Tom Nordland is not your typical success story. He turns 70 soon, and it might be difficult to imagine him as a high school scoring champion.
Nonetheless, Nordland, a Boulder Creek resident, was a high school basketball star in Minnesota more than 50 years ago. In one high school game, he made 19 of 20 free throws, setting a state record that still stands.
He received a scholarship to Stanford University, and after a decent college career, he continued playing until age 35, when balky knees forced him to give up the game.
“I played no basketball for 14 years,” Nordland said.
Then, one day, while an employee at Apple Computer, he picked up a basketball and started swishing baskets.
“My shot came back,” he said. “It was so simple.”
Over the next 20 years, Nordland perfected his shot and developed and fine-tuned a technique — appropriately titled Swish.
Today, he travels around the country to teach clinics to players and coaches.
“I want to train coaches, thousands of coaches,” he said. “It’s so simple — anyone can do it.”
The technique differs from what many coaches teach, in terms of squaring both shoulders toward the basket and releasing the shot at the top of your jump.
“That’s not how great shooters do it,” he says. “Squaring up is appropriate for two-handed shooting.”
Swish focuses on being aware of how each player’s body is most comfortable shooting the ball, instead of forcing a specific style that might not be as fluid.
Nordland trademarked Swish last year and has produced DVDs and a workbook for players to learn the technique. He says players of all ages can use it, because the shooter uses large muscles for power, rather than small muscles.
Nordland is already widely recognized as an authority on shooting, but he hopes to teach his technique to college and NBA players and coaches in the near future.
“No other shooting coach has this kind of response,” he said. “Let your experience be the teacher, not the coach.”
Nordland still has occasional clinics in Boulder Creek, as well. For information: www.swish22.com or 338-4647.
