Do you play basketball? Have you ever thought of becoming the best player in the court? This article is here to help you improve your basketball skills and become the best in the game. You have seen the list of the best basketball players in the world.
The likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan, the late Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Magic Johnson all started like you. All they had was a dream and no skills. How did they make it? What made them rise to become the best basketball players of their times? Was it their condition, skills, strength, agility, and power?
In this article, we’ll look at the best tips you can borrow to become the best basketball player. Let’s go!
Be fearless
Do not be afraid to fail. It is through mistakes that we learn. Always encourage yourself to beat the records you have set. Do not see yourself as weak or someone who can’t do it. Never mind what your friends, family, or teammates will say. Try to overcome your fears. Hit the gym, train hard, and go the extra mile to improve your weaknesses. Avoid saying there is a stretch or part you can’t play. Try harder, and in the end, you will notice some good results.
Know your role
Know where you have been positioned in your team. Remember that you are not working alone but as a part of a team. Know your position on the court and acknowledge it. You can’t be everywhere, doing everything. If you are not comfortable with the role you have been allocated, talk to your teammates or coach. Ask for a change to a more suitable position.
By knowing your part, you will put all your skills into it, practice and hone your skills to become the best. Also, understand who is your immediate teammate, your role mate, and what roles your teammates are taking.
Learn and study the game
Always try to learn and practice the game to be the best. There are many resources out there that you can read or watch to become the best basketball player. YouTube can be an excellent platform for training.
Vertical jumps, especially, can be hard to learn if you are new in the game. Luckily for you, this excellent vertical jump resource has done the hard digging for you, with a review of the top exercises you can utilize to enhance your vertical jumps quickly.
As opposed to most exercises out there that can be faulty, these are known to deliver the right results within a short timeframe. You only need to set your goals and dedicate yourself to them.
You might have the best skills, but without dedication, you won’t succeed. Understand the game and dedicate yourself to becoming an all-time performer.
Give your all
When practicing, playing or training, always try to give your best. Do not look at what anyone else is offering. Just try to be you and give it all you have. Avoid excuses and complaints, and always try to accept criticisms and corrections from your coach or people who are more experienced than you.
Take mistakes as a stepping stone and accept where you are wrong while improving on your weaknesses. Errors enable every individual to enhance, so make them work to your benefit.
Keep improving your skills
Being skilled in a game does not mean you stop acquiring more. Always try to learn from others and also through online platforms. With the advancement of the internet and other learning modules, you can easily acquire new skills even without paying for them.
Remember, in any field, the more you focus on one thing, the more you lose on improving others. It would be best if no skills were left behind. Follow the trends and be updated on every aspect of your game.
Avoid complaints
Do not be a complainer when you lose something. Never blame your coach or teammates when something does not work out. Be responsible and always learn how to fix issues. However, you need to accept that some situations are not within your control and always avoid anger, stress, and bad attitudes towards your teammates.
If possible, always encourage team building to bond with your teammates. Avoid evil thoughts and emotions while in the game. Focus on scoring and give it your best.
There are other tips which you can also borrow that include training both your body and mind, along with developing other capabilities. In this article, we have discussed some of the main aspects of improvement, hoping they will help you in your basketball career. Always try to give your best no matter the situation.
There is much competition out there, and everyone at any time hopes to outshine you. Use the advice provided in this article plus others to make yourself better. Provide your best to be on the top of your game.
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How to become a better basketball player, according to NBA legends
You play pickup ball with your friends each week, but you can’t seem to keep up.
You’ve been working hard in the gym, hitting the weights to boost your fitness, but nothing seems to be working. The best way to sharpen your skills on the court? By picking up tips, tricks, and training suggestions from some of the best professionals in the sport.
Whether it’s boosting your speed, stamina, shooting, or mental toughness, we have some options for you to help your pickup skills.
Here’s your basketball training guide:
Passing
Jason Kidd – former NBA point guard, Milwaukee Bucks head coach
Back when he was age 34, Jason Kidd had one of his best seasons, joining greats Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson as the only players to average at least 13 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds per game. Kidd shares some tips on how to deliver pinpoint passes and achieve your personal triple-double: strength, speed, and endurance.
Passing Skills
“I always felt passing isn’t so much working on passing as it is anticipation: What does the eye see, and can the mind relay that to my body? What does this guy like to do? Does he like to go right or left? If I see somebody is going backdoor, can I get it to him in stride so that he can catch and finish?”
Hand-Eye Coordination
“How do you work on sight and passing? Try to throw a strikeout in the [batter’s] box. If you are playing strikeout with a buddy, if you see he doesn’t like the ball inside, can you throw on the inside corner on the plate consistently? I think this is good for anybody with a son or daughter—can you throw pitches to an 8-year-old consistently where you know he or she can hit it? Can you throw the ball so it is in their sweet spot? That isn’t a very easy thing to do.”
