Improving Basketball Skills...

Well, I always hear that the good/great players can dribble both lefty and righty at just about the same skill level so I figure to improve my game I should practice on my left-handed dribbling since I need a good left-hand to play basketball this year (I'm a freshman). I rather use my right hand because I don't really feel comfortable using my left on a regular basis, at all. I'm always scared I'll turn it over when I use my left hand and because I'm not confident using that hand, I do mess up. I also have some trouble dribbling in traffic, often scared that all the hands around me will come up with the ball. Are there any good tips/drills (which you can explain well) which could help me improve?

I love the game of basketball and when watching people play (from the NBA to College to High School), I know what to do, what he/she should do but when I get in the game, I feel like I've lost all basketball intelligence I've ever had. Perhaps I'm scared I'll mess up but I don't know. I'm going to have to be smart since I'm playing in Open Runs at our gym against Varsity-level players to 20 year old and I'm only a 5"5', 13-year-old freshman. Again, any help would be appreciated.

I have this one flaw in shooting that people tell me screws up my shot. Instead of getting in my shooting stance and aligning my shot with the basket, I align my shot before getting into my shooting stance. People I've talked to say that I'm rushing my shot but I feel that if I do it any other way then what I currently do, I'll take too much time and the defender will get closer. Am I thinking correctly or stupidly?

I appreciate any help, at all. Thanks a lot.

dude you sound like you are thinking too much. Its not that it is right or wrong you just need to stop thinking soo much. When I play I let the game come to me I do not over think what I am going to do now or next. You have to calm down when you play. About your shot practice makes perfect. You need to shoot and shoot and then shoot some more and it will become almost a habbit to shoot the ball the way you practice. About the dribbling you can do what magic did and walk to the stor dribbling your ball in your left hand all the way there and back. You have to get used to the ball in that hand and then you will be more comfortable using your left in games. It all comes down to repetion with things like this. The confidence will come when you are more comfortable. Keep it up and good luck.

Yeah, when I go out there and play, I don't think about nothing. I play to have a good time just not to get better. When playing to have fun, I do get better.

Right now, my feet, back, you name it, is messed up. My back is messed up from dunking to much and same with my feet

Can't wait for the basketball season this year because I think we are going to be the state champions!

yup just like afro guy said you're thinkin too much.. basketball shouldn't make you nervous, you should just enjoy it and let the game come to you. if you fear turning the ball over, work on your ball handling skills a little more (go to www.hoopsking.com , good drills there) as far as your shooting goes, i know what it feels like when people tell you HOW to shoot.. whenever i try something new, i shoot bricks.. i've been sticking w/ my shot for years, it's not fundamentally sound but i've been working on it so much its pretty much my weapon now. if you want to improve your shoot even more, shoot as if you're in game. run/spot up/shoot .. that's what i did.. that's pretty much what i can tell you to do on the court. off the court you gotta build up your strength, it works wonders (especially your arms). i never saw what the big deal was hitting the weights but i did it last year and it helped my shot.. improved my range a great deal. if you play in the post somewhat, work on your legs and upper body so you can be a better defender and you won't get manhandled.. hope this helped

*edit* fixed it, stupid comma was part of the link

Last edited by j.23 on Sun Sep 26, 2004 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

yup just like afro guy said you're thinkin too much.. basketball shouldn't make you nervous, you should just enjoy it and let the game come to you. if you fear turning the ball over, work on your ball handling skills a little more (go to www.hoopsking.com, good drills there) as far as your shooting goes, i know what it feels like when people tell you HOW to shoot.. whenever i try something new, i shoot bricks.. i've been sticking w/ my shot for years, it's not fundamentally sound but i've been working on it so much its pretty much my weapon now. if you want to improve your shoot even more, shoot as if you're in game. run/spot up/shoot .. that's what i did.. that's pretty much what i can tell you to do on the court. off the court you gotta build up your strength, it works wonders (especially your arms). i never saw what the big deal was hitting the weights but i did it last year and it helped my shot.. improved my range a great deal. if you play in the post somewhat, work on your legs and upper body so you can be a better defender and you won't get manhandled.. hope this helped

Thats prolly one of the biggest things to do with basketball, and that is the form that you have when shooting. I personally think that there is no proper form, its what feels comfortable to you. I remember all throughout elimentary the gym teachers were saying shoot this way or shoot that way, and I found with just about everybody, that everyone has their own uniqueness when it comes to their form. Me personally, I can shoot with many different forms due to me taking up a players form for a while and then going back to my original. I think that teachers should stp telling kids how to shoot in terms of form, and just tell them things like squaring their shoulders, flicking their wrists and so fourth and so on.

