How to dominate a basketball game

How to Dominate the Game of Basketball

What does it mean to be a dominant basketball player? It means being a player who truly leaves an impact on the game! 

Use this mentality and these methods to dominate the game and improve your skills!

(Shooting, dribbling, passing, rebounding, defense, moving without the ball on offense, playing in transition)

Focus on developing your fundamentals! Practice, practice, practice your skills. These skills are the ABC’s of basketball. Develop your shooting, dribbling, passing, defense, rebounding, etc.. The more skills you develop, you can use them to DOMINATE situations on the court by having the skill level to succeed.

Some players are exceptional at one skill, we call them specialist. They focus on that skill and that is the way they DOMINATE THE GAME. Other players are versatile and excel at multiple skills.  These are the DOMINANT players that can take over games because they effect the game in multiple ways at the same time!

Work Smart and Hard! 

“REPETITION is key!” The more you dribble the ball, the better you will get! The more you practice on your shot, the better shooter you will become! Practice until you become dominant at the skills that you want to add to your game!

It’s important to realize that we must practice efficiently. When we have practice or training, we should work on the skills that we need to become the dominant player. That is how we can evolve into the player that we see within our minds. We need a training system so that we are making the most of our time and energy!

When working on a skill, focus on form and function. Then, we must ask ourselves: what is the proper way to perform this skill? How is this skill used in the game? It’s imperative take the skill and break it down into smaller parts. 

Breaking the game down to small pieces allows us to fine tune the details of our game that we are never taught or that we forget about.

Take shooting for example. We can break a shot down into 2 parts: your lower body and your upper body. Your lower body (feet, legs and core) is responsible for balance, jumping, and generating power to get the ball to the basket. Your upper body (hands, arms and shoulders) is responsible for your touch and your accuracy, and help you guide the ball to the basket.  You must break down these components and understand how they both effect your shot in different ways. Then you put them together and you become a better shooter! We must break down every skill in this way if we wish to get to the roots of what we need to fix in our game!

Play Your Position or Don’t 

As your skills begin to take shape, so will your identity as a basketball player. Some of your skills may be better than others! You may be better at driving to the basket than shooting or vice versa or you may be known for your ability to get every rebound. We tend to want to do the things that we do well more than the things that we don’t.

As our stronger skills start to emerge, we can determine our basketball position. As the game constantly changes, so do the roles of the position of its players. The traditional basketball player positions are:

1- Point guard

2- Shooting guard

3- Small forward

4- Power forward

5- Center  

Each position has a certain role to fulfill on the court, so positions are based on players’ abilities to perform a certain task.   

Point guards for example do a lot of dribbling and passing, so to play this position, a player needs to be strong at these two skills. However, in recent years the game has evolved as point guards have begun to develop more shooting and scoring skills.

Positions in basketball can be useful when orchestrating good team play. But, as a basketball player DO NOT LET YOUR POSITION DEFINE YOU AS A PLAYER! This can be dangerous because you want to constantly be evolving and improving your skill. Don’t get caught in the thought that, “I’m just a shooting guard, I don’t need to improve my dribbling or rebounding.”

Basketball does not simply mean we have to jump the highest or run the fastest. Although we certainly want to have a monster vertical leap and to run the court like an Olympic sprinter, basketball athleticism is learning to use your body in ways that maximize your basketball skill!

To develop true athleticism for hoops, we can’t only focus on power and explosion. We must also develop our balance, core strength, acceleration (speeding up), deceleration (slowing down), lateral movement, footwork, conditioning, flexibility etc.

Our athleticism is the ingredient that we mix with our skill to enhance our game. As we learn to strengthen our lower and upper body and we get stronger, we can do things like shooting the ball from the three-point line with proper form!

Footwork, Footwork, Footwork

As our balance improves, every one of our basketball skills will improve because we will have more stability as we make any move on the court! We will be better on defense because we will be more balanced in our defensive stance.  

The foundation of our balance is our feet. Every move that we make on the basketball court starts with engaging our feet.  

The perfect marriage between skill and athleticism is footwork. The more we understand how to control our feet, we can control the rest of your body. We want our feet to move as efficiently as possible. This will allow us to move our body on angles where we will be able to gain advantages on our opponent.  

