Basketball Training 101
Basketball training is an important part of your growth as a player. If you don’t put the time and effort to train, you will never improve your skills. Regularly run drills to practice shooting the basketball, dribbling, passing, and making the right defensive maneuvers. In time, all of this practice will pay off and you will see a major difference in how you play even when you are facing your toughest opponent. Here is a closer look at how you can start some basic basketball training techniques at home by working on these essential skills.
Shooting a basketball
It doesn’t seem like shooting a basketball would be all that difficult when you are watching from the sidelines, but it actually requires quite a bit of skill to make sure the ball actually goes through the basket. When you throw in the fact that you might be shooting while you are moving and you could be shooting from dozens of different positions and distances all over the court, it actually becomes a really challenging feat.
A good place to start is by practicing free throws. Stand at the free throw line and get in the proper position. Make sure your legs are shoulder width apart, your dominant hand is gripping the ball properly, and your knees are bent. Then take your shot. Do this over and over and over until you find the “sweet spot”. Once you know how it feels to master the shot from the free throw line, you can try to replicate the same stance in other positions on the court while tweaking the power you exert to give your more distance.
Steph Curry, one of NBA’s greats has great shooting form. Check out this video of how he shoots the ball.
Defensive techniques for basketball
Defensive techniques can get pretty complicated, but a beginner can start by running drills to promote balance and agility. Find a teammate to practice with and ask them to take control of the ball so you can work on your defensive maneuvers. Practice finding a position where your hands are above or below the ball. Find ways to use your hands to block shots and passes. By making the right moves and counter moves, your ultimate goal is to keep the ball away from your opponent at all costs.
Michael Jordan, one of the best if not the best player to play the game was mainly known for his scoring. However, people underestimated his defense as well. If you want to learn how to play defense, then start watching clips of Jordan.
Dribbling skills
Dribbling is more than just bouncing a ball around haphazardly. You have to use the proper stance, grip, and pressure to dribble effectively so that the ball isn’t stolen from other players. You can work on basketball training by dribbling one hand at a time. Try to dribble a basketball constantly while you do routine tasks just to get more comfortable with handling it.
Tim Hardaway, another NBA legend was one of the best at the crossovers!
Passing the rock
Last but not least, you should work routinely on passing. This is a basketball skill that can make or break you as a player. Practice chest passes, bounce passes, and more advanced passing maneuvers with a friend. The more you practice a passing technique, the more natural it will feel during a game.
Once you get the fundamentals down of passing the ball, then you can start adding some flashy moves like retired NBA player, Jason Williams.
Basketball training can be a lot of fun and it will help you become a better player. Take time to practice each day and focus specifically on shooting, passing, dribbling, and defense and before long you will see a major difference in your performance on game days.