How ridiculous basketball trick shots

How Ridiculous uses determination to set world records and succeed on YouTube

How Ridiculous uploaded their first video in 2009. Back then, Brett Stanford, Scott Gaunson and Derek Herron just wanted to have fun attempting backyard trick shots on camera. However, since their early videos went viral, How Ridiculous has evolved into much more than a trick shot video channel. Their impressive feats, endearing friendship and unwavering perseverance now inspire people around the world.

We had the chance to chat with co-creator Brett Stanford about How Ridiculous, how they got started and what it takes to keep the channel going.

How Ridiculous
Subscribers: 6.62M
Uploads: 336
Video Views: 1,167,077,584
Channel Type: Entertainment
USER CREATED: Sep 9th, 2009

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The early days

Brett, Scott and Derek met at church and often hung out together shooting basketball in their free time. It was a natural progression to trick shots and posting videos online. In the beginning, production was simple. “We basically got a digital camera and started throwing basketballs around,” says Brett. Soon though, the guys became enamored with the challenges they were capturing on video. Brett continues, “We realized with enough attempts and perseverance, we could do some pretty cool stuff.”

From 2009 to 2015, How Ridiculous was a hobby. “We were all working and studying during that,” Brett recalls. Brett was working as a physical therapist as well as a youth pastor. It took some time before the team realized YouTube could provide a full-time salary. “There weren’t really many examples to follow of people who were doing it as their career,” Brett says about online content creation at the time.

Getting How Ridiculous off the ground

Even in those early days, the guys made efforts to get more people watching their stunts. Instead of relying on YouTube recommendations, How Ridiculous aimed to get their content embedded on news sites like ESPN and Yahoo to attract more views. As Brett tells us, “The actual idea of getting organic traffic from YouTube’s home feed was non-existent.”

In 2010, How Ridiculous did a video story with a local news crew. This video ended up getting picked up on traditional media around the world. Instead of getting views in the thousands, How Ridiculous was suddenly getting views in the hundreds of thousands. Brett cites this as one of the few key moments that spurred the crew on, encouraging them to continue with the channel. He tells us, “I supposed there was no one exact moment where we thought ‘Now we can make a career out of it.’ We just had to keep going.”

Going pro

Throughout the first six years, the guys at How Ridiculous continued to up the ante. They pursued world record trick shots and frequently saw their videos go viral, like their collaboration with Brodie Smith on an epic frisbee catch. By 2015, things were going great for the channel, but the guys were also busy — being married, working full-time and with little time to spare for this particular hobby. “We had to decide,” Brett recalls, “We either have to probably give it up, or we have to give it more time by making it our job.”

The guys decided to give it a year and see where that got them. In that year, How Ridiculous earned particular notoriety for their world record shot of a dam in Tasmania as well as their Magnus effect experiment. Fortunately, that year of dedication was enough to start earning all three of them a full-time salary. Now, Brett tells us, “It’s grown into far more than we’ve ever dreamed, but we work super hard and try to make the best content we can that stands out.”

Working toward a common goal

As rewarding as it is, it can be tough to constantly keep the content fresh. “We find that it’s the most draining part of our job, coming up with ideas, the creative component,” Brett tells us, “because it’s not like it’s something that you can just make happen.” Brett says it can be frustrating sometimes, but overall, the process of coming up with ideas as a group is absolutely necessary. “Our ideas are our currency, really,” he says. “If you can’t come up with good ideas, you don’t have anything at all.”

Fortunately, the three friends have hit on a healthy creative dynamic. “We all had, I guess, the strength of character — and the humility, I suppose — to feel like,” Brett pauses, “it’s not all about me.” He concludes, “If you can get a team that’s full of humility, it’ll go a long way towards being a healthy team.”

According to Brett, you probably couldn’t find a word that describes the team less than “ego.” Brett attributes this partially to the team’s mutual foundation in church. Brett explains, “In the Christian faith, y’know, there’s no room for ego. It’s not about you. I think that’s why in the early days we didn’t show any personality.”

Revealing the team behind How Ridiculous

On that front, this ingrained humility actually held the guys back from connecting with their fans. They had to find balance: “In reality, we learned over time that you can still remain humble but include people on the journey of what it takes to do our videos.”

As their stunts expanded in scope, the trio included more of their banter in their videos. This helped their audience get excited along with them, in turn growing their audience. As more people subscribed to their channel, the team brought in more members to help with the larger productions. Currently, the How Ridiculous channel supports six full-time employees, including the three main guys.