Often we find that slower, less athletic players with superior footwork are able to beat faster players with inferior footwork. The slow player with better footwork is able to out maneuver the fast player on offense and defense. 

Basketball is a dance, learning footwork is like learning the dance steps! As our basketball athleticism improves, we are able to “Dance to the rhythm of the game.”

Understand the game! Learn the rules, Learn the objectives of the game! Learn the history of the game! Learn the language of the game! Learn the form of the game! 

There are rules and boundaries that the game is meant to be played within.  We must learn these “lines” so that we can find use our individual skills within the context of the game. When you learn the game, certain things become obvious; you don’t want to dribble out of bounds, you want to make shots (in the other team’s basket preferably), you want to pass the ball to the players on your team.

As our knowledge progresses, we begin to learn how the game operates.  We learn when certain situations will present themselves in the game. When should we shoot? When should we pass? When is a good time to try to steal the ball on defense? All of these questions are great questions, but they all have more than one correct answer! The more we learn the game the more we understand the different answers to these questions!

Time, Score, and Possession

A big part of our basketball IQ is understanding time, score, and possession. This will answer the questions from above. We should always be aware of how much time is on the clock, the score of the game, and what we want to accomplish on each possession. As we keep these things in mind when we make decisions on the court, we become “smarter” basketball players. As we understand time, score, and possession, we will have a better understanding of when we should use certain skills and when we shouldn’t.  

Learn to use your SKILLS AND BASKETBALL IQ within the context of the game. For example, learn the skill learn proper shooting form and techniques. Learn how being in better shape and being a better athlete can give you the strength you need to be a good shooter! Then use your BASKETBALL IQ to look for great shots on the court!

As you begin to elevate your basketball IQ, the speed of the game will seem to slow down. The next play will begin to reveal itself to you and you will develop the basketball instincts to react accordingly.

The secret ingredient to being DOMINANT is overcoming your fears that may arise in your basketball experience! Remember that fear can be overcome by finding strength within yourself and making one courageous play. Hustle Hard! Shoot big shots even in the face of defeat. Be a relentless defender even when you are tired. Work when no one is watching!

When we say fear, we are not taking about standing across from your opponent trembling and terrified. Fear can creep in your mind in more subtle ways. We may be afraid to make a mistake, and because of that are hesitant to trust our skills. After missing three shots you may become “gun shy”, and when it’s time to shoot the next shot you may be afraid that if you miss the fourth shot your coach may put you on the bench.  

We must not be discouraged by coaches who communicate poorly. We can’t be discouraged by hostile teammates, crowds or environments. If we allow these things to affect our mentality in a negative way, it will be nearly impossible to dominate the game!

Be A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E

Be proactive on the court! When you have decided to make a move, make it bold and aggressive. After all we are looking to leave our impact on the game. As we shoot, defend, attack the basket, rebound, etc., we have to do these things as though we intend to dominate the game with our play. 

Play as though you belong. Own your physical space. Use your athleticism to carve out real estate on the court and aggressively protect that space.  If we are dribbling and attacking the basket, we have to protect the ball aggressively with our body. You have to attack the basket boldly with the mentality that you won’t be stopped!  

If you are on defense, defend aggressively! Remember it’s your job to prevent the offense from scoring. You have to defend in a way that you can dominate the offensive player. Highly skilled and athletic players can do this without fouling.

In conclusion, to become the most dominant version of yourself as a basketball player we must remember the four keys:

1. Develop your basketball skill
2. Develop your basketball athleticism
3. Develop your basketball IQ
4. Play with courage over fear

CoachUp is the safest and easiest way to find a coach for personalized training. With our 100% money-back guarantee and vetted coaches, anyone can achieve their full athletic potential. Find your perfect coach today and become the athlete you want to be!

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How to Dominate as a Center in Basketball (Tips and Tricks)

The center, who is often referred to as the “five,” is one of the most important basketball positions on the team.

A dominant center can completely change the identity of a team’s offense and defense.

Often the player deemed "the center" is the tallest player on the team, and they usually spend a lot of time around the key on the defensive end of the floor.

