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How to be more athletic in basketball
How to be more athletic in basketball
USA Basketball - How to Improve Your Court Speed
All athletes need speed -- particularly in a sport like basketball where the first player up and down the court can mean the difference in winning or losing a game.
In the world of sports, the fastest, quickest athletes are usually the most successful. But exactly what kind of speed and quickness is best for basketball?
Many coaches may place too much emphasis on "straight-ahead" speed by, for example, focusing too much of their attention on getting their athletes to run a faster 40-yard dash. In a sport like basketball, this isn't necessarily going to be the kind of speed that's going to make for a more effective player. Seldom, if ever, does a player run baseline to baseline in a straight line, and even if they did, a fast 40-yard dash might not equate to an effectively fast basketball player.
Having fast top-end speed measured at 40 yards wouldn't necessarily make you as effective as perhaps being a bit slower in the 40, but having the quickness and explosiveness to be faster down the court (which is a shorter distance).![]()
Most sprinting in basketball starts from moving or "rolling" positions, not a stationary one. So, some of your training should be spent with that in mind. Performing your speed training from different starting positions such as turning and sprinting from a backpedal, accelerating from a side-shuffle, or running after getting up from the floor (simulating being knocked down and having to get up and hustle down the court) translates into more "real world" training for basketball players than simply lining up at one baseline and sprinting to the other.
This doesn't mean there is no room in your training for that kind of sprinting. It may have a place in your conditioning program--to build, for example, speed endurance. But, don't confuse this type of training with working on your game speed.
Here are three tips that can help athletes plan a program designed to improve their basketball speed:
Build Strength
Before any speed work is done, an athlete must have adequate strength.
Without it, you might as well be trying to get a car to go 100 miles per hour with a go-cart's engine. Studies have shown that weight training to build strength can improve running speed. We're not talking about building big muscles here. We're talking about building strong muscles that can help us produce speed.
A basic strength-building program for speed includes strengthening the legs (calves, hamstrings, and quads) with exercises such as calf raises, squats, leg curls and extensions; strengthening the upper body with exercises such as dumbbell (bench) press, seated row, shoulder raises, bicep curls, and triceps extensions; and the core muscles (abdominals and back) by using regular crunches from the floor, stability ball crunches, oblique rotations, and back extensions. These basic exercises and more can help the basketball athlete begin to develop the strength necessary to build speed.
• 5 Exercises To Improve Power
Work on Acceleration and Quickness
Acceleration is the ability to increase velocity.
The key here is how quickly you can increase your speed. This is perhaps more important in basketball than raw speed, because unlike a sport like track where all the athletes take off at the same time, basketball players must be quick to recognize when they must start a sprint--such as a rebound leading to a fast break -- and then be able to accelerate quickly. In basketball, having the ability to accelerate from a stationary position or from a moving position is equally important.
Drills such as learning the proper 45-degree body position to begin acceleration, or using the proper arm action in the sprint can be helpful in this type of training. Each of these seemingly simple, but often overlooked aspects to becoming faster can help athletes improve their acceleration.
Don't Forget Deceleration
Training for speed without including deceleration training is like learning to drive a car very fast without brakes. Athletes need effective speed, and effective speed means being fast, but under control.
When a basketball player dribbles fast down the court for a breakaway lay-up, she'd better be able to effectively slow down as she approaches the basket. Otherwise, she's out of control, and will probably miss the lay-up and perhaps even get injured.
Braking or decelerating is extremely important to speed training -- perhaps the most important skill in basketball speed training. This may seem counter intuitive to some, but in order to have effective speed on the basketball court, the athlete must be able to run fast, decelerate or slow down, and reaccelerate into a sprint, cut, or jump. Slowing down properly actually aids in the athlete's ability to reaccelerate. A fast, out-of-control player is not very effective in a game. So make sure that learning proper deceleration techniques are an integral part of your speed workouts.
An extensive discussion about proper deceleration technique is complex and beyond the scope of this article. However, many experts suggest that two key components to good deceleration is in keeping nice flexed or bent knees, and in lowering the athlete's hips during deceleration--whether from a sprint or from a landing.
Always check with your physician before undertaking any exercise program such as those covered in this article.
Strength, Conditioning, and Agility for Basketball Players
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Athletic development is an important aspect of becoming a great basketball player. This includes your strength, conditioning, coordination, balance, speed, and agility.
Here are a few articles and videos to help improve your athleticism...