In the Gym
“I do a lot of leg work—stepups with 30-pound dumbbells, leg press, calves and calfraises—and I do situps in between each set. I’m a big fan of Pilates for maintaining your strength. I can go an hour or 30 minutes to stretch and work on my flexibility and my abs. I don’t run a lot, but I do try to swim five times a week. I also play one-on-one with a good friend not so much to beatng him but more to chase him, stay in front of him, andmove my feet.”
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Stamina
Kobe Bryant – Retired NBA legend, Los Angeles Lakers
When he was at his peak, Bryant was the NBA’s best overall scorer. Over the years Bryant bulked up with a regimen that combined Olympic lifts with track work. He shared his secrets for playing with the same intensity each time you hit the court.
Conditioning
“You want to make sure you go into the upcoming season in tip-top shape. My conditioning comes from running, whether it’s on a track, on a field, or on the court itself just doing suicides or sprints. Whatever your program is, the key is to push yourself to a level where you’re hurting. You can’t gain conditioning without going through it. You’re going to have to feel some pain, you’re going to have to feel like your lungs are burning, that sort of thing.”
Consistency
“If you watch me train, it doesn’t look like I’m overexerting myself. It’s an everyday thing. You have to abide by your program religiously.”
In the Gym
“During the season, I focus a lot on weight training, building up my strength level as the season progresses. Clean pulls, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, back squats, things of that nature. In the off-season, it’s about getting stronger as well as more agile. Then, obviously, you want to get on the court and work on your skills. I shoot between 750 and 1,000 makes a day.”
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Shooting
Cuttino Mobley – Former Houston Rockets, L.A. Clippers guard
The former Clippers and Rockets guard was one of the best 3-point shooters in the league during his playing days. Here’s how to shore up your own longdistance stroke.
Warm-Up
“Start in at the rim, almost like a layup with jump-shot form, and shoot about 100 shots inside, then start moving farther out. It’ll just become muscle memory from repetition.”
Proper Form
“Tuck your elbow and line it up with your knee, and don’t shoot at the rim, shoot up over it. Put some air under the ball so you give it a chance to go in. Pretend you’re picking an apple out of the basket. Reach up, go inside the basket with your release, andfollow through with your index and middle fingers. That’s what your form should be: up, pick the apple out of the basket, then back down. You don’t want to be leaning back when you shoot, either; you just want to go straight up and come down on the same spot.”
In the Gym
“Do as many pushups pullups, and dips as you can. Your jump shot comes from your triceps and your wrist strength. You don’t have to be lifting all those weights to shoot.”
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Speed
Leandro Barbosa – Phoenix Suns guard
Leandro Barbosa, “the Brazilian Blur,” previously won the Sixth Man Award earlier in his career, partly because he’s proven himself to be faster than just about anybody in the NBA. His experience will help improve your speed.
Take Up Soccer
“When I was a kid, I used to play soccer without shoes on the street. I don’t have a lot of ball-handling skills like Steve Nash, but my thing is just to get the ball down the court and score. Soccer really helped me develop my quick feet.”
In the Gym
“I don’t do a lot of upper-body stuff, but I do leg presses, Romanian deadlifts, and some other lower-body work every day. I also try to do exercises while I’m wearing a weighted shirt. People say it can be bad for your knees, but I do a lot of exercises with it on to keep my legs strong. Sometimes, I’ll just walk around the locker room with it on. Then, when I take it off, I can really feel the difference.”
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Mental Toughness
Gilbert Arenas – Former Washington Wizards guard
“Basketball is all mental,” says eccentric guard Gilbert Arenas. “Everyone’s talent is the same, but the mental aspect separates stars from superstars.” Heed his advice and be as tough upstairs as this former clutch shooter.
Redirect Your Energy
“My confidence got hurt coming into the league [Arenas was drafted 31st overall in the second round; he expected to go higher], but after seeing an old highlight tape, I realized that it’s just basketball. I put all my frustration and energy into basketball for two weeks. I did it, and I got to play, and I just decided that [my intensity] is what got me on [the team], and this is what’s going to keep me on it.”
Find a Training Partner
“You need someone to challenge you, because it keeps you motivated. He’s going to make you work hard for what you do. You need somebody like that.”
The Psychology of Game Winners
“When we play pickup games, I won’t shoot the ball until it’s the last shot,” says Arenas. “I’m the only one who’s going to take it all the way until we lose or we win. I’ve been doing that for the last three years. You have to have that mind-set: If you don’t make it, you have to live with it. As many shots as Michael Jordan’s made, he’s missed three times as many.”
