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How to be ambidextrous in basketball
How to be ambidextrous in basketball
3 Tips to Help You Improve Your Weak Hand
Basketball Tip
Most players don’t know the value of being able to dribble, shoot, and pass with both hands no matter the position they play. Many athletes tend to favor one hand over the other because it’s their dominant hand and more comfortable. If you're looking to play in high school or college, it is expected of you to be able to use both hands and can even be the deciding factor when getting a spot on a team.
The players that are comfortable using both hands are the athletes that stand out. They can crossover and overtake their defender quickly with eyes on the court. They can swiftly curve any bounce pass through the defender’s arms, and they can make that breakaway layup no matter which way they’re being pushed. Here are three tips from the Doug Bruno Girls Basketball Camp staff to help players become more comfortable using both hands.![]()
1. Dribble with Both Hands
When trying to develop your non-dominant hand, dribbling should be the first place that you start. Begin by keeping your dominant hand behind your back, forcing yourself to use your weak hand to dribble. Practice this and after time it will start to feel more and more comfortable.
Once you have mastered that, try adding in a second basketball and dribble with each hand at the same time. Remember to keep your elbows behind the ball and force the ball into ground while keeping your head up. This will improve your coordination and ball handling skills in both hands. Being able to dribble with both hands provides a huge advantage over your opponent, you can now dribble down the court on the right and left side which makes it much harder for the defender to guess which direction you plan to go.
2. Weak Hand Passing
Another way to develop your weak hand is through various passing drills.
Grab a partner, stand ten feet apart, and put your dominant hand behind your back. With one ball, pass and receive with only your weak hand. As you progress, you can increase the speed and challenge your partner! Each player should pass with their non-dominant hand twenty times equaling one set. Start with four sets and increase as you feel more comfortable.
3. Off-Court Tips
Although it is important to make a point to emphasize using both hands in practice, steps need to be made around the clock to master this skill. Doing daily activities with your non-dominant hand will form the proper habits and allow you to feel more comfortable using that hand. We recommend you eat and cut your food, open doors, drawers and packages, comb your hair, brush your teeth and use your phone all with your non-dominant hand. Initially, all these tasks will feel foreign but if you stay consistent, it will become a routine.
Implementing these practice tips will help you feel more comfortable using your non-dominant hand, which allows for a smooth transition onto the court.
For further help with your game, check out more drills and tips and join us this summer at a Doug Bruno Girls Basketball Camp!
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Becoming an Ambidextrous Player in Basketball
Growing up, we will develop more skills with one of our hands over the other. It’s a natural part of our development because most kids won’t take the time to work on both of their hands. When it comes to basketball, being “one-handed” will only limit your abilities on the court.
Learning how to use your weak hand in basketball is a difficult process. It’ll take baby steps to get there, but most people won’t have the patience to work at it everyday without seeing major results right away. Staying motivated and remembering the reasons why you’re trying to improve your weak hand will keep you focused on the task at hand.
When Will You Use Your Weak Hand?Your weak hand is going to be more important than your strong hand when trying to create opportunities for yourself and your teammates on the court.
If you’re right-handed, your opponent is going to know that and force you to play with your left hand as much as possible — and vice versa.
You will end up utilizing your weak hand in three main areas — dribbling, layups, and penetrating the basket. Let’s take a look at each area more closely:
- Layups – In a perfect world, you’ll get to perform every layup with your dominant hand. Unfortunately, a perfect world doesn’t exist on the court. Like mentioned above, your opponent will be trying their hardest to force you to use your weak hand when laying it up (when they’re not trying to block you).
- Penetrating – If you want to catch the defense off guard, penetrating to your weak side will give you the space needed to make your move. In order to do that, you’ll need to be comfortable moving to your left (or right) in tight situations.
- Dribbling – Being able to dribble with either hand is a fundamental part of being a good dribbler.
Try dribbling with your weak hand as much as possible in practice, that way it’s established during the game.
Being one-dimensional is a coach’s worst nightmare when giving player’s minutes. If you want to solidify yourself as a starter and contributor on your team, you’ll need to prove your versatility on the court.
Developing Your Weak HandThere are a variety of ways to develop your weak hand, whether you’re trying to work on layups, penetrating, or dribbling. If you need a few drills you can do on your own or at practice, we’ve got a few simple ones to get you started.
Grab a basketball and a tennis ball. With your weak hand, start to walk down the court dribbling the basketball. With your dominant hand, toss the tennis ball up to yourself and catch it while dribbling. This will help make dribbling with your weak hand a habit.
For this one, grab two basketballs and get in a low dribbling stance. Dribble the ball with your weak hand and roll the other ball with your dominant hand down the court.
Try to stay in a straight line.
Becoming an ambidextrous basketball player will take hard work. With a little dedication each and every day, you’ll be a pro in no time!
How to shoot correctly in basketball
Throw is the main element of the game in basketball. The result of any team depends on the ability to throw correctly. Sovsport.ru tells how to perform a throw in volleyball technically.
You need to stand facing the basket and put your feet shoulder-width apart. The knees should be slightly bent. Leading foot should be slightly forward. You need to feel comfortable in this position. The ideal rack does not exist, you need to modify it yourself.
The legs must be bent so that when receiving the ball, you can maintain equal balance and quickly make a throw. The main purpose of the exercise is to find the ideal position and bring the throw to automatism.
The ball must be kept ready to be thrown. It should be a few centimeters above the waist.
The ball, eyes and basket must be on the same line. If the ball is too high or low, it will affect the accuracy of the throw. The elbow should be under the ball, not out of the way.
It is important to hold the ball correctly with your hands. The throwing hand must be positioned so that the fingers are perpendicular to the seam lines of the ball, while the other hand must hold the ball and correct it. The fingers of the throwing hand should be wide apart.
The throwing movement itself is performed with the throwing arm up and forward. The ball must not be dropped when it is at eye level. The correcting hand must not allow the ball to go sideways. Movements must be fast.
The correct hoop shot in basketball is often performed while jumping. Legs, torso, and arms should move together. Jump up, but not forward or backward. The legs should land on the spot they kicked off from.
Before you reach the highest jump point, send the ball into the basket. Straighten your elbow and use your throwing wrist to move the ball in an arc instead of a straight line.
You can determine whether you have completed the throw correctly by rotating the ball. It must be symmetrical. After throwing, your throwing arm should resemble the neck of a swan.
In order to get better in all basketball shooting movements, you need to develop muscle memory. In basketball, there is no time to think and the shot must be made in a matter of seconds.
It is most convenient to train the free throw from the foul line, which is located 4.5 meters from the ring. In case of an unsuccessful throw, the ball will hit the shield and bounce back to you. You don't have to chase him. Ideally, you need to train the throw from all angles and positions.
You need to learn how to use a shield, especially if you are close to the ring. The shield is usually used when the throw is dribbling and on the move.
Once you feel that throwing exercises are starting to work out for you, you can continue training in the game itself. It is much more difficult to make throws here, since you yourself will have to find a position for a throw, move away from interceptions and throw with resistance.
source: Sovetsky Sport
Basketball training life 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. Don't look back
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.