*edit - hey tombz that link doesnt work buddy.

You know what, I used to be the same way. Off the court, just watching games, I can see all the angles, all the passes, looks, whatever. But playing, sometimes I just freeze up and make stupid plays. It's like I've never played basketball before.

Really, the most important thing is having confidence. You have to understand that you are either the best player on the court, or even if you're not, you still have to do your job, and that you can do your job. Mentally getting prepared before the game helps a lot. Just think about what you need to do. For example, if you're a 13 year old playing against 20 year olds, then you have to understand that you won't be the best player out there, and that you might as well be the worst player out there. So think about what you can do to help the team. Maybe one game really focusing on moving without the ball. Maybe another game focus hard on defense. Then looking for teammates. Shooting. Whatever. The point is, you can't rush it. You just stick to the things you do well, and build your confidence.

While I know that the only way to improve yourself is playing against the hardest competition you can find, sometimes, it's not the best way. Maybe you can look for competition at your own age group. There's going to be a difference, no matter how good you are, if you're thirteen and the other guys are twenty. In your own competition level, then you can practice the things that you think about when you're watching basketball. You can build up your confidence that way. And when you're ready to move up, then move up. I know it sounds like taking a step back, but (and this is important), sometimes you have to take a step back, and you have to start from the beginning if you really want to get better.

But the most effective way to improve your skills is practicing on you own. And practicing hard on your own. There's not much I can tell you here that you can't find on a good basketball website, but I can tell you one thing.

There is a right way to shoot. While the shooting styles may change from player to player, the basic mechanics are the same. And you have to recognize, whether the problem you have is just lack of practice, or actual misunderstanding of the fundamental principles of shooting.

And to do that, you have to be willing to start from the very beginning.

1. Plant your feet first. You need a base, and you need to get squared before you can do anything. Feet shoulder-width apart, with your shooting foot (the same side as your shooting hand) half a step ahead of the other.

2. Bend your knees. Most of your power for your shot comes from your legs. So sit into your shot--literally, crouch down like you're sitting into a chair.

3. Tuck your elbows and line up your shooting arm to your shooting leg. Hold the ball just above your shooting eye, so it doesn't block your vision. Line up your forearm, elbow, shooting leg to an imaginary line dropping straight down from the basket.

4. Aim for the back of the rim. And don't ever take your eyes off of it, even for a second. As soon as you get into your shooting stance, there's no one on the court but you and the basket.

5. When you jump, jump straight up, and extend everything. Flick your wrist down, toward the basket, like you're reaching into a cookie jar. Make sure everything's square to the basket. Make sure your arm extends fully.

6. Hold the follow through until the ball drops through and hits the ground.

Start slow. Start close to the basket, just focusing on bending your knees and lining up your shot. Don't worry about jumping just yet. Just start slow and keep shooting until the new form feels comfortable to you. Don't even move out further than five feet from the basket until you can make at least 20 or 30 in a row from close in.

Then slowly work your way out, concentrating on your form and technique. You won't make a lot of shots. You won't. Not yet. But keep working and working. Eventually the shots will fall, and you'll be a better shooter for it.

Believe me, it'll be frustrating, and it will be very slow in improving. But I didn't have a consistent jumpshot until I was like 18 and I'd been playing for about 9 years. I never put in the time to improve my shot. But over the summer, I got myself in a gym and broke my shot down completely. I shoot completely differently now, it's amazing. But it works. I'm one of the better shooters among my peers.

