From working on ball control to building endurance, there are many ways to improve your basketball skills.
Whether you are a novice or the best player on your team, you can always improve your performance on the court. Thankfully, improving your basketball skills might be easier than you think, and no matter what position you play, the strategies for improving your skills are the same.
How to be a good basketball player
While playing basketball requires natural skills, practicing daily will help you up your skill. Even professional basketball players have to practice every day. Here are tips to help you improve your performance on the court:
1. Master ball handling skills
The ability to handle the ball is arguably the most important skill in basketball. As such, developing strong basketball dribbling skills is the first step to becoming a pro basketball player.
When it comes to improving the handling of the ball, you need to learn the correct dribbling posture and keep on practicing. For the most part, the right dribbling posture means staying balanced — keeping your body static and in an athletic position. To get better, practice circle and figure 8 dribbles while maintaining a bounce height between knee and hip. If you practice a lot, you won’t have to think too hard about dribbling.
Further, not that the more power you put behind each dribble when training basketball, the more control you have over the ball.
2. Get in good shape
Basketball is a physically challenging sport, so you need to build endurance to play an entire game. This is vitally important, considering that you can’t use your skills best if you struggle to keep up after, say, 5 minutes of play. To improve your stamina and build endurance, go on light runs, hit the gym, and perform wind sprint drills daily before basketball training. For beginners, search for basketball training near me, and your coach will give you more handy tips during the handball lessons.
3. Improve game speed
If you train alone, it can possibly be challenging to maintain good form during a real game, depending on how you train. For this reason, when training basketball, try to mimic the pace of a real game by acting as if several defenders are around. This will go a long way to helping you master a good game speed. It will help you improve your dribbling and scoring skills, even with the intense pressure from cheering fans and real defenders on the field. Otherwise, you might be performing very well during practice but end up failing in the actual game because of bad speed.
4. Practice how to create space from defenders
When practicing, have some of your teammates act as defenders to help you improve your striking skills. Normally, a good sticker will force defenders to make a decision and then counter that decision, which is easier if there is enough space between the player and the defenders. When playing, pay close attention to the defender’s feet and hands to create a better opportunity to bypass them with the ball in your hands. Use your shoulders to create space between the defender and the ball.
5. Identify and work on improving your weak spots
To improve your ball-handling techniques, you need to identify your weak areas and work tirelessly on improving them. For instance, if you are weak at a free throw, dedicate more time to practice improving free throws. Also, practice dribbling with your non-dominant hand. Typically, to become an elite player, you need to identify and rectify all your gaming flaws.
Final thoughts
Whether it is mastering ball handling, improving your speed, increasing your stamina, or boosting mental toughness, there is always room for improving your basketball skills. The best way to improve as a basketball player is to love playing and refine your skills. If you practice alone, it might be worth joining a club or basketball academy near you, and coaches will point you in the right direction.