Injury Prevention and Warm Ups
Guide to Preventing Basketball Injuries
The 4 Sports Every Youth Player Should Participate In
Jump Rope Training Video - Prevent Injuries & Improve Athleticism In Just 3 Minutes
Dynamic Warm Up
15 Team Warm Up Drills
Increase Vertical Jump
Vertical Jump Test (How to Measure)
How to Increase Your Vertical Jump (Your Complete Step by Step Plan)
Jumping Form Tips That Will Increase Your Vertical and Prevent Injury
How to Dunk a Basketball
5 Explosive Exercises For Your Vertical Jump
How To Jump Higher
8 Best Vertical Jump Exercises
9 Important Plyometric Exercises Top Trainers Swear By
Conditioning / Cardio
Basketball Conditioning Drills & Workouts for the Individual Athlete
20 Min AT-HOME Basketball Conditioning Workout
16 Conditioning Drills for Your Team
Strength & Weight Training
Strength Training Program for Basketball: Are You Doing it Right?
7 Essential Core Exercises for Basketball Players
4 Strength & Conditioning Drills for Basketball Players
11 Upper Body Exercises for Basketball
9 Essential Leg Exercises for Basketball
Speed & Agility Drills
How To Develop An Explosive First Step
5 Best Basketball Speed Drills
6 Essential Basketball Agility Drills
Cone Grab Drill - Develop A Faster First Step
Defense Reaction Drill
Lane Agility Drill
2 Advanced Drills for First Step Speed and Quickness
Chaser Drill to Increase Agility and Improve Ball Handling
Defense Improves Agility, Conditioning, and Athletic Development
One of the best things you can do is commit to become a lockdown defender!
By focusing on defense in your team practices and off-season workouts, not only will you become a more valuable player -- youll also dramatically improve your agility, coordination, and conditioning!
Playing GREAT man to man defense gets in you great shape, improves your foot speed, and improves your agility.
This is a very efficient way to become a great basketball player.
Start by developing your on ball defense skills with these 6 Footwork Progressions For Elite Defenders.
Then focus on locking down your opponent in full court situations. One of the simplest and best things you can do to get in shape and improve agility is the 1 on 1 Full Court Defense Drill. And when youre in pick-up game or scrimmages, guard your player full court too.
If you have a few partners to workout out with, try the man in the hole drill... this is one of the best drills to improve your basketball conditioning!
Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter to receive new drills, plays, scoring tips and coaching strategies,
plus three free eBooks with over 270 pages of our favorite basketball drills and plays!
Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter to receive three free eBooks with over 270 pages of content!
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. 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. 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.
varieties, how to get, validity period
It is very prestigious to get a title or rank in basketball. For an athlete, this means recognition of the level of professionalism, and each of the professional-level players is constantly striving to improve their skills. Getting the next rank is a goal for any professional and a dream for an amateur. From this article you will learn about the types of titles and ranks in basketball, at what age they can be assigned, who assigns them, how long the status is maintained. This information will be useful for beginner basketball players, as well as for parents who plan to send their children to the basketball section.
Let's start with the names and designations of basketball titles.
What are the ranks and ranks?
In any professional sport titles and regalia are provided, they allow ranking representatives by skill level. Basketball is no exception; in our country in 2017, a list of titles was approved by the relevant ministry.
In the digit part, the III-th youthful will be the minimum, then in ascending order the II-nd and I-th. The same are provided for adult athletes. Above the first adult category - the title of a candidate for master of sports. Then come the titles of master of sports and master of sports of international class.
At what age is it assigned?
Each of the listed statuses has a minimum age limit. You can become a master (MS) from the age of 16, if we are talking about the international class (MSMK) - from the age of 17. You can become a candidate (CMS) from the age of 14, get the previous sports categories - from 13, youth ones are assigned from the age of 11.
At only 11 years old, a child can get his first title, such information impresses the children and parents themselves. There is no upper bar, so you can play basketball at any age, as long as your form allows. Those who are just starting to play will not hurt to learn the basic principles, they are set out in the material “How to learn to play basketball?”.
How to get a title?
If you are interested in how to get a basketball rank or even a title, then refer to the regulatory documents. In this case, you need to study the All-Russian sports qualification. This document is supplemented and corrected every four years. The currently accepted version will remain current until a new one is adopted in 2021.
This kind of encouragement goes to those who take part in tournaments of various significance. To get the next level, you need to meet the requirements, they are specified in the sports qualification. The standards for holding competitive events are also prescribed.
For each tournament strictly regulated:
- championship level;
- number of participants;
- order of allocation of seats;
- number of games;
- qualification of judges.
Let's give an example of the requirements for conferring a title, for each title they are different. If a junior basketball player plans to become a CCM, he is required to:
- take at least 3rd-4th place at the World Universiade;
- not less than the second place in the European Championship;
- first place in the All-Russian Championship;
- not lower than the second place at the national Universiade;
- no lower than third place at the All-Russian Student Games.
