1. Shoot, Shoot, and Then Shoot Some More
The weakest part of Michaels (Jordans) game on the offensive end was his shooting and so he obviously mastered something everyone said he couldnt doand he did by shooting and shooting and shooting and shooting consistently. This guy said what are my weaknesses and how do I make them my strengths and he did it.
-Phil Jackson, on Michael Jordans shooting success.
If I could only give basketball only one piece of advice this would be it:
Become a good shooter!
In my opinion, becoming a good shooter is the most important thing you could ever do in order to become a successful basketball player.
Every NBA super star, every great college player, every playground legendcan pretty much attribute their success to one thingtheir ability to shoot.
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Allen Iverson, Larry Bird, Lebron James, Carmello Anthony, Reggie Miller, J.J. Redick, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and virtually all the other great players, are all exceptional shooters. Sure they have great athletic ability, but so do a lot of other guys. However their ability to put the ball in the basket is what separates them from others.
Being able to shoot a basketball is almost a license to be super successful and have lots of fun playing the game of basketball.
If you want to become a better basketball player, practice your shooting. Learn how to shoot the ball correctly. Learn how to catch and release the ball with proper motion. Learn how to follow through. Learn by watching the pros and learning from coaches. I guarantee it will be the most important basketball skill you ever learn!
2. Be In Great Physical Condition
When, I work with athletes through my Maximum Results Fitness programs, I am always shocked at how out of shape most athletes are. I see so many athletes that lack the basic strength and conditioning they need in order to perform at a high level.
Basketball is all about conditioning. The better physical condition you are in, the easier it is to perform and learn the basic fundamental skills that will make you a successful player.
Many players come to me asking me for tips on how they can become a better shooter or a better ball handler, but are shocked when I tell them, that their biggest problem really lays in their lack of conditioning.
I am a firm believer that youre only going to be as good as your body will take you. I often see players with tremendous talent struggle, simply because they cant run up and down the floor without losing their breath. It doesnt matter how talented you are, if youre not in the right shape, youre going to struggle.
With many of my programs, I teach what I call the Forth Quarter Principle. That is you want to be as good at something in the forth quarter as you do from the very first play of the game. The only difference between the first play of the game and the last is the physical excursion that takes place in between.
If you want to become a great player and if you want to maximize your skill potential focuses on your conditioning. Good conditioning is a fundamental of basketball success.
3. A Little Practice Goes Along Long Way
One of the biggest misconceptions about becoming a better player is that you have to spend mega hours practicing and training. I am here to tell you that this simply isnt true.
Obviously, if you want to become better at something it helps if you practice a lot. But, many times people misplace quantity for quality. I know a lot of players are under the misconception that to get better they are going to have to practice long hours before they start to see the results they are looking for.
The truth is results will s come quickly if you prepare in the right way. Its much more important to have a consistent, high quality practice schedule or workout routine than it is to try and learn everything in one day.
Practicing only 20 minutes everyday will help you more than spending two hours once a week. With consistency, familiarity will start to develop. What you worked on yesterday will come easier tomorrow and even easier the day after that. When there is a large space between practice times or workout sessions, it is much more difficult to pick up where you left off. You often have to re-learn what you already know. This wastes valuable time, when you could be making progress.
Remember a little bit of practice today, makes success not too far away!
4. Know Your Footwork
One of the things that is really under taught and under empathized is proper footwork.
I define proper footwork as three things:
1. Being able to pivot.
2. Being able to stay on balance.
3. Being able to push off quickly (for running and jumping).
Pivoting is probably one of the most fundamental parts of the game. Being able to keep one foot planted while maneuvering with the other foot is extremely important. Being able to pivot properly will help you play all parts of the game better. The more you practice this the more it will become habit and it will help you develop a smoother flow to your game.
When pivoting it is also important to stay on balance and keep your body weight properly distributed at all times. When you combine balance with good pivoting ability you will become stronger and faster.
Good pivoting and good balance will ultimately allow you more explosive jumping ability and greater quickness. When you start to combine your pivot with good balance your footwork for skills like shooting and dribbling will become easier and help your game develop more quickly.
5. Dribble, Dribble, Dribble
The Cross-Over, Behind-The-back, Between-The Legs, all of these moves have one thing in common. They all come from mastering the dribble! If you want to become a good basketball player, then you must become a good ball handler.