Brett explains, “As you grow, you’ve only so much time in the week and you need to try and find some people who can do some jobs better than you can, so you can do the things that only you can do.”

Giving back

Beyond just making an income for the production team, How Ridiculous uses their reach to support several charitable causes, including the recently trending #TeamSeas. There’s one organization in particular that Brett highlighted: “We’re really passionate about an organization called Compassion, who aim to release children from poverty. We’ve been doing a lot of advocating for them, and that was part of our passion for doing videos as well.”

How Ridiculous adapts to change

Over time, the guys have shifted from strictly trick shots to a more vlog-like approach to allow fans to enjoy more of their personality. By 2016, the guys were branching out and doing different kinds of content. Not only were they choosing to include more of themselves in their videos, but the scale of the stunts also increased massively. “Instead of bowling balls, we’ve dropped a plane. We’ve done all sorts of really absurd things that people have never seen before,” Brett says.

“As time goes on, we’re trying to be more and more creative, Brett continues. “We’re trying to invest more in our videos to do, not always bigger things, but things that are maybe more effort or have a greater production quality.” Brett gives their recently acquired Phantom high-speed camera as an example: “For us, we really saw it as an important part of taking of videos to the next level. ”

Preparing for the future

“People don’t really know what it means to become a YouTube creator or a social media creator for 20 years, 30 years, 40 years,” Brett reminds us. “Continuing to adapt is so important. You’ve gotta continue to innovate.” How Ridiculous looks for data where ever it’s available, from YouTube Analytics to polls on Instagram. They’ve recently put in specific effort toward increasing watch time. “Not trying to add filler content,” Brett assures us, “but just trying to make them better for longer.”

“Ultimately,” Brett says, “you’ve got to keep being excited about what you do, and if not, you’ve got to find some content ideas that you are excited about.” He concludes, “Do it in a way that you love it and you’d do it even if you weren’t making money.”

How Ridiculous summed up in one video

As our conversation comes to an end, Brett reflects on his favorite How Ridiculous video: “We Spent 6 Days Attempting a 200m Basketball Shot in Lesotho, Africa. ” For him, it’s a prime example of the team’s core values, both on the channel and in life: determination, dreaming big and being willing to do whatever it takes to pull off something.

“No matter what you’re doing, you gotta push yourself,” Brett says. “You’ve gotta set goals that are maybe bigger than you ever dreamed possible and work your way to it.” Brett concludes, “Hopefully, it inspires [viewers] to have a crack at something that’s really epic and go for it.” If there’s one thing we can take from watching a How Ridiculous video, it’s that ‘epic’ is a goal worth going after.

Basketball coaching hacks: how to score goals for beginners

Even if you are a novice basketball player, we will not give you a training plan, but we will tell you why the ball flies anywhere but into the ring and into your hands. It's all about technique: even with regular training and perseverance, novice adults and children often make simple mistakes. It's a shame, let's fix it. Below are 11 life hacks on how to hone your technique to increase the likelihood of a goal for your team.

Basketball Shot Rules for Beginners

1. Hands up

In pursuit of the attacker, raise your hands, even if you are standing with your back to the pass, and even more so if the ring is in front of you. Your raised hands will increase the chance of intercepting the ball from the opponent by 2 times. Don't overlook this little thing!

2. Make shield rolls

Even Tim Duncan did not neglect them! A square is drawn on the basketball backboard. If you are standing opposite the ring, then aim at the middle of the upper part of the square, if you are standing on the side, then at the corner. If you hit this square, then the ball is at 90% of cases will fall into the ring. The law of physics and no cheating!

3. Look at the ring, not at the ball

Practice driving the ball with your hand, not your eyes, develop tactile control. Your eyes should be on the hoop while dribbling and be aware of the position of your body in relation to the hoop. Then you will be able to take the correct posture, and the throw will be effective.

4. Dribble with the balls of your fingers only

The palm should not touch the ball, only the pads of the fingers. Dribbling should become familiar to you, like an extension of your hand. Then you can change its trajectory at any time and you will have more chances to score goals. Practice with the ball constantly.

5. Throw with one hand

If you throw the ball with two hands, you reduce the chance of hitting the basket. All the efforts of the throw are in one hand (in the right for right-handers, in the left for left-handers). The other hand only holds the ball, the leading one holds it with the fingers, not the palm.

