into a vertical shot without needing extra time to get themselves organized.

Their hands are already set on the ZL Shooting Ball before they jump so we can take another adjustment out of the equation. They can feel exactly where their shooting hand and guide hand are, maintain that placement through the jump stop and shoot right out of it.

The whole purpose is to make the jump stop feel simple and controlled.

Can you land with control and immediately get into your shot without having to fix everything first?

Because the less you have to reorganize after your feet hit the floor, the quicker you can get to your shot.

09/01/2026

Ball handling work with Trey Patterson using the ZL Oversized Ball

Switching back to the regulation ball after watching that ball stick to his hands 💯

Most great shooters before Steph Curry had a high lift point.Players like Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, etc. They all brough...
09/01/2026

Most great shooters before Steph Curry had a high lift point.

Players like Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, etc. They all brought the ball all the way up to their forehead or above it, then released the ball after their legs fully extended at the top of their jump.

That model worked for decades.

Steph Curry does it differently.

Steph often shoots from a medium or low lift point depending on distance. Instead of lifting the ball to his forehead, the ball may only reach nose, eye or even chin level before he releases.

He also releases the ball during leg extension, not after it.

That small difference does three big things:

1) Gets the shot off faster
2) Generates more power with a loaded elbow
3) Extends shooting range

It also allows the knees and elbows to work together, which creates that smooth rhythm you see in his shot.

Different shooters use different mechanics.

The key isn’t copying one style…
It’s understanding why the mechanics work and when to use each lift point on the floor.

Most players are trying to compete.The best players are trying to separate themselves.Different habits.Different mindset...
09/01/2026

Most players are trying to compete.
The best players are trying to separate themselves.

Different habits.
Different mindset.
Different results.

Stop blending in and start building skills that make you impossible to ignore.

Parents and players need to hear this.If a player’s shot mechanics, footwork, timing or habits need fixing… fix them. Do...
09/01/2026

Parents and players need to hear this.

If a player’s shot mechanics, footwork, timing or habits need fixing… fix them. Don’t delay development because of a weekend tournament or a AAU shirt that will be a wash rag in a few months.

Short-term comfort creates long-term problems.
Real development requires patience, repetition and sometimes struggling before improving.

The goal shouldn’t be dominating 5th grade.
The goal should be becoming hard to guard for the next 10 years.

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