How to improve my game?

[FourTouchCombination]

Okay guys (and possibly, girls) here's my problem. I want to improve my basketball game, but I can't. Simply (and in all modesty, this is true) I am the best player for miles around.

So, first, a little background. I live in a small rural town in Australia, my school is full of nothing, but Australian Rules footballers. Infact, my schools football teams (both junior and senior) have won the state footy finals for the past 5 years in a row. I on the otherhand, was born and bred a basketballer- therefore, winning games wasn't a question of talent, but of athleticism (sp?)- so in order to beat the hulking footballers in my own game, I worked a fitness program for 36 months (the past 3 years).

Now I can jump higher, run faster and longer and am strong enough to push of all the other guys I play against, but there's no way to improve on my technique. There's no basketball coaches or anything, I just have to rely on watching NBA games and doing single-person drills on my driveway.

I know alot of this sounds really arrogant and stuck up, so i'm sorry if I come across as a bit of a prat. Do any of you guys have ideas on how to improve my game without havign to resort to travelling 3 hours to play in a decent competition?

[camelfarmer]

Haha you live in a sucky aussie village you oompa loompa.

(I dont know much about basket ball, my school pwns at it and I dont play it).

[Kurrpt]

practice the defence. basketball is all about the D baby. Watch some pro games in slow mo. Watch how good people play D.

[FourTouchCombination]

Okay, thanks Kurr +rep.

AND to camelfarmer...

Oompa loompa :upset:

[InveterateEquilibrium]

Just practice and shoot around. Work on your FT%... that's the one thing that doesn't change in a game situation.

/knows the advice is lousy, but it's not like you can ask for pick-up games with kids who suck, or else you won't get any practice in

[looozer]

Practice shooting all the time. If you can develop a good pull-up midrange jumper, you can beat pretty much anyway. It's nice to have three point range, but you can shoot the J more often and more accurately, so you might as well work with that to start. Try to develop a quick release, but focus on form first. toss a ball in front of you, catch it as you square your feet and bend your knees, and then uncoil upwards, jump, and release it from in front of you, above head height. If it looks good, it probably is good. Shoot free throws when you're really tired. Perhaps you should run or something first so that you have to catch your breath at the line. Hitting in the clutch is crucial, and you're going to be tired then.

Defense is all about physical skills. If you're quick, you can defend anyone. Just move your feet to cut off penetration. NEVER give the baseline. If you foul, make sure they don't score. Either let someone waltz in to the basket, or give a hard foul that will make them shoot two and reconsider whether they should drive. Don't go, thinking you will get a block and getting hand, but no ball. If you could get called for a body foul, just play it safe and foul the **** out of them.

Play lots of pickup games. 5 on 5 is a good way to acclimate yourself to pressure situations. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like that's possible for you. Just be comfortable playing with others on the court and making decisions.

What position(s) do you play? How tall are you? Stuff like that would help me to give you more specific advice.

[KappaKid17]

If you really want to work defensively, especially if you're playing a 1 or 2 guard, do lots of shuffling drills. Place two cones about 10 feet apart, and go back and forth. Time yourself in intervals: how many times you can touch in one minute, two, three, etc. Over time you should be going faster. I distinctly remember those drills from high school basketball.

Shooting: Place the ball in your shooting hand and take shots from various positions around the court using ONLY that one hand. Make sure your arm's bent at the elbow, forming a 90 degree angle with your forearm and bicep. Practice shooting with only that hand, you'll be able to steady the ball much easier and keep the same form when shooting regularly. It will build up your shooting arm's strength much easier. Plus, your off-hand is merely to steady the ball when shooting; practicing without it will just make you that much better.

That's all I can think of for now. Oh yeah, make sure when shooting that your releasing of the ball should be at the peak of your jump. If your jump's not that high, get some ankle weights and shoot with them on. You'll be tired as hell afterwards, but your legs will feel much, much lighter when playing at school or at the park.