6. Do not jump when protecting the ring

Jumping is the main mistake of rookie defenders. To intercept the ball and block the shot, simply stick out your hands. When you are in a jump, the attacker will easily bypass you.

7.

When you dribble, don't look back, but dribble and aim for the ring, focus on shooting (or passing to another player on your team).

8. Bring the throw to automatism

Incorporate the most basic basketball techniques into your training plan and bring the shot to automatism. Throw first from a distance of half a meter from the ring, gradually increasing it. Learn to throw the ball so that it hits the hoop without touching the edge.

Throw the ball with all fives and jump

Throwing Rules:

• Head in the center of the body - if tilted, accuracy is lost.
• Look at the ring: mentally build a trajectory. If you are far away, the ball flies in a curved curve with a maximum height of 2 meters above the hoop.
• A strong hand is in front and throws, a weak hand is on the side and directs, only holding the ball. The elbow of the throwing hand must be in line with the ring.
• The ball must rest on the fingers without touching the palm. The fingers are as far apart as possible and grab the ball.
• Throwing arm bent 90 degrees, forearm perpendicular to the floor. If you bend less, then you get not a throw, but a throwing of the ball horizontally.

The main thing in the throw is the position of the body and its balance. Place your feet apart and parallel to each other: it is important to orient them in the middle of the basket. Then the direction of the body during the jump will coincide with the direction of the throw, and the ball will fly straight into the ring. When the feet are uneven, the ball flies in the wrong direction or does not reach (although the throw was normal).

Take a deep breath and release as you exhale.

How to hold the ball and shoot in basketball

How to throw correctly: straighten your arm, point your wrist up, and with your hand set the ball to rotate in the opposite direction from the flight. The ball should seem to "roll" off your fingers.

9. Copy masters and play as a team

Watch professional basketball games and try to copy the movements of your favorite players in training. And be sure to conduct game sparring - this will allow you to develop more techniques.

10. Do not throw in a straight line

The higher the arc of the ball, the greater the chance of a goal and the less chance of blocking by the opponent.

11. Do not throw the ball from a full height stand

This is the biggest newbie mistake!

Before the throw, bend your knees slightly and at the moment of the throw, straighten your body, making a jump. You need to straighten up and push off the ground at the same time. When squatting, keep the elbow of the throwing arm close to the body and towards the ring.

The jump will give momentum to the ball and will allow you not to make sudden movements with the brush.

***

And to be a long-term player, do not forget about your health: take care of your joints and muscles, use tapes, do a warm-up. And be sure to strengthen your arms, legs and shoulder girdle, develop coordination. Regular exercises on uneven bars and horizontal bars will help you with this.

Teaching Basketball Tricks: Types, Techniques, Tips

In teaching basketball tricks, practice becomes the main aspect: the longer you practice a technique, the better it gets. Feints are effective techniques that are used on the court to confuse an opponent. A good reception not only hides the intentions of further actions, but also looks spectacular for the audience. Every famous basketball player has their own set of favorite false maneuvers. Even an amateur who recently picked up a ball can learn the simplest of them. This article lists the feints that you need to master first, as well as recommendations for their implementation.

Basketball feints are most often used in the moments of throws and passes, while dribbling. The most common are changes of the supporting leg and the leading hand to the opposite one, turns 180 and 360 degrees, deceptive swings. If you started playing recently, then you will have to study them first of all. It also does not hurt to study the basic principles of the game, they are presented in the material “How to learn to play basketball?”.

How to master strokes?

All techniques improve with time and practice, in this sport it is very important to train regularly without missing classes. Feints should not be underestimated as something extra. This is not just a snag, but a serious tactical decision, in order to implement it correctly, strategic thinking, lightning speed of reaction, and excellent technique will be required.

Experience plays an important role, the more often a movement is practiced, the sooner it will be brought to automatism.

Not only his statistics depend on the agility and reaction of the player, but also the success of the team for which he plays. This even affects the impression of the audience, they like to watch spectacular meetings with unexpected twists. For high-quality performance you will need:

• operational analysis of the distribution of forces at the current moment, their position relative to the basket, members of both teams;
• the correct choice of the type of reception depends on whether you have possession of the ball and how far from the ring of the other team;
• daily improve their skills, both in the gym and at home. To practice many movements, special conditions and a large amount of space are not required. It is worth doing it yourself as often as possible in order to improve your personal technique;
• to work out the actions of the limbs and head with and without a projectile, on the go and in a stationary position. Mentors advise to train the throw with the ball, and the ability to catch - without it;
• deal with the projectile bouncing off the shield. This is convenient to do with an assistant who will throw it at the shield. Your task will be to catch him in a jump and make deceptive landing maneuvers, make passes and escape from under the ring.

