I've struggled all season with a good solid strait toss-up during a jump ball to start the game.

I've practiced but do something in the circle that I canot figure out.

I've tried the
1) 1 hand scoop
2) two handed underhand toss
3) NBA push-up
4) the use the legs approach.
5) toss it fast
6) toss it slow

Whats the "mechanic" that you all use?

Get your partner(s) to make the toss then. No big deal.

The system that works best for me is to pick a spot about 3 feet higher than the taller of the jumpers, then "shot put" the ball to that spot with one hand.

Pick one and do the same thing each time. Practice it by the goal to gauge the height and establish a routine.

When I started I used a two hand toss up, it worked rather well, over this year, I've worked it down to one hand. I think the more you toss up the ball the better you'll get at it.

One thing that gave me problems was the players being too close together in the middle not allowing me any room between them. I find that if you have room, it's easier to toss the ball up.

Go to a park, or rec center, stand under the basket. Step an arm's length back. Now toss up through the basket. The ball should go straight up, just clear the hoop, and then come straight back down and through. Do about 10, then jog around the court, then do 10 more. Do this every day for a week. Doesn't matter what happens after that, you'll have it!

I've been doing this for a few weeks now, and it isn't working. When I jog around the court, I go clockwise, should I be going counter-clockwise? :D

Well, perhaps you're jogging and tossing at the same time? You really should be doing them alternately.

My mom told me that if you did this you could go blind.

Quality toss
 

Before you toss, push the two jumpers in the circle away from you to give yourself room to work.

JR:

You are absolutely correct. The late Danny Doss always said never be the Referee.

MTD, Sr.

Before the AP come in, Mark, we used to pre-game jump balls. If one of the crew wasn't very good at them(and I was in that category), then his partner would take all of them. The R was still the R, so no big deal.

JR:

Lighten up.

MTD, Sr.

Well, if you're in the Northern Hemisphere . . .

LOL, I actually got credit in a college science course for conducting an experiment where I IM'd three people in the southern hemisphere to verify that the water in the toilet bowl swirls the other direction down there. So perhaps if I tossed it at the equator...

LOL, I actually got credit in a college science course for conducting an experiment where I IM'd three people in the southern hemisphere to verify that the water in the toilet bowl swirls the other direction down there. So perhaps if I tossed it at the equator... [/B][/QUOTE]Yup, if you tossed it right on the equator, it would go straight and not swirl. Little known fact about the toilet bowl swirl going different ways north and south. Also little cared. :D

JR:

Lighten up.

[/B][/QUOTE]Lighten up, Mark? :confused: You got me there. I was just commenting on my own personal experiences with jump balls. Nothing else. Didn't realize I was being heavy.

Btw, I think that I met Danny Doss many years ago. Didn't he end up as a supervisor of officials in a D2 league somewhere down around Tony?

I didn't realize DARPAnet had instant messaging capabilities. :p

What makes the toss hard for me is going from a BV games to a G5th grade game.

It took me a long time to get it right in BV & GV games, when I go to a lower level game I will always get my partner to toss it up.

Here's Rainmaker getting ready to start her warm-up session:
http://media1.funnyjunk.com/pics/0557.jpg

Cute. But I'm not that old. :D

You got lucky and owe that credit back to the teacher. ;)

The direction of the swirl is due to the manufacturing geometry of the toilets...not the location of installation.

Thank you for pointing this out -- I'm amazed at the number of people who think that the change is due to the coriolis effect. The effect, while real, is way too weak to be seen in a toilet or a bathtub, unless the water is very still.

See, for example, http://www.snopes.com/science/coriolis.htm

practice like a volleyball set
 

From playing vball, I learned to set the ball to a spot in the air and allow the hitters to come get it. I used to have trouble getting the toss right until I started doing the same. The good news is that a lot of gyms have a beam directly over the midcourt line. So aiming straight up was easy. I just practiced throwing the ball up to a spot and it works. When practicing, see how many times you can get the ball to hit the mid court line.