the arm is the least important body part in shooting a basketball. get under your shot with proper foot spacing and bent knees. propel yourself upward in a STRAIGHT vertical line. keep your eyes on the rim and DO NOT follow the flight of the ball. snap the wrist with correct follow-thru.

master the mid-range shot (12-15ft), then move back. form is way more important than strength.

CONSTANT REPETITIONS!!
That's what i recommend you to do. As a basketball player, i started off shooting 2pointers only cus i dreaded the 3point line. But as i got better at shooting within the 3point line i began practising shooting from outside and at the start i was faced with the same situation as your self, however i kept on shooting from the outside untill i adapted to the amount of force i had to use to shoot 3 pointers. And at one stage i became so good that i shot 15/15 3pts in a game.
Also i agree with Jaumama as you do have to master foot placement before and after shooting a 3pointer and using your knees to aid with exerting the right amount of force from the legs towards your upperbody then finally to your arms.

so give it try. and good luck!

roshy.

how should the leg placement of 3 pointers be like?
just slightly apart?

first off all the most important rule to remember when shooting in basketball, is that your feet must be squared on towards the basket. When it comes to foot placement i could easily tell you to place your feet in a certain way but that wouldn't necessarily be the right way for you, so what i suggest is that you place your feet in a way that you're comfortable with and have the best succes rate of making 3 pointers!!

hope this helps!!

roshy :D

if your asking how to stand at a 3 point shot, you probably should stick to a 15 foot and under game plan. but there is one thing you can do to improve your range. if you are a set shooter you use more of your arms, so by training you tricep muscles like cable tricep extensions, that will improve strength. if your a jump shooter, try using a step machine twice a week for ten minutes per, jump shooters use more leg power than arm. if aim is the problem, take everyone elses advice and start out at the foul line. not too many people know how to play basketball, if you really learn how to play, practice a good form and you will be effective.

The best thing to do is shoot, shoot, shoot. Eventually you'll find a "rythym" that works for you through pure evolution of your shot.

Strength, however, will help as well. What I would recommend is lying on the floor and using a medicine ball (maybe 2-4 kg) and just shooting the ball straight up into the air above your head repeatedly, using the same form you use when shooting a normal basketball. This is great for both the specificity and strength aspects related to shooting.

Hope it helps!

i have a drill for you that should help not only with the amount of force you need to generate, but also with arc and aim.
1. stand about 1 foot from front of the rim
2. put your non-shooting hand behind your back. (to teach you to shoot with only 1 hand, your aim is thrown way off if you use both)
3. take the ball in your shooting hand and go down into your normal shooting position. (legs bent, back straight, elbow directly under the ball... dont jump, but go up on your toes and release the ball at the peak of your upward motion much like shooting a freethrow)
4. shoot the ball in this way, but the goal is to shoot the ball so that it doesnt touch the rim ( this is to give you a feel for the arc that is necessary for a pure shot)
5. keep shooting in this way until you make 10 in a row from this distance.
6. after you make 10 in a row (without touching the rim), take one big step back and repeat the process.
7. keep going until you get to the free throw line, at which time you should shoot 25-50 free throws to build muscle memory.

i would suggest that you do this drill as a warm up. this is the first thing i do when i enter the gym. the entire drill should take 10-15 minutes, make sure you take your time and do it right. this is how ive built my shot, it works very very well. aside from this drill, i agree with the others who have posted. master the mid-range shot long before you step behind the arc. with this drill and lots of repetition you should be able to get the shot you desire.

I've been playing basketball for about 8 years now and the 3-point line was my home. What I was told to do was lie down on your bed with a basketball and practice your form by shooting the ball in the air like you would a real basketball and always make sure that the ball is leaving your index finger and middle finger last.
Good Luck and hope that 3-Pointer gets better