006: Thoughts on Stephen Curry’s Pregame Warmup Routine
What can we learn from how Stephen Curry warms up?
Last season we were obsessed with Stephen Curry — and rightfully so. The shooting display he put on all season long left us in awe. Never have we witnessed the volume nor the degree of difficulty of some of the shots he put up. He shattered the record for 3-pointers made in a season with 402 (he actually broke his own record which he set the season before with 286.)
To put into perspective how great of a season he had, 402 3-pointers would be like hitting over 100 home runs in baseball (minus the steroids, obviously). That’s insane. He increased the record by over 40%! What he accomplished last year was mind boggling. We’d all be wondering if he’d break his own record again if it weren’t for Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors this summer, as Curry will likely get less touches.
It’s doesn’t come at a surprise as to why we’ve all been interested in what makes him so good. People will show up to Warriors games extra early just so they can catch a glimpse of Steph warming up. His warmups are worth the price of admission alone. Who else’s warmups garner this much attention?
I’m sure you’ve seen parts of his pregame routine on YouTube, Instagram, or Twitter. Luckily for us, there are a few videos that show his entire pregame routine, from his ball handling all the way to his famous tunnel shot.
Let’s take a look at his entire pre-game process.
0:11 Even the 2-time MVP of the league isn’t too good to start off his workout by doing some dribbling drills. More kids need to see this for what it is. You’d think that because he’s a professional that he would’ve “graduated” from these types of drills, but you don’t just become great by adding all of these advanced drills, you become great by doing the simple things over and over again.
This reminds me of a video I saw last year. When Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao were set to face off in their historic bout (that was anything but), HBO created a documentary piece that chronicled how the careers of Mayweather and Pacquiao finally crossed and what it took for the fight to finally happen. During the epilogue, the narrator Leiv Schriber, says something interesting. He says:
“All legendary fighters have the same, simple way of rising to the top: they do the same things over and over again. It’s how they cultivate their gifts. It’s how they identify purpose in such a violent craft. It’s how they tell everyone else who they are.”
Dang, HBO writers for the win.
As you can see in the video as he was saying this they were showing a montage of Mayweather and Pacquiao doing the “simple things” like hitting the speedbag or the heavy bag day after day. Here are the two greatest fighters of their era doing the same simple things they’ve been doing since they were kids.
You’re never too great to practice the simple things. It’s how you cultivate your gifts. It’s ultimately how you tell everyone who you are. And as great as they both were, they were never above practicing the fundamentals of their sport. Stephen Curry isn’t either.
0:26 Even the greats mess up from time to time.
1:08 I wonder what they’re talking about? They seem kind of annoyed. Probably the music that’s playing.
2:50 Shaun Livingston’s like, “I think I’ll just get in your guys’ way real quick.”
3:06 His shooting looks a little lazy here, but I think it’s on purpose. It seems like he’s focusing on staying loose and relaxed while at the same time getting a good feel for the ball. How relaxed you are can determine how well you play. And as we all witnessed, 2016 Regular Season Steph’s confidence was as high as you could possibly imagine. I mean who else does this?
He made Mike Breen start glitching out with that double “BANG!” When was the last time we’ve seen a player with this much confidence in his shooting abilities?
Steph’s warmups can almost seem like he’s messing around a little, but I just see it as him staying loose and relaxed.
3:28 Can’t end on a miss. Gotta see the ball go through the hoop before you move on. Real hoopers know.
3:36 Again, another crazy looking shot (a lefty, flick-the-wrist floater/jumpshot from the foul line), I think, to keep him loose. I can’t wait until we actually see this in-game.
5:32 Steph is definitely a ball watcher when he shoots. How many of us were taught to never do that? I think Steph proves that it’s not only okay to watch the ball, but that you should watch the ball — heck it should probably even be a fundamental of shooting! Most of the great shooters watch the ball, even though they were probably taught not to.
I remember reading an article right before the 2004 Draft. It was about Sebastian Telfair and him making the jump from High School straight to the NBA. Part of the article documented a pre-draft workout between Telfair and then Saint Joseph’s Senior Jameer Nelson. The article pointed out, and I can’t remember if it was the people conducting the workout or if it was the writer of the piece, that they noticed Nelson watched the ball while he shot and Telfair didn’t. The article more-or-less praised Telfair for not doing so. They saw it as this young high school kid being more fundamentally sound than the four year college senior.
We all know now how both of their careers turned out. Telfair bounced around the league almost from the get go, while Nelson spent his first ten years as a key member of a pretty good Orlando Magic team. I’m not saying this fact alone determined how their careers played out, but it does go to show that sometimes the fundamentals aren’t really fundamentals.
6:39 Notice how his feet are slightly turned when he shoots (I talked about this in issue #002: The Joshua Tree Epiphany as well) and how his shooting shoulder, elbow, and hip are aligned with the middle of the basket. This too goes against what we’re taught growing up — that we need to “square up” to the basket.
9:45 The famous shots-from-the-logo. If you watch the video, be sure to notice the oohs and aahs from the crowd.
11:30 Whaaaat? Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter on the planet, missed 6 shots in a row? I guess he is human. Actually he ended up with 39 points that night on 13–21 shooting including 9–13 from 3. #FireEmoji
So to all you kids reading, this just goes to show that you can struggle in warmups and still have a great game. It’s more about how much you practice and what you do in the offseason that will show up in games, not necessarily how good of a warmup you get in.
13:07 A volleyball pass, nice. My wife would appreciate that.
17:00 It looks to me like he lines up with his feet splitting the nail on the foul line. Some guys line up with their right foot in line with the nail (if they’re right handed), others, like Curry, split it.
Steph’s routine is one dribble and shoot. Nice and simple.
17:38 Notice how he measures where to put his feet. It looks like he touches the nail with his right foot and then slightly moves it over. All part of his routine.
20:03 His also famous tunnel shot. Just before the Finals Curry revealed that the origin of his pregame tunnel shot actually came from a bet with one of the Warriors’ personnel. So we all have a good old fashioned bet to thank for this.
Off to the Locker Room
Well, there you have it. That’s Steph’s entire 20-minute routine summed up in a bunch of gifs. I think it’s great that he takes a relaxed and light-hearted approach to his warmup process. Playing at the highest level can no doubt be stressful at times. The more relaxed you are the better you perform.
I’m all for trying new or difficult things especially in practice or while scrimmaging. I believe that when you expand the number of things you’re willing to experiment with, the better off you are. It’s how you learn new things and come up with new moves. The evolution of the game happens in practice. It’s how we build upon the fundamentals of the game. And if this is how Steph warms up, I’d like see how he practices.
My name is scott smoker and I write weekly articles covering the topics of art, culture, and life as they relate to the game of basketball. You can learn more at roundballsupply.co where this article originally appeared. Did you find this valuable? If so, would you mind sharing it with others? I would appreciate it!