I mean, if that sounds like too much work, then fine, whatever. You can keep doing what you're doing, and I'll guarantee you, you won't get a whole lot better. You improve the technique, and you improve the performance. Always. You have to have the discipline of the mind to be willing to lock yourself in a gym and make 300 jumpshots before going home. It's not the only way to improve. But it's the best way.

All the best,

Eugene

When I was 12 I got picked by mistake for an Under 18's rep team... well I say mistake, they thought I was 17 not 12... anyway... that season I only averaged like 3ppg and 5rpg, and was the youngest player in the entire competition by 5 years but the best experience I got was that I've never been intimidated on the court ever since. Just because once you've played against people who are so much better than you in every way, you drop back down to your own skill range and things just seem so much easier.

Again in England i tried out for a team that was just way out of my depth. Did alright in the drills but got ripped up by ex US college players and stuff in the games. So I dropped down a level and again there's just no fear. The strangest thing about confidence is that it can be built up by having it knocked down... like if someone outplays you big time in a higher division, you lose alot of confidence until you go down a division and play against someone equally as good as you.

None of that made any sense, in summary: make a habit of playing against people better than you. Training with them helps too.

playing against the best makes you the best

I used to play 1-on-1 against dudes 6yrs older than me or even more. I'd put up a fair fight but they eventually went physical and kicked my ass. When i played with ppl my age It was so much easier

yea, u really are thinkin too much, but hey thats ok, cuz i was the exactly the same 2 years ago(except the shooting part), and i still am now a little

but im left handed, and i wasnt that good with my right hand 2 years ago, but i just started dribbling with just my right hand, and now, im ampadetrix,(correct my spelling please)

but ur good though, once u startin j'ing folks, ur get some much needed confidence

^^ ambidextrous

I don't know about you, but I got to get used to people contesting my shots. I'm just not used to it, I'll be in the air and someone will put a hand up, and as a reflex I'll kind of pull the ball away, and it completely screws up my form... I have a lot of problems with creating my own shot. My dad says he used to always get blocked because he used to take little baby jumps, but now he jumps higher when he shoots and it works. I think one of the bigger things I have to do is hit the weights, so I can become tougher, and maybe even easier to handle the ball/shoot.

hitting the weightroom works, i used to work my triceps really hard the day before a game, it improves my range and it makes shooting the ball so much easier

So what muscles should I really work on? Mainly triceps? What about the biceps?

what you said about people telling you how to shoot. i would tell you to half listen to that. when they tell you to spread your fingers and snap your wrist, you should listen. when they tell you how to hold the balls and where your arms should be at all times during the shot or the form you need to use i would tell you to ignore it. i shoot kinda odd. my arms at the side of my head instead of in the front. i have been told it is awkward but i always outshoot people so i never saw the need to change to the "traditional" way. infact the way i shoot helps me incase a defender who can jump alot higher than me gets in my face cause i can instantly adjust the shot for alot more ark. it also helps me get more strength into the shot which helps me. find your form and work on that and you will get better.


for whoever said not to think so much i also say this is half true. when i play i am constantly thinking but you have to let your instincts drive your actions. in basketball you may only have a split second to do certain things and if you stop to think you blew it. same with shooting jumpers, stop or pause before the shot i bet 95% of the time you miss it. i do think that it is good to always think though. always look around and always know where the weakness is.

When I was younger, I use to think about what I would do before a game and how I would do it. Like I would be scared to do too much because I would think I would mess up. My performance wasn't as high as it is now when I did that. My dad talked to me about not thinking too hard about what to do before a game. When you get out on the court, just go out and play by the way you see things. Just follow what you see. If you see the left side open, drive to the left and go in strong. You just have to use your head and think when your on the court and you will succeed. So I'm a good player now.

That's good advice.

Yes, and now if I can just make the damn team and prove myself.

So what muscles should I really work on? Mainly triceps? What about the biceps?

i don't really worry about biceps that much.. when you're shooting all your power comes from your legs and your triceps. do tricep extensions, decline, incline and flat bench press and you should be fine.. or you can even do pushups and that'd work too.