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European champion Nikita Morgunov on the development of sports and Amur talents - Amurskaya Pravda The talents of the "School of Basketball", which
took place in in Blagoveshchensk at the end of May, had the opportunity to improve their skills under the wing of professionals. Leading coaches, athletes and teachers of the country will teach the children to play with an orange ball and much more. In the younger age group, a lucky ticket to the camp was drawn by Maxim Ivashnev and Kirill Vyazgin. Among the boys of the senior category, Albert Kosyrev and Filipp Filippov were recognized as the best, and among the girls, Daria Falatyuk and Varvara Fletcher were recognized as the best.
Amurskaya Pravda learned from the 2007 European champion, 1998 World Championship silver medalist and four-time Russian champion about which of the Amur residents have a chance to become the owner of a ticket to the SIBURCAMP sports session next time, and who will still have to work hard for this Nikita Morgunov. He gave a master class in Blagoveshchensk as part of the School of Basketball project, which is now in its sixth season in the country.
20 days to plunge into the world of basketball
For two months eminent Russian basketball players and coaches traveled around the cities of Russia in search of talented young athletes. Blagoveshchensk also received them at the end of May. In the sports hall of the Polytechnic College, the star guests held demonstration training sessions for Amur schoolchildren and assessed their abilities in basketball.
— I am the curator of the SIBUR School of Basketball project and I can say that my colleagues and I have been holding such selections within the framework of the Formula for Good Deeds social investment program in various Russian cities for more than a year, — said Nikita Morgunov. — This year the program of the “School” has slightly changed. Previously, we had boys and young men in two ages, now girls have been added. The composition of trainers and specialists who conduct testing always remains the same - the best professionals in their field are still working. From each region, we select six worthy guys who will be trained in basketball and other disciplines at the SIBURCAMP summer camp in the Nizhny Novgorod region. There are wonderful conditions for rest and work. And most importantly - there is no time to be bored and poking around in devices.
Even though children absorb information like sponges water, it is easier and easier for them to memorize large complex data if they are presented in the form of a game. Last year, the guys from the camp were taken on an exciting tour of Nizhny Novgorod, which took place in the format of a quest. Often at such events, teenagers do not observe discipline, listen inattentively to the guide, so they do not remember dates, names, names. And this time, the champion noted, the situation turned out to be just the opposite. Not only were the boys collected, but after the game excursion they easily answered all the questions that the teachers asked them on the way back.
Usually, during a 20-day shift, children learn a lot about both the world of basketball and sports in general, and the cultural and historical heritage of the city and region, where they spend a third of the summer. They are taught by teachers in self-development and other areas, psychologists. This training goes beyond the usual general education program. In the new season-2022, in addition to sports disciplines, many more events are planned for the camp. Which ones are being kept under wraps for now.
Compete for a place in the sun
Anatoly Laptev with the guys. Photo: Vladimir Voropaev
— One of the tasks of the "School of Basketball" is the comprehensive development of children through sports. An interesting fact: the vast majority of basketball players in school studied well and perfectly, almost every one of them has a hobby. Someone plays musical instruments, someone travels, some collects various items, and so on. Let it sound pathetic, but basketball is the best ball game. Especially if it concerns the formation of a child as a person, - Nikita Morgunov is sure. — My colleagues and I have proven time and again that this game requires everything: discipline, intelligence, dexterity, speed, strength, endurance, the ability to make quick decisions in a difficult situation, and so on. In other words, these are almost all the qualities that will be useful to a person in adulthood.
"I wish our children had more chances than one."
In the gymnasium of the Blagoveshchensk Polytechnic College, the star guests just assessed the young Amur residents for all these indicators. The trainers worked with each group of children for 2.5 hours. They call such work a session. Usually, in one session, specialists test 25-30 children. This, they believe, is the most optimal number: 4-5 people per coach.
This year, in the Amur Region, many times fewer children than usual were able to get into the selection. The organizers suggest that the pandemic and a special military operation in Ukraine were to blame. But this did not prevent the young guys from competing for a place under the sun. On the contrary, the level of rivalry has become higher.
- There is a big plus in a smaller number of participants: the coach's attention to you is greater, - the champion noted. - But the same minus: the coach's attention to you is greater. Here is such a pun turns out. In small groups, the intensity and load is slightly higher. Accordingly, it may be easier to identify some qualities in children.
Miniature basketball players
Photo: Vladimir Voropaev
Anthropometric indicators of students are very important for trainers. And it's not just about height and weight. Of great importance are the scope of the arms, the length of the legs, the height and distance of the jump from a place.
There is a stereotype that all basketball players must be at least two meters tall. But in the history of sports there are examples of bright and famous players much lower. So, the American Earl Boykins, for example, has a height of 1.65 meters, and Mugsy Bogz is even lower - only 160 centimeters. In the Russian league, Justin Lundako is considered the smallest basketball player - 172 centimeters. All these athletes made their way to the world basketball court due to other qualities.