Offensively, most of the center’s points will come right around the basket, although it's becoming more common for them to step outside and hit midrange and three-point shots.

Many youth players watch the slam dunks of Shaquille O’Neal or the blocked shots of Dwight Howard and want to mimic the play of famous big men...

But few actually have the characteristics necessary to be a great center.

So, what traits does the “five” man need to dominate?

Even though we believe positionless basketball can be a great offensive concept and that multiple players should be able to play multiple positions on the court...

The saying “size matters” still exists for a reason.

The center is typically the tallest player on the team, and therefore is typically responsible for getting high percentage layups and post finishes on the offensive end and guarding the other team’s tallest player on the defensive end.

This isn’t to say a smaller center can’t be effective... but it’s much more difficult.

The team's center also usually has elite strength to compliment that height.

A player who is expected to battle for every rebound, score regularly in the post, and guard the biggest player on the other team will have to be strong in order to be successful.

A lot of teams have players that are tall or strong, but it is far more rare for a player to combine those physical attributes with the willingness to use them.

A great center needs to provide an inside presence on both ends of the court, and size alone is not enough to create that presence.

They must also be willing to play physical with the biggest and strongest players on the other team on every trip down the court.

The tallest player on the team is never going to be the quickest, but a dominant center does still need to be an athletic player who can run the floor and contribute on every possession.

Mobility is a trait that often separates a good center from a great one, primarily because it is so rare among players who are naturally so much larger physically than other players on the court.

Any coach would be glad to have a player who is tall, strong, and willing to play physical...

But if that player is also athletic enough to create shots for himself on the offensive end and block shots on the defensive end, then he will be a truly dominant center.

5. Conditioning

Dominant centers are a nightmare for opposing coaches, and one way they typically try to minimize that player’s impact is by creating tempo offensively and forcing him to run the floor.

Most centers are not built for that type of game, but a dominant one will also be in good enough shape to play a lot of minutes.

After all, even if you are the best player on the court, your impact is not nearly as high as it could be if you are only able to play half of the game.

A center who is in great physical shape will also be in great shape to become a dominant player.

A player with size, strength, and athleticism has the potential to become a great center...

But how should he be putting those characteristics to use?

If you have a player with the size and physicality to be a true center, he needs to be the best rebounder on both ends of the court.

It does not take a basketball genius to realize that the tallest player is the closest to the rim, and therefore the closest to a lot of rebounding opportunities.

A center who controls the glass can be the most valuable member of a basketball team.

More rebounds equals more shots, and more shots equals more points.

So a dominant center who attacks the glass on both ends can completely dictate the game.

As the biggest player on the court, the center needs to provide a presence in the lane for the offense.

This means he must be able to fight for post position, and then be able to execute a variety of different moves to score on the block.

Depending on the level of play, it can be common for centers to be thrust into their role simply because of size, but a dominant center needs to be skilled enough to make efficient moves and finish with touch around the rim.

A great center can completely change your team’s entire defense, primarily because opponents will be much less willing to attack the hoop.

A high level high school center or above may be expected to play above the rim and block shots, but a center at any level can still be a “rim protector” if he is able to be a help defender that discourages the offense to drive.

This is where the height, strength, and physicality mentioned above become necessities for a dominant center, as a smaller player simply does not provide that physical presence.

Naturally, the biggest players typically match up with one another, meaning your center has to be able to guard the biggest player on the other team.

Again, height, strength, and physicality of course play a factor in this responsibility.

Players of any size can get rebounds or score in the post occasionally, but not everyone can physically take on the challenge of defending a center.

If your center has the mobility and conditioning mentioned above as well, then he will have the advantage in this matchup.

If a player is a truly dominant center who is capable of scoring in a variety of ways, then he probably will not be guarded by only one player very often.

Some teams may elect to send double teams or traps to force the center to get rid of the ball, and when that happens, he must be able to distribute to open teammates.

A dominant center scores in the lane often enough to draw additional defenders, and then takes advantage by dumping passes off to the other post player, hitting an open cutter, or kicking out for an open 3-point shot.

Now that we’ve covered what characteristics can make for a great center and what role the center should be playing on the court, how can a player build himself into a great big man?