Universal recommendation

Tricks can be extremely simple or very complex. To fulfill each of them, these principles must be observed:

• promptness and accuracy;
• analysis of their actions. After each maneuver, you need to make sure that it was a success. If the opponent was able to resist him, then understand how he did it, what could give you away;
• with the help of tricks, you can recognize the weaknesses of opponents, this is worth using;
• you can't use the same tricks all the time, in which case the behavior will become predictable. It is necessary to combine different actions, choosing the most effective sets depending on the situation;
• do not use too many tricks, the game consists of more than just them;
• do not resort to those movements that you do not know how to do perfectly. Before resorting to some kind of manipulation on the site, you need to make sure that you own the technique in training.

Best Tricks

Consider the most popular basketball tricks. They are also used in street basketball, which is a separate game discipline. You can learn more about the direction from the material “How does street basketball differ from ordinary basketball?”.

Ball tricks

Dexterous manipulations are used by players when they are in an advantageous position relative to their own defender or are covered by representatives of the other team. To implement it, you need to make a lightning-fast movement of the ball along one trajectory, and then throw it in a completely different direction, for example, into the ring or make a pass to a teammate. The calculation is that the opponent will tune in to rush for the ball in the other direction. The trick to a successful implementation is that the planned true move should be a really abrupt change in trajectory, not worth doing it after returning to the starting position after the deception.

Foot movements

Foot feints are very common in basketball, so that they are successful, you need to try to keep the fake step as short as possible. The shorter the step length, the more opportunities to perform a swift movement in order to break away from the pursuit of an opponent. After performing, you must immediately transfer the weight to the supporting leg and immediately step to the other side.

Performed in several variations:

• short and fast false step in the direction in which no movement is planned;
• a rapid back and forth step, followed by a throw from the same place or a feint imitating such a throw or passing to the opponents' shield;
• Bend the legs abruptly and perform an action simulating a throw jump, followed by a real throw jump or pass.

When making a false step, you should not transfer the weight of the body to the leading leg, it should not become a supporting one. The faster the step is completed and the shorter it is, the better. The supporting leg does not rise, it remains fixed until the ball is passed.

Head holds

The essence is that before moving along one trajectory, a sharp movement of the head and shoulders is made in the opposite direction. Applicable before the throw and to get closer to the opponent's basket from a position with your back to the opponent's basket. The action will be effective if the athlete can do everything sharply enough and does not lose balance, you need to be very dexterous. To do this, you need to make movements very short, as well as develop the skill of controlling your body and coordinating movements with special exercises in training.

Eye movements

A powerful distraction maneuver can be performed without expending energy or any movement. This is done by changing the direction of the gaze. Basketball players of all levels actively use this opportunity. Professionals have time to follow not only the hands and feet of opponents, but also facial expressions, in particular, eyes. It is important to learn to notice changes in the gaze of opponents, but at the same time remember that the eyes can deceive, and also use this technique to your advantage.

Hands and arms

The best time to perform a hand or arm feint is when passing the ball. For example, an athlete simply keeps his arms outstretched on the sides of the body, while seeing the ball with peripheral vision and at the last second sharply directs his hands towards the projectile and catches it when it has already passed over the defender's head.

Combined

The combination of different techniques is aerobatics, this is how the most powerful and effective deception maneuvers are performed. In one chain of actions, feints with arms, legs, ball, head, shoulders can be combined. To learn how to connect complex actions and create strong combinations, you need a perfectly developed technique for each of them individually and in combinations. This is how leading players confuse opponents, make the position of a defender or another representative of the other team unprofitable. This skill also comes with experience and practice.

Special feints

Despite the name, there is nothing complicated in them, they are practiced like any other actions. Such feints are performed from a position next to the opponents' shield, everyone needs to learn how to perform both standing facing the basket and with their backs to it. Do not neglect these techniques, even if you play basketball for your own pleasure and do not pretend to be a professional. They are also relevant in amateur basketball, if you are interested in getting acquainted with the features of a non-professional direction, then they are presented in the material “Amateur basketball - how and where to play?”.

Up and down

After receiving the pass, the player quickly lifts the ball up, taking such a stance as if he intends to immediately send it into the ring. The defender must react to this and rush to the attacker, his task is to intercept the throw.

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