Every little thing counts
Photo: Vladimir Voropaev
- Undoubtedly, not all athletes can take the chance to break into the national team of the city, region, Russia, and even more so on the world stage. Only about one percent of the total that passes through the "School of Basketball" succeeds in this. But, believe me, this is already a very high percentage, - Nikita Leonidovich said with knowledge of the matter. - And yet I want our children to have more than one such chance. That's why our "Good Deeds Formula" works. During testing, we certainly pay attention to everything: every detail, every little thing. Even if it seems insignificant to a child or his parent, for us, professional coaches and athletes, it can play a decisive role in choosing a candidate. We measure how long it takes the student to reach the goal, we look at how well he orients himself in space, how he evades the enemy. The determining factor can be how the child stands, how he walks, pushes off the floor when running, hits the ball. Together with the guys we analyze the errors, correct them. By the way, the way a child reacts to mistakes and comments also says a lot about him as an athlete. Of course, the one who wants and is ready to continue working, and will not give up and leave, will have an advantage.
Even the most withdrawn ones become leaders
“Basketball School” is not only teaching how to dribble an orange ball around the court and hit the basket. It is also the development of the player's peripheral vision, movement coordination, logical thinking and communication skills in society. During training on the basketball court, children learn discipline, concentration and attentiveness. Moreover, here even the most withdrawn teenagers can show themselves as leaders.
— Our main task is to make every student an absolutely self-sufficient person. Even a small person should be able to communicate in a team, be ready for external difficulties, and my colleagues and I help them in this for free,” added the champion. - When we return to the cities for new young talents, we often hear words of gratitude from the parents of our pupils. Boys and girls change literally at the mental level. I'm sure the same thing will happen this year. Everyone has a chance to get into the camp, the main thing to remember is that everything is decided not only by the numbers on the stopwatches and rulers, but by the overall picture, which, like puzzles, is put together by the specialists of the Basketball School.
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YouTube can be an excellent platform for training. 
If you are playing strikeout with a buddy, if you see he doesn’t like the ball inside, can you throw on the inside corner on the plate consistently? I think this is good for anybody with a son or daughter—can you throw pitches to an 8-year-old consistently where you know he or she can hit it? Can you throw the ball so it is in their sweet spot? That isn’t a very easy thing to do.”
Over the years Bryant bulked up with a regimen that combined Olympic lifts with track work. He shared his secrets for playing with the same intensity each time you hit the court.
Clean pulls, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, back squats, things of that nature. In the off-season, it’s about getting stronger as well as more agile. Then, obviously, you want to get on the court and work on your skills. I shoot between 750 and 1,000 makes a day.”
Pretend you’re picking an apple out of the basket. Reach up, go inside the basket with your release, andfollow through with your index and middle fingers. That’s what your form should be: up, pick the apple out of the basket, then back down. You don’t want to be leaning back when you shoot, either; you just want to go straight up and come down on the same spot.”
I don’t have a lot of ball-handling skills like Steve Nash, but my thing is just to get the ball down the court and score. Soccer really helped me develop my quick feet.”
As many shots as Michael Jordan’s made, he’s missed three times as many.”
He gave a master class in Blagoveshchensk as part of the School of Basketball project, which is now in its sixth season in the country. 
The composition of trainers and specialists who conduct testing always remains the same - the best professionals in their field are still working. From each region, we select six worthy guys who will be trained in basketball and other disciplines at the SIBURCAMP summer camp in the Nizhny Novgorod region. There are wonderful conditions for rest and work. And most importantly - there is no time to be bored and poking around in devices. 
Especially if it concerns the formation of a child as a person, - Nikita Morgunov is sure. — My colleagues and I have proven time and again that this game requires everything: discipline, intelligence, dexterity, speed, strength, endurance, the ability to make quick decisions in a difficult situation, and so on. In other words, these are almost all the qualities that will be useful to a person in adulthood. 
But this did not prevent the young guys from competing for a place under the sun. On the contrary, the level of rivalry has become higher. 
So, the American Earl Boykins, for example, has a height of 1.65 meters, and Mugsy Bogz is even lower - only 160 centimeters. In the Russian league, Justin Lundako is considered the smallest basketball player - 172 centimeters. All these athletes made their way to the world basketball court due to other qualities. 
We measure how long it takes the student to reach the goal, we look at how well he orients himself in space, how he evades the enemy. The determining factor can be how the child stands, how he walks, pushes off the floor when running, hits the ball. Together with the guys we analyze the errors, correct them. By the way, the way a child reacts to mistakes and comments also says a lot about him as an athlete. Of course, the one who wants and is ready to continue working, and will not give up and leave, will have an advantage. 