At some point, most coaches have seen a physically imposing center who provides a presence, but his only chance to score is an easy drop step layup or open putback at the rim.

However, a great center needs to have a number of different post moves that they can execute with their back to the basket.

True post players have become fewer and further between in this era of basketball.

In fact, most teams don’t play with a true center at all...

So a big, tall player who probably isn’t as quick as most others or as comfortable on the perimeter needs to have multiple ways to score inside in order to be established as part of an offense.

A dominant center should have a go-to move, a very reliable secondary move, and then also be able to add counters to those moves.

A dominant defensive center is typically a shot blocker.

But simply being tall will not automatically mean that a player will be spiking every opponent’s shot off the backboard.

Blocking shots - and just playing good post defense in general - requires toughness, anticipation, and coordination.

Playing 1-on-1 against an offensive player on the block will help a center develop those skills, and getting a number of repetitions in a row will help build the necessary conditioning as well.

The most common way that an opposing coach will try to limit the effectiveness of a dominant center is by forcing him to score at the free throw line instead of giving up open post moves.

It has proven to be incredibly effective in some situations, especially against big men who are far below average free throw shooters.

After all, “Hack-A-Shaq” is still one of the most commonly used phrases in defensive basketball strategy many years after it was implemented.

A great center needs to be able to step up to the free throw line and knock down shots at a high rate so that he can not be taken advantage of by opposing teams.

Free throw shooting becomes even more important in late game situations, and if the center is your best player, you want to be able to leave them in the game during crunch time.

But if they can’t be trusted to make free throws, then you probably won’t want them on the court in those big moments.

As mentioned above, the time of true centers has largely come and gone in today’s basketball world.

It has become much more common to see different varieties of “small-ball” or positionless basketball, especially at higher levels.

Therefore, a center will only make himself more valuable if he is also able to at least provide a threat to shoot a jump shot.

Long range shooting isn’t necessary for centers, and it is extremely rare for the center to be considered a knock down shooter.

But even the willingness to shoot from 10-15 feet can add an entirely different dimension that can be very difficult for most opposing centers to defend.

If a center can step out and be a threat from 3-point range, too, then he has the potential to become unstoppable.

While shooting and other ball skills can be a great addition to a center’s game, they will never be truly necessary or expected to play the position.

Strength is absolutely essential to the success of a big man who aims to control the paint.

Spend time weight training to get your body to a point where it can physically take on the responsibility and toll of playing center.

A center can be a focal point of a team offense and a team defense if they have the size and physicality to provide a real presence on both ends of the court.

However, the center can completely change the game if they also have the skills and athleticism to control the rebounding battle, score in the paint, and block shots.

Though the position has become less and less common in recent years, a truly dominant center who has the ability to impact the game as an offensive threat and also a defensive stopper will make your team a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches.

Three right for a better rebound

Basketballforcoaches

Many basketball players and coaches believe that unless you're blessed with good height or jumping ability, you'll never be a great rebounder.

This is incorrect.

While height and big vertical jump definitely help, a great rebounder is someone who can read the flight of the ball and get into a smart position.

Using effective blocking exercises during your workout can quickly teach even the shortest teams how to dominate the boards.

This will mean fewer points for the opposition, more shots for your team, and the advantage of keeping the aggressiveness on your team's side.

3 backstab exercises

1. Quick rebound ball selection. When a player recovers the ball, he scores one point for his team and must then immediately pass the ball to the throwing partner, who will throw again.

The winner is the team that accumulates 10 points

Goal:

A competitive rebounding exercise that will teach players how to set up a blocking position against their opponent early.

Players will practice reading the flight of the ball and learn how to position themselves to give them the best chance of mastering the bounce.

Arrangement.

Five players per basket. Two teams of two players.

LSB thrower. Two teams start inside the 3 second zone

Instructions:

1. The LSB player starts the drill by throwing the basket.

2. As the shot is made, the players inside the box fight for the rebound both on a goal and on a miss.

3. The team that wins the rebound receives one point and must immediately pass the ball back to the thrower.

4. As soon as the player receives the ball, he throws again.

5. The players who have to fight to win the possession fight for the rebound again to accumulate points.

6. When a team reaches 10 points (or rebounds), they are declared the winners.

Options:

Player Shooting Distance - Depending on the age and shooting ability of the players you are coaching, you can change the throwing distance.

