How can you improve your skills in basketball? Here are 6 keys to improving in basketball, whether you’re an individual player or part of a team.
1) Improve Scoring
Improving your scoring will do a lot for your game. The more points you score, the more likely you are to win a game, and the better chance you have of beating the opposing team. However, in order to be effective at scoring consistently, you need to learn how to handle the ball properly and know how best to put it in the basket. Shoot left-handed if that’s comfortable for you; practice shooting while dribbling with either hand; and don’t forget those layups! Just make sure that every time you shoot, whether it’s during practice or a game, you give it your all—because often times what happens on the court is less important than how hard you work off of it.
2) Improve Shooting
When you can’t knock down shots, your defense is going to suffer. That’s because if you’re missing, your defender will have more opportunities to help, which means his teammates will be able to rotate as well. You also won’t be able to shoot over a bigger defender that would otherwise be tied up on a less accurate shooter. And shots you do make won’t drop if your shooting is bad enough that teams are able to focus on stopping it. Improve Shooting Tip: Make sure every shot you take falls no matter what. Hit all of your set shots (free throws excluded) and practice them with good mechanics until they become muscle memory.
3) Improve Defense
One of the best ways to improve your defense is by locking down the best scorers on the opposite team. If you’re playing with a competitive team, lock down your man early and often; better yet, use ball denial and help on shot attempts. If you have the opportunity to get a charge or force a foul or turnover, do it—anything that helps your team win will make you look good. Don’t let up on defense until the final buzzer sounds!
4) Master Footwork
Having a strong solid Base will help you naturally move on the basketball court. After you have learned how to dribble, the next thing you should focus on is Footwork and footwork can be broken down into three parts: Moving laterally (side-to-side), moving laterally while protecting the ball, and pushing off when taking off or getting a burst of speed. The last step is pushing off while changing direction or stopping quickly. The best way to get good at footwork is by practicing it and putting it into action against another player! Moving laterally- Side Step and Cross Over: Learning how to cross over is the key for quick cuts.
5) Take Advantage of Strength Training
In the first couple of seasons, it’s easy to rely on your natural athleticism to get you by, but as you reach the higher levels of basketball competition, strength training becomes a bigger and bigger part of the equation. This is especially true in the off-season, when you have time to put in extra work in the weight room. For example, Olympic lifters focus their attention on two primary lifts: The snatch and clean & jerk. Both involve explosive movement from starting position all the way through extension of the arms at the top of each lift—which is an area where most athletes are notoriously weak! In short, strength training is incredibly important for improving your game; it’s essential that your program includes resistance exercises targeting these specific movements.
6) Be Constantly Analytical
If you really want to improve, then you have to be constantly analytical. This means watching film, reviewing your game and recording it, studying your weaknesses, keeping a journal of your workouts and so on. One way you can do that is by playing against people who are better than you, as long as they’re willing of course! If not, there are plenty of other ways for you to get practice against competition outside of a league or organized team – play pickup games at your local gym or basketball court when everyone else leaves. You’ll often find that these games are far more competitive than what you’re used to – don’t worry though! They usually aren’t meant for an organized sport setting.
If you want to level up your shooting accuracy, we got you. We created the 6ixShooter Academy. A one-stop basketball training program to help elevate your game and become an unstoppable shooter with coach Seth McCoy a.k.a 6ixShooter. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
If you want to level up your shooting accuracy, we got you. We created the 6ixShooter Academy. A one-stop basketball training program to help elevate your game and become an unstoppable shooter with coach Seth McCoy a.k.a 6ixShooter. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
