subject: Becoming A Better Basketball Player [print this page] If you want to be the best basketball player in your league, school, or the gym you play at, it takes a lot of hard work. To be the best, you have to train hard, practice with perfection, and play strong every time you go out on the court.
Basketball skills like shooting, ball handling, rebounding, stealing the ball, setting picks and screens, defense, boxing out, passing, blocking shots, moving without the ball, and foot-work are going to be your foundation. As you develop these talents, you will impress others with your abilities.
Now, if you want to get to the next level of competition, you must perfect your basketball skills and practice drills like you were playing in a game. Don't ever get sloppy in your training or practice - it is better to have quality practice time than sloppy quantity practice.
There are many things you can do to make your basketball game better. Here are a few great practice tips to make you the best you can become:
1. One-Spot Shooting - Shot continuously from one spot on the court until you hit at least 90% of your shots, then move to a new spot and repeat - eventually you will be able to hit shots with incredible accuracy from anywhere on the court. Practice jump shots, lay-ups, hook shots, fade away jumpers, and standing shots with each hand, and practice dribbling before the shot, fake before the shot - basically shoot as if you were in a real game and had a defender in your face.
2. One-hand Dribbling - use one hand to dribble with, go through your legs, around and behind your back, over your shoulder, back and forth, side-to-side, with high powerful bounces, and with low fast bounces. Do this with one hand at a time, going faster every time through.
3. Plyometrics - You must be able to jump to be competitive in basketball - you will most likely get a lot of jumping practice while playing, but to really unleash you full potential do some plyometrics. Try repetitive jumping from one spot bend down to your jumping angle and explode back up as high as you can, stay on the ground for only enough time for you to gather enough energy to jump as high as you can again.
4. Squats and Leg Presses - You need major strength in your legs if you want to jump higher, hold the post, set better picks and screens. So you will need to be able to lift 2-3 times your body weight for squats and at least double that for your leg press - and though this will be painful, you will gain tremendous strength, which will elevate your game quickly.
5. Upper Body Press and Pulls - Don't forget about your upper-body - fast hands means better dribbling, more steals and blocked shots, and a quick release shot. To increase your hand speed do push-ups, chin-ups are excellent for hand speed, shoulder presses, handstands, and shadow boxing.
6. Sprints - The best way to Increase HGH (Human Growth Hormone) is by running 5-10 second sprints. Sprints or any intense exercise will increase your HGH by as much as 300% for a few hours - what this means is that you will get faster, stronger, bigger muscles to take your basketball skills to the next level.
The important thing is to continue practicing and working throughout your entire basketball career. If you stop, your skills will decline rapidly, wasting all the effort you have put into this amazing sport.
Even the professional athletes practice every day of every week, striving to be the best. They will never stop because they know that if they do, other players will pass them by.
Now go practice your skills with perfection and build you speed, and strength. You are well on your way to dominating in your league or local gym.
