How to Be a Great Basketball Player
- 1). Go and practice your dribbling
Here's a great way to become a great dribbler. Pistol Pete, arguably the games greatest ball handler ever. Get his dribbling skills tapes. Some of it is difficult, other parts are easy. This is one of the basic ways to learning to become a better player, is being able to dribble the ball anywhere you want. Doesn't matter what size you are, becoming a better ball handler is key. Here's where you can purchase the video. http://www.hoopskills.com/dribbling/ppdribbling.html - 2). Find out your strengths and make use of it.
What are you good at, specifically? Are you big, strong, fast? For instance, if you're a big guy, develop moves around the basket. Learn to play with your back to the basket. http://www.degerstrom.com/basketball/drills/bigman/page/2/ If you're quick, learn to get to the basket. Attack the defender at it's chest, work on ball handling skills from step one. Learn to finish with both hands. Every day, work on attacking the basket with both hands, and finish off the backboard. Get to the point where you feel can make lay ups without even looking at the hoop. Always know where the basket is, even when you don't see it. Memorize the height and distance. - 3). Go and practice your shooting.
Being a good shooter is important and helps quite a bit. Become a good foul shooter. If are a good foul shooter, and can get to the basket a lot, you'll score a lot of points. I won't go into a large specifics, but I'll post a link to another article I wrote on shooting. http://www.ehow.com/how_4888978_shoot-a-basketball.html - 4). Go work on your rebounding.
Box your man out, put a body on him. Learn where the ball bounces off the basketball hoop. If the guy shoots to the right side, chances are the ball will bounce off the left side. If they shoot to the right, the ball will probably bounce off to the left side. If they shoot the ball and it's short, it has a great chance of shooting right back to where they were shooting. Practice throwing the ball up around your basket, to learn where the ball bounces. Work on your timing to the ball. It's not how high you jump, it's getting the timing to the ball down pat. - 5). Go work on your defense.
Defense is important, because that's how you win. That's how you become better overall. Learn to get your hands in passing lanes, without reaching in and fouling. First off, practice moving your feet side-to-side. Extend your arms out, bend your butt. Don't reach in for the basketball, that's just a stupid way to get fouls called. Learn your opponent. Does he or she go left, or right. If they go left, cheat a step to their left and force them right. Is he or she a good shooter, but slow? Crowd them and force them to not shoot the ball. Is he or she quick? Then back up an extra step or two and force them to shoot the ball. Never try to block a shot, when a player is shooting. Extend your arm up and make him or her shoot over you, especially if you're bigger. If you aren't that big, then put your hand in their face, and block their view. Be careful you don't foul here, and don't just keep your hand there. If the player is smart, he'll jump into that extended hand and get a foul called. When defending players close to the basket, keep your arms up to contest the shot, instead of reaching out and getting fouls called against you. - 6). Go and learn to depend pick-and-rolls.
A pick-and-roll is when the player dribbles the ball, receives a pick from a teammate, on the player that is guarding them. Then the player with the ball cuts to the hoop, while the guy who set the pick cuts to the other side to the basket, or pops out from an open jumper. This is an easy way to generate points for themselves, or a teammate. Here's how you defend the pick and roll. When you see that the screen is coming, NEVER ever go over the top of the pick. That is what the offensive player wants. Go under it, that way you can still cut the guy off going to the hoop, who has the ball in his hands. - 7). Run and lift weights.
Run a few miles each day. Get yourself into proper basketball shape. Basketball is very physically demanding. You need to be in great shape. You need to build proper strength and have the longevity to play. Run track and get into a weight program. - 8). Watch basketball.
Learn and watch the way Kobe Bryant shoots and study it. Watch the way Tim Duncan moves his feet in the post. Watch and learn the way Chris Paul plays the pick-and-roll, and sets ups his teammates. Watch the way Dwight Howard reads how the ball bounces off the basket to grab the board. - 9). Make sure you see the floor with clarity.
This is for point guards. Be a leader. Learn your teammates and the offensive sets. Learn where teammates want the basketball, what their strengths are. Recognize defensive mismatches. If there's a guy who is smaller guarding a teammate, then get him the ball. Learn how to be a good bounce passer. When running the pick and roll with a player, use the bounce pass to avoid turnovers. http://www.pointguardtips.com/ - 10
Go to basketball camps.
This is a great way to learn how to play from experts. Sometimes they even have professional basketball players who stop in to give some tips. You'll play against other good players to help learn more and develop your skills as well. Don't be afraid to ask someone what they think you need to work on and ask their advice. - 11
Go and work on your passing
Become a better passer. You can't score the basketball anytime you want, so develop your passing skills. Get an old tire, tie it to a tree branch. Practice passing the basketball into the tire, for better accuracy. Have a friend swing the tire and practice passing into it while it's moving. Especially noted for point guards to work on this. It's something everyone should do. If you become a great passer, you'll become a better overall player.