For younger players, ask them to shoot below the free throw line.

Number of Rebounders - Instead of a 2-on-2 line-up, this drill can also be played with a 3-on-3 or even a 4-on-4.

Coaching Tips:

Keep track of how much exercise your players get. Although this is a power contact drill and you want to let them fight, never let it get to the point where players get injured.

The player who recovers the ball must always count the number of points accumulated by their team.

Talk to your players about the importance of getting a good position against your opponent as soon as possible.

Even if the throw is made, the ball is still alive.

Encourage your players to jump up powerfully and grab the ball with both hands.

2. Unstable selection

How the exercise works:

The first player passes the ball from the middle of the box to one of the partners on the wing. They then have to put their backs on the players on the opposite wing, who will run to grab the rebound.

The one who recovers the ball passes to either wing, while the player who did not win the ball must block the player from the opposite wing.

Purpose: This is a high intensity exercise that will teach players how to dash to make contact with their opponent, put their backs, and then challenge for the ball.

Spacing:

. Players are divided into groups on each wing.

. One player starts from the middle of the box with the ball.

Instructions:

1. The player in the middle of the box starts the exercise by passing the ball to the player in front of the line of any wing that will take the throw.

2. Once they have done this, the passer must attempt to block the player on the opposite wing, who will dash to pick up the ball.

3. The person who picks up the ball can choose to pass to any wing. Once they have done so, they join the back line to which they passed the ball.

4. The player who did not pick up the ball must remain in the game and block the player on the opposite wing, who will again try to win the rebound.

5. The exercise continues for the amount of time determined by the trainer.

Options:

Individual Scoring - Players can keep track of the number of rebounds they have accumulated.

The winner is the first player to pick up, for example, 7 rebounds.

Corners - Instead of starting on the wings, players may start in the corners of the court.

Tips for Coaches:

It's incredibly important that you encourage players to snatch in order to make early contact with the perimeter snatcher.

• The purpose of the inside rebounder is to keep the perimeter player as far away from the basket as possible. This increases their chances of getting the ball.

• The ball is still in play even if the throw is made.

• On the rebound, the rebounder should go to the rebound with two hands and attempt to secure the ball at the highest point of their jump, and then slowly lower the ball to chin level.

3. Let him bounce!

How the drill works: Four defenders try to keep the ball from being touched by four attackers before it bounces on the floor after a player or coach shoots from the free-throw line.

Purpose: A fun variation on the usual rebounding practice that all players enjoy. Defenders back (block) their opponents using their body to keep a good position and prevent the attacker from going around and grabbing the ball.

Line-up:

• The 4 attacking players are positioned outside the penalty area.

• 4 defenders start inside the box.

• The coach or player has the ball on the free throw line.

Instructions:

1. The player starts the exercise by shooting from the free-throw line.

2. The defenders must immediately make a dash and touch the body of the attacking players who are trying to catch the bounced ball.

3. Instead of chasing the ball after contact is made, defenders try to keep the opponent on their back and let the ball touch the floor and bounce.

4. If the defense was successful, then the exercise is repeated with a throw from the penalty area. If the attacking team wins the rebound, the ball is in play and they try to put it in the basket.

Variations:

This exercise can be played with any number of players, although I recommend either 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4 for best results.

Coaching tips:

• Defenders should keep attackers on their backs for as long as possible and attacking players should chase the ball until they touch it. If the ball bounces more than once, even better for defense.

• Defenders must find the offensive player and make contact before they can find the ball with their own eyes. Use your forearm to make contact and then turn around to block the attacker.

• The defense must be tight with arms wide apart so that attacking players cannot easily get past them.

• Beware of offensive players pushing the defender in the back. Let the players be physically tough, but don't let it get out of hand.

V. Melnichuk transfer 06.01. 2019

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Why not send Aleksey Shved to the tournament? Is it possible to dominate with a seven-footer? Is there a Jordan here? Ask embarrassing questions about 3x3 basketball - Bank shot - Blogs

3x3 basketball makes its debut at the Tokyo Olympics. And while we only understand how everything works.