[Kurrpt]

remember, shooting is a motion you want to be able to mass produce. What that means is, you need to find a comfortable shot, with good form, and be able to reproduce THAT motion, almost exactly, over and over again. Then you can nail the 'tre ball when your team needs it, and free throws will be free, hence the name

[The_Shredder]

practice the defence. basketball is all about the D baby. Watch some pro games in slow mo. Watch how good people play D.

- Hahahaha, do you even watch the NBA?! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Kurrpt]

what the hell is ur problem shredder, you prolly suck at B Ball, if you came to a court, you wouldnt be able to even make a layup

[Drumma]

if you have a b ball system at your house practice shooting from all different positions until you keep nailing them. if you dont then just practice dribbling up and down and passing the ball to the ball and catching it whilst moving. it may sound like crap advice about the dribbling it helped me. also put objects in the way and dribble around them as fast as you can. thats all i can think of at the minute

[Kurrpt]

well the thing to remember, basketball is only about 5-10% of actual shooting. Obviously thats how you "win" games. To be good, you need to play D, you need to get open, and you need to pass. If you can do all those, you really dont need to shoot. Draw the defender, pass to the open man

[Drumma]

what if the open man was you ?

[hypocracy hater]

PRACTISE

[Kurrpt]

then you drive the hole man

[looozer]

well the thing to remember, basketball is only about 5-10% of actual shooting. Obviously thats how you "win" games. To be good, you need to play D, you need to get open, and you need to pass. If you can do all those, you really dont need to shoot. Draw the defender, pass to the open man
Actually, a lot of these are dependent upon shooting as well. While playing good defense will get you higher percentage shots, it's easier to defend after a made basket than it is on a fast break (which often occurs after a miss). Likewise, passing will become easier if the defense tries to key in on one particular man. Instead of defending all players equally, they will need to leave someone open somewhere, which will allow better ball movement and better shots. You kind of described a point guard mentality, but most point guards are excellent shooters themselves... how else would they draw the defensive attention necessary to create passing lanes?

Out of the skills, I would say that defense and ballhandling are the most important ones to have. If you can defend, then your presence will be appreciated even if you can't shoot well. If you can't ballhandle, you're completely useless on offense, and are probably more valuable off the court (I used to be this way all the time haha). And yes, every team needs at least one good shooter, or else they will have trouble scoring... especially in pickup games where people are unfamiliar with each other.

[boss]

practice practice and then practice
then when youre finished you practice again

[G_Mac07]

FourTouch, I live in a small Aussie town to. If your a junior (sorry I have no idea of your age), step up and try playing Mens (A grade). That should give you at least some competition, and eventually when you have enough confidence, try for some rep teams. Rep comps really help build your game, and are a whole lot more enjoyable, as you will finally have real competition.

Rep+ to Loozer because he knows what he's talking about.

[Jom]

If you have basic fundamentals down, then you should be okay. Really stress being able to dribble with both hands, shoot lay-ups from all sides, and work on your free throws. That's the one situation in a game that will never change on you.

You can always try to build endurance and become more flexible. Do wallsits, start at 30 seconds, then put on a 45 lb weight (sorry for the lousy conversion, but I think it's a 22.4 kg weight) on your lap and wallsit. You will really strengthen your legs and as[size=2]s this way, and you will be able to have a higher vertical for rebounds and be able to post big men up. Don't back down in the post!! I love playing the post.

Also, do shuttle runs and shuffle runs. Using the width of the court, shuffle from one side to the other. Keep a good defensive position, then start putting in a weight. Hold it in front of you by your chest. Every three shuffles or so, punch the weight out and bring it back in. This builds up your chest and endurance, and you will be sharper with your passes.

Jump rope to build endurance, too... and as much as I hate them because I'm a big man, but suicides help, too...

Just shoot around, work on your range. If you have a midrange jumper from anywhere, you are lights out, man.

I hope this helps...

[dancetomdance182]

How much jump roping do you recommend.