"Chicken wing" is what coaches call it when your shooting elbow sticks out to the side instead of staying under the ball. From the front it looks like a wing pointing away from your body. It is one of the most common form problems in young players, and one of the most fixable.
This article goes deeper on one specific part of elbow alignment: what to do when the elbow flares out and will not stay in.
Why a chicken wing costs you shots
When your elbow points out, your forearm is no longer pointing at the rim. The ball leaves your hand on a slight angle, and your wrist and fingers have to correct it at the last moment. Sometimes they do. Often they do not.
- Left and right misses. The ball is pushed across your body or away from it.
- Side spin. Instead of clean backspin, the ball wobbles or spins sideways.
- Inconsistency. The amount of flare changes from shot to shot, so your misses change too.
- Less power. Force from the legs goes partly sideways instead of all toward the rim.
Is a little flare okay?
Yes, a small amount is normal. Very few shooters have a perfectly vertical arm, because shoulders and arms are built differently. What matters is that your forearm points toward the rim at release and that the flare is the same every time. A big, changing flare is the problem.
Why your elbow flares
| Cause | How to recognise it | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Ball in the middle of your body | Set point is in front of your nose or chest center | Move the ball slightly to your shooting side |
| Hand on the side of the ball | Fingers point to the side, not up | Shooting hand behind the ball, fingers up |
| Feet and hips square but shoulder tight | Elbow pops out at the top | Turn your feet and hips slightly toward your shooting side |
| Guide hand too strong | Guide thumb pushes, elbow swings out | Guide hand on the side, still at release |
| Shooting from too far | Flare only appears on long shots | Move in, build range slowly |
| Weak wrist or forearm | Elbow drifts when tired | Strength work and more close reps |
5 drills to fix the chicken wing
1. Wall elbow drill (5 min)
Stand with your shooting side close to a wall, your elbow almost touching it. Go through your shooting motion slowly. If your elbow hits the wall, it is flaring. Then do it with a ball and shoot gently up the wall.
2. Line shooting (10 min)
Stand on a line on the court that points at the rim, with your shooting foot on it. Shoot one-handed from close range and watch the ball. It should travel straight along the line and come back along it after the make.
3. One-hand form shots (10 min)
Shooting hand only, one or two steps from the rim. Wrist cocked back, elbow under the ball, finish with your hand pointing at the rim. One hand removes the guide hand as an excuse.
4. Set point check in a mirror (5 min)
Stand in front of a mirror and hold the ball at your set point. Your elbow should be roughly under your wrist and your forearm close to vertical from the front. Adjust, then repeat until it feels normal.
5. Backspin check (5 min)
Shoot straight up and watch the spin. Clean backspin means your arm is aligned. Side spin means the elbow, the hand or the guide hand is pushing sideways.
Fix it in the right order
- Fix hand position first. If your hand is on the side of the ball, your elbow follows it out.
- Then the set point. Ball slightly to your shooting side, not centred in front of your face.
- Then the feet and hips. A small turn toward your shooting side can give your elbow room.
- Then the guide hand. It should sit on the side of the ball and come off without pushing.
- Finally, distance. Move back only when the elbow stays in on video.
Check from the front, not just the side
Elbow flare is much easier to see from the front, while knee bend and extension are easier to see from the side, so film both angles. HoopArea scores each shot out of 10 and tracks arm alignment along with elbow extension, knee bend and wrist snap, so you can see whether the flare is getting smaller over time instead of guessing. Every shot is saved, and Pro adds a 4-week plan built from your own numbers and an AI chat coach you can ask about your results.
See your own shot scored. Film one jump shot from the side and HoopArea maps your joints and scores your form out of 10, with the exact fixes. Download HoopArea free on the App Store