Vladimir Spivak, FIBA ​​representative in Russia and 3x3 basketball commentator on the Rossiya-1 TV channel, explains what you need to know to feel more confident watching an Olympic tournament in a new sport.

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A post shared by Vladimir Spivak (@selloutxboy)

For example:

• how different selection systems are arranged;

• why European champion and Olympic bronze medalist Anton Ponkrashov does not qualify for the 3x3 team;

• what is the rating system?

Why is there no US men's team at the Olympics? Are Americans the coolest?

USA were the men's 3x3 world champions in 2019. But this is 3x3 basketball with its unpredictability: in the men's qualification, the American team was beaten by the Netherlands, these are one of the main heroes of the 3x3 tour this year.

The Netherlands program is already two or three years old: men train with each other all the time, participate together in the world tour, and this is very important, because in 3x3 basketball, first of all, they play as a team, play defense. If you look at how Latvia performs, these people just act on the machine for ten minutes, they know where their partner will run, this is an incredible level of interaction that is important in 3v3 basketball.

USA Basketball - as is often the case with this organization lately - realized a little late. In the case of the women's team, they still managed to catch up and win the selection for the Olympics, since there is a little less competition in the world. And in the case of the men's - despite the fact that they have good teams participating in the 3x3 world club tour - they did not manage to make a well-played team.

Considering that Americans are cooler than others by default is a stereotype, this has not been the case for a long time.

Russia got in some tricky way. Does this mean we are cheaters?

Russia got to the Olympics absolutely according to the rules. We must pay tribute to the RSE in this case: FIBA ​​gave four tickets to the Olympics for men and women to the best teams by rating on November 1, 2019. The rating is compiled on the basis of the results of the teams (all clubs and national teams), and it is also influenced by the mass character (as many tournaments under the auspices of FIBA ​​3x3 should be held in the country, and as many people as possible should be involved in them). All these tournaments - national championships, national cups - are issued by FIBA ​​and then are taken into account in the rating of national federations.

RBF did it in time and according to these rules entered the Olympiad.

According to the same principle, Serbs, Japanese and Chinese were also selected from men, from women - Russia, China, Mongolia and Romania.

Another question is that it is unlikely that places for the Olympics will be given according to the same principle in three years. There already it will be necessary to be selected through qualifying tournaments. It will be more difficult.

How are players selected for national teams? Who decides if there is no championship/professional structure?

There are different principles for making prefabs. For example, the Latvian national team is the Riga 3x3 team: there people feel each other's backs, they play together for a very long time, they train together for a very long time. Everyone understands that the team from Riga is the Latvian national team, they are financed by the Latvian Olympic Committee, and they earn more than the guys playing in the Latvian basketball championship.

Russia has had a 3x3 basketball championship since last year. It got pretty stretched out. True, none of the players of the national champion Inanomo was included in the national team. We have a different system. The selection to the national team is handled by the coaching staff: they held a review, and as a result, those who were in the Gagarin team system went to the Olympics.

The Serbian national team, for example, had a very tough selection. Eight people applied for four places, and they fought among themselves until the last moment. They have a mix of different teams, and it doesn't even have to be the top four players in their country's rankings.

In the case of the women's team, there is also a Russian championship. True, it is not so representative, because in women everyone plays both basketball and 3x3 basketball at the same time. They also do not have enough time to play in the 3x3 championship.

What is the rating system? How are these ratings derived? And what is their meaning?

Ratings can be compared to tennis: the more you participate and win in prestigious tournaments, the more points you score. Accordingly, there are Masters, the most prestigious tournaments. There are Challengers, less prestigious tournaments where they qualify for the Masters. There are tournaments even lower level.

To enter a status tournament, a team must have a certain rating or receive a wild card from FIBA. It all takes place at a fairly high organizational level, you can’t just take it and show up. You must constantly score points through the Russian Championship and other tournaments.

Each FIBA ​​3x3 tournament, even the most local one, allows you to score a certain number of rating points for victories. This is done for fun - to find out who is the strongest player in the world. When this sport becomes even more popular, it will be even more interesting to watch it. And now Riga has four people in the top 12. This will change, there will be a more flexible rating system. But for understanding who is who, it's already not bad.