There are other conditions and features of how to get CCM in basketball. In a tournament that awards ranks, a player must play 60% of team games.
Who assigns?
In our country, the Ministry of Sports has been appointed as the authorized body.
Implementation is given under the department of the relevant executive bodies. For example, the I category can be assigned by Moskomsport, as well as a candidate. The assignment of lower mass titles is within the authority of educational departments, these are Children's and Youth Sports Schools, the School of the Olympic Reserve, state sports and educational centers. Only the ministry can assign the title of MS and MSMK.
How long is the title valid?
There are only two permanent titles, the highest. The rest are relevant only for a certain period. When a set period has passed, the athlete must confirm their level or undergo procedures to move to a new status. The CCM title is relevant for three years, all youth and sports categories - for two years.
What are the competitions like?
FIBA is the most significant association in the world. It is she who sets the rules for holding matches and sets trends for the development of sports. FIBA holds world-class tournaments for men and women, and the Olympic Basketball Tournament is also world-class.
The official representative of the Federation in Russia is the VTB United League. She holds the Championships of Russia. He also oversees various organizations: student and youth leagues, streetbasket and minibasket. We hold the following championships:
- Championship of Russia, athletes under 21 years old participate;
- All-Russian Spartakiad, for underage basketball players;
- Student, 17 to 24 years old;
- competitions within the Unified calendar plan, for participants of all age categories;
- Championships of regions, municipalities, cities.
Victories in matches between educational institutions give an opportunity to get to the city championship, as well as to assign the third sports category. If you win at the city level, then you can take the second one. To get the first one, you need winnings on a regional scale.
How to get a discharge?
Among basketball players it is tacitly believed that a serious level begins with the second adult category.
Therefore, initially everyone strives for it. Such a desire is commendable, it is it that motivates and makes you train more and harder, become better, put all your strength into every game. Let's figure out what you need to do to get a rank in basketball.
As it became clear from the above, not a single bit can be obtained immediately. You can play virtuoso, but not only skill is required, it must be confirmed in the prescribed manner. If a team has more losses than wins, then none of its members will receive a rank. It doesn't matter what skills he has on his own. This is a team game, so personal success comes only through a common cause. It turns out that each basketball master, as well as the master, owes his title not only to himself, but also to his team. There is also a feedback: it is unprofitable for a promising player to play for a weak team.
Success comes only through constant practice. The path to status can be very long, as a rule, it begins at school age.
In childhood, it is easier to acquire the necessary skills and bring them to automatism. How much a child will be able to realize himself depends not only on him, but also on the coach. The mentor not only teaches technique, but also instills discipline, fosters a sports spirit.
That is why parents should be extremely careful when choosing a mentor for their child.
You can get a grade at a sports school, but there is a way to do it earlier - to enter a university with a focus on physical development. It is important to clarify that this university has a basketball team. If you have your own club, then there is a chance to get into it and start competing. To win, you need to train a lot and constantly improve. Even world-class basketball stars always have something to learn, being a star does not mean being able to perform all the feints. You can learn about one of the most difficult tricks, which not all professionals know, from the article “How to do a hook throw in basketball?”.
Winning tournaments between universities allows you to reach the next level - city or district. And as mentioned above, these same victories will bring the opportunity to get the third category. Then comes the city level and the opportunity to get the second, then the regional level, which can open the way to the first.
How to play and win?
To get any of the statuses, you need to play and win. The more victories, the faster the goal will be reached. You also need to try to throw the ball into the ring as often as possible, personal statistics also matter. By the way, it is important to score not only at games, but also in the training process. Serious teams have not only a coach in training, but also an extra. He keeps statistics on the team and players. In children's sections, the function of an extra can be performed by a parent present at the lesson.
Not only hits are taken into account, but also rebounds - defensive and offensive. The fate of victory in each match depends on this.
According to average calculations, the leader in rebounds wins at least 75 meetings out of a hundred. Another important criterion is how many times the team lost the ball.
Try to make more free throws, not only free throws are important. This tactic makes opponents nervous and brings them closer to victory. Each victory is a path to the desired title.
Briefly about the main things
In our country, the assignment of all titles is regulated by the Unified All-Russian Sports Qualification. Each applicant receives a personal qualification book, it is issued and registered by an authorized organization. All achievements will be recorded in this book: prizes, awards, significant successes. Each of the entries is one small step towards achieving what you want.
Don't expect titles and ranks in basketball to come quickly and easily. Behind every title is hard work, hundreds and thousands of matches played. Personal level is not enough, the whole team should show themselves well.
