Hassan Whiteside practicing blind 'judo' free throws

Sidelined with a strained right calf for the start of training camp, Hassan Whiteside is doing what any injured player would do: Work on his free throws.

The Miami Heat's breakout big man from a season ago surprised everyone with his performance, but the charity stripe proved the lone area in which he didn't take a major step forward. He hit 50 percent from the line, an important consideration given that he attempted nearly five free throws per-36 minutes.

So Whiteside - now dubbed "The Big Day Off" by teammate Chris Bosh for his absence - is putting in work on his free-throw stroke. Except Whiteside's been doing so with his eyes closed.

"That's my judo free throw," Whiteside said Sunday, before being corrected that he probably meant "Jedi" free throw.

Laugh at the practice, but eyes-closed, eyes-open is a fairly common free-throw training technique, one USA Basketball recommends to coaches. As the thinking goes, removing sight as a dominant sense can improve focus on kinetics, which can lead to sustainable improvements in mechanics.

The 7-footer, a career 55.5 percent free-throw shooter since leaving high school, averaged 11.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in 23.8 minutes, all while shooting 62.8 percent last season. If he can improve his mark at the line and stay on the floor for heavier minutes, those numbers should push even higher in 2015-16.