What kind of guys are involved? Why can't Anton Ponkrashov get into the Russian national team?

Most often the guys who didn't succeed with 5x5 basketball participate. For example, Dusan Bulut, the most famous representative of 3x3 basketball, played for minor Serbian teams before he discovered this game and became its ambassador.

It is clear that 3x3 basketball is not specifically taught anywhere else, those who have not succeeded, or they have already completed their careers, come from big basketball. For example, one of the leaders of the Netherlands national team, Arvin Slugter, retired from basketball: he used to play for the Dutch national team and was the record holder of the Dutch championship in assists in history. But this is how he was reborn in 3v3 basketball after 35 years.

3v3 basketball is a little different: different physical skills are required and it is possible to play after 35 if you are in good shape. It looks like you are restarting your career.

With regard to Russia, you need to understand that very young guys play here. The oldest is Sharov, who is 26 years old. The rest are 24 years old. Ilya Karpenkov and Kirill Pisklov play in the Super League. All of them have long been in the Gagarin system of coach Vladimir Aghababyan. The RFB specially played them for several years so that it would be an Olympic team. According to the coaching staff, they are more familiar with the specifics of 3x3 basketball than Anton Ponkrashov, who did not make it to the base. These are people who never claimed anything serious in 5x5 basketball, but found themselves in 3x3 basketball. For example, Sharov was never in the professional basketball system, he played in the ASB and was found there.

Why are the players in 3v3 basketball so unathletic (for example, they don't hit from above) and constantly miss from behind the arc?

They only seem to be non-athletic, precisely because they are all very athletic. And against the background of each other, this athleticism is leveled.

Non-athletic people in this sport would not have survived even half of the game, not to mention the level of the Olympics. You also need to take into account that now it’s hard for them to adapt to the heat: it’s 35 degrees in Tokyo in the evening, and in this closeness you have to run at an incredible pulse.

As for the top shots, it is possible to score from the top in 3x3 basketball at some commercial tournaments, but this is not very effective. When you score from above, you can switch to defense much less quickly. And in 3x3 basketball, the attack is replaced by defense instantly: accordingly, you need more time to switch to defense. Many prefer to do without dunks.

I would not say that they constantly miss from behind the arc. It’s just that after you’ve been hacked down on two screens, hit on the ribs and on the liver, it’s very difficult to go to the arc and get a long-range shot. Although there are snipers who do this regularly. The specifics of this sport is such that you cannot defend all the defense throughout the entire match in the corner, as Luka Doncic is doing now in the Slovenian national team. You need to be constantly involved, so if you've worked hard on defense, long shots seem to be quite difficult.

What is their level compared to normal basketball? And are there any guys who are considered reference - basketball 3x3 Jordans?

Can't compare level because it's a different sport. For example, Dusan Bulut would not look so great in basketball, but he is the best player in the history of 3x3. And the same Luka Doncic in 3x3 basketball would have been swept away and would not have lasted on the court for a long time.

Yes, the principle is the same here - you need to hit the ring. And yet it is difficult to compare basketball players by level, because they play a different kind of this sport.

Jordans from 3x3 are available. For example, Dushan Bulut. He doesn't look very athletic on the outside, but it doesn't feel like he needs to be hidden on defense because he's a unique talent on offense. Again: 3x3 basketball doesn't work like that, you have to work everywhere. Bulut cracked the code of 3x3 basketball with the help of game intelligence, just like Doncic cracked the code of 5x5 basketball. He knows everything about her, understands everything, his individual skill delights. While he doesn't look like a 3v3 basketball jordan on the outside, he doesn't have the perfect body for the sport, but he's just really cool.

An interesting story: when European United League 3x3 matches were held in shopping centers, Bulut sat in a cafe between games, drank coffee, went out and destroyed all rivals, and then went on to drink coffee. It's pure talent, you have to be born with it.

Why not just send players from the Russian team? Wouldn't the Swede have brought us medals?

