Task Decomposition in Shooting Development

The Coach Dave Love Podcast

In this episode, Coach Dave Love dives deep into the common coaching method of task decomposition, where the shooting motion is broken into isolated parts for improvement. While this approach may seem intuitive, Coach Love explains why it often works against players rather than helping them. He breaks down the key reasons why coaches mistakenly believe task decomposition is effective and outlines the many drawbacks, including the loss of rhythm, disrupted motor learning, and weakened decision-making in game situations.

Listeners will also learn about the few cases where task decomposition might be useful, such as injury rehab or correcting severe mechanical issues, but with a clear emphasis on how to move beyond this method. Coach Love provides valuable alternatives, focusing on whole-task practice, the ecological approach, and using constraints to create game-like variability in shooting drills.

Whether you're a coach, player, or basketball enthusiast, this episode will challenge your thinking on how shooting is best developed and offer actionable insights for more effective training.

Key Takeaways:

• The limitations of breaking the shot into pieces and how it negatively impacts performance.
• Why whole-task practice, variability, and real-game context lead to better shooting development.
• Practical alternatives to task decomposition that will help players thrive in real-game situations.

Be sure to subscribe to The Coach Dave Love Podcast for more expert insights on basketball shooting development!