Dribbling is one of the core basketball skills. It is also one of the funnest skills to practice and learn. Dribbling is also very simple to become good at it. All you have to do is start dribbling! Then Bingo in a short time you will become a much better player.
The thing I also love about dribbling is that you get to spend more time with the ball. Any activity you can do where you spend time with the ball doing multiple repetitions is going to make you a better player.
The other great thing about dribbling is that you can practice it almost anywhere. All you need to do is break out your ball and start dribbling. It only takes a few minutes a day to practice and soon you will see quick improvements in your game.
6. Finish Strong
One of the basketball mistakes I see a lot of players make is they learn to make spectacular moves, but then fail to finish the play and make the basket!
Developing moves and learning skills to get past your opponent is very important, but it doesnt do you any good if you cant make the basket at the end!
One of the main things that college and pro scouts look for is a players ability to finish the play. They know that it doesnt do any good to make a great move and then miss the basket.
To train players to become good finishers I tell them to think about any move in two parts. First is the move part where they separate themselves from the defender and then, second is the finish where they concentrate on making the basket. When practicing, its often a good idea to practice them separately first and then bring them together. For example, if you were working on a behind-the-back dribble move you would practice the behind-the-back part first. Repeating it over and over again, without shooting. Then once you got it down you would start adding the finishing part, where you start adding the shooting part. Then you can see what part you need more development on, the move or the finish.
Remember, that if you dont make the basket, it wasnt a successful move!
7. Fake Your Way To Success
Want to make your moves twice as effective?
Then add simple fakes to your game! Faking is a very powerful way to get opponents off balance before you even start your move. Lots of times a quick and simple fake is all you need to get wide open for the shoot!
The great thing about faking though, is you can use them in almost every part of the game. In shooting, you can use pump fakes. When dribbling, you can use foot fakes. When passing you can give no look passes.
I really recommend that you start trying to add as many fakes as you can to different parts of your game. Once you do you will soon realize how effective they can be. After you keep practicing them and using them when your playing they will become so natural you wont even know that you are using them!
8. Move Without The Ball
Lets face it, having the ball in your hands is fun. Its fun to catch and pass and shoot and dribble. We all like to touch the ball as much as possible, because it makes us feel that we are more involved with the game.
However, if you really want to become a better player it is very important that you learn to play without the ball. To become a complete player, this is a must.
In most games you will only have the ball in your hands about 10% of the time. That means the other 90% of the time you wont have the ball! That 90% of the time can be spent doing other important things.
Learning to play without the ball can also give you the mental edge that you need when you have the ball. Many times players get frustrated, when they havent touched the ball in awhile. Its important for you as a player to realize that it isnt how much you touch the ball what, but what you do with it when you have it. Or in most cases what you do when you DONT have the ball. Doing this will add confidence to your game and make your complete game more effective.
9. Get The Right Mentality
Having the right attitude is essential if you want to become a better basketball player. Many times players will fail to reach their goals, not because they lack the right skills, but because they lack the right attitude.
Many times things are not going to go how you would like them to go out on the basketball court. The best thing to do is not get frustrated. Instead, focus on what things you can do to have a positive result on the next play or series of plays.
One of the best examples of this is when players get fouled and it doesnt get called. They often get so focused on the fact that a foul wasnt called that they then lose their focus and start making mistakes. Then those mistakes start to lead to frustration.
Dont focus on negative things, instead immediately start to focus on a what you can do to make positive things happen. Dont worry about the foul that wasnt called or the mistake you made. Try to think about how you can get a rebound or a steal, or what you are going to do next time to make sure you get the call.
Just a slight change in your mentality can make a big difference.
10. Learn As Much As You Can
The game of basketball is a wonderful sport and becoming good at it is a lot of fun. No matter what level of play you are at, you can always become better. Thats why I encourage you to learn as much as you can about the game. Whether its watching games on TV or playing by yourself out on the playground, there is always a new move or a new technique to be discovered that will give you that extra edge.
The more you learn, the better you will get. Always have a thirst to learn more and become better. Learning is the Ultimate Success Secret.
I hope that this report has given you some valuable information that you can use to become a better player. I am sure that if you apply these tips, all your basketball dreams will come true!
Good Luck and rememberPlay with Confidence!
Mike Jensen (http://www.basketballpro.com) is the Editor and Publisher of The Basketballpro Insider. He is a recognized basketball authority and has produced several instructional videos and training programs. He is also a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and also works closely with Coaches vs. Cancer.