It would be a very funny turn of events if Shved refused to play for the Russian national basketball team, but at the same time expressed a desire to play for the 3x3 team. To be honest, I don't think that Shved would have brought us medals, rather, he would have brought hundreds more malicious comments on Sports.ru. The Swede can be a good defender when he wants to, but in 3v3 basketball you have to do it all the time or you don't give your team a chance. A good team finds a weak link very quickly and attacks through it. It would be difficult for a Swede.

I think that Nikita Kurbanov, who is versatile, defends amazingly, and hits from behind the arc, would almost immediately enter 3x3 basketball. And perhaps not so immediately, but Evgeny Baburin would definitely come in. Maybe even come in.

It's hard to imagine someone who could easily move from one sport to another. Even for these two people, this is just an assumption.

In any case, you need to get ready: it's impossible to come and take it in a hurry. Let's say there were people like Garbajosa who, at the end of their career, came to 3x3 basketball and were simply destroyed.

What is the difficulty of 3x3 compared to normal?

The difficulty is in the strong energy consumption, in the fact that you need to make quick decisions all the time, for ten minutes. At the same time, you are constantly beaten (albeit within the rules), you are in constant contact, you are pressed, pushed, and you have to make the right decisions, hit the shots.

You run for ten minutes without a break, it's a very hard sport. Players practically collapse from fatigue towards the end of matches, and teams with good physical fitness have an advantage: by the end of tournaments, this often crawls out. The same Latvia is always ready physically. Let's see, at this Olympics they will look even more profitable by the end.

Even in 3x3 basketball, the psychological moment is very important. You missed - you immediately need to regroup, play attack. Top teams - Serbia, Latvia, the Netherlands - pay a lot of attention to psychology and work with psychologists.

What tactics do the teams follow? Why not take a seven-footer that would just throw under the ring?

Tactics can be different.

It is very important to distribute fouls the way you want it: whether you want to defend on the verge of a foul right away and risk getting fouls, or defend light as the game progresses and you end up with fouls to play harder. This is a very significant factor, since after the seventh team foul everything is penalized with two free throws, after the tenth and beyond - two free throws and possession. You may not be able to intercept the ball at all, and you need to use it wisely to defend hard, but not foul. This is largely the tactic and built. For example, now Serbia and Latvia were playing, they had six fouls three minutes after the start - they immediately went out to play on hard contact. But they don't worry about it, since such games rarely last ten minutes: the team has high individual skill, they will score 21 points faster.

Basically, these are not super complex interactions, first of all, the movement of the ball and the players. All top teams are good at this.

Plus, the teams are trying to find a weak point in the opposing team and press through it.

That's why you can't take a seven-footer: he won't be able to defend, trade for small ones, and exchanges are the main element of defense in pick-and-roll in 3x3 basketball, if not the only one. And he will quickly run out of steam. Nikolai Rogozhkin played for the Ekaterinburg team, for 220, this works very effectively for the first five minutes of the game, but the result is usually made in the last two minutes. By this time, this person is no longer on the site: it is impossible for the “big” to run so much.

Why can't the coach be prompted? Why is he needed at all?

This is done in order to equalize the chances of the teams. To help those teams that do not have the opportunity to come to tournaments with coaches. Accordingly, they have no one to tell.

The player who is in the substitute chair has the right to prompt. It helps a lot, as far as I can tell. If it were not for him, then there would be no one to assess the situation from the outside.

In general, a coach is needed to prepare players, determine interactions and tactics. All national teams, of course, have coaches. For example, in the women's team of Japan, there is generally a specialist from Germany who has been working with them for a long time and clearly helps them: they improve from tournament to tournament. There is definitely enough work for coaches here.

Why aren't there great AND1-style heads-ups?

Play one on one as much as you want. Find the highlights of Dusan Bulut: they make you grab your head.

In general, there are probably not so many spectacular moments at the Olympics now, since the stakes are high. But in almost any tournament during the season, if not in almost any game, there is something that makes you exclaim, clutch your head, gasp ... It's a really very spectacular sport.

Why would anyone think this is spectacular?

Because it really is. It's very intense. It's very unpredictable. It is a very contact sport.

It is also important that the match lasts only ten minutes: if some game does not work out, then a new one will start soon, and it will probably be better.

Transience and unpredictability are the two most important factors in 3v3 basketball.

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