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How to finish in traffic basketball
How to finish in traffic basketball
USA Basketball - 4 Tips for Finishing Around the Basket
As players begin playing against better opponents, getting to the basket and finishing with a score becomes more difficult. Because defenders are bigger, quicker and more athletic, the risk of steals and blocked shots becomes much higher.
Offensive players must develop a variety of ways to counter these potential problems around the basket and score as they get to the rim. Players must have the ability to avoid the steal and the blocked shot if they want to be consistent finishers at the basket.
Avoiding the Steal
Players must be aware of the hands of their defender as well as the hands of any help defenders. To avoid being stripped on your drive, here are some general rules:
- Lock It: After the last dribble, keep the ball away from the hands of your defender by keeping the ball on your outside hip. We tell our players to “lock it in your pocket.” This way, if the defender tries to steal or strip, he will wave at air, or will foul you on your inside arm as he reaches across your body.
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This must be practiced and perfected so that it is not a reaction to the defenders move, but preparation for it.
- Cover It: When driving through traffic with your defender and helpside defenders reaching for the ball, cover the ball up with both arms – just like a running back in football. This gets you through the hole of reaching hands and arms, and allows you to finish the play without being stripped. Again, this must be practiced and perfected in preparation for this situation.
Avoiding Blocked Shots
It is important to prepare for different scenarios based on where the shot blocker is positioned. Here are two basic situations to prepare for.
- Reverse Lay Up: When the shot blocker is coming from the foul line area down toward the baseline to block your shot, he is usually timing your move to block the shot on your side of the basket. He’s lining it up to pin it on the glass. As you see him coming, stretch out your move out by lengthening your steps to finish underneath on the opposite side of the basket.
Most shot blockers will have a difficult time adjusting to this move. Once again, this is not a reaction to his attempted block. It is prepared for in advance and anticipated based on where the help is coming from.
- Overhand Floater: When the shot blocker is coming across the lane, waiting on you or coming out to meet you, you now shorten your move and float the layup overhand. Your footwork is the same as a regular layup, just shorten the steps. The overhand shot rhythm should be smooth and unhurried, and the ball be released high and hit softly on the rim or backboard.
At higher levels of basketball, players often make good moves to get by their defender, only to encounter trouble when they get near the basket. Finishing plays becomes more difficult as the athletic ability of your opponents increases. By developing the above techniques, players can to avoid steals and blocked shots and become more proficient at finishing the play at the rim.
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20 Basketball Layup / Finishing Drills for Coaches & Players
Below you'll find 20 very effective finishing drills for basketball coaches to use during practice and for players to use during workouts.
We sometimes use the word "layup" and "finishing" interchangeably. If you're a coach, you already know what "layup" means. When we say "finishing", that means the player is going to the basket and finishing with some type of shot. That shot could be a layup, euro step, pro-hop, jump-stop power finish, floater, push shot, and the list goes on. There are dozens of different finishing moves and you can learn about those moves here.
Whether you are working on a basic layup or an advanced pro-hop with a left hand hook finish... all the drills below work. You choose the type of finishing move you want players to work on for each drill.
With beginners, you should use very simple drills to teach layups. The simple "layup line drill" that everyone has seen is a good example.
Once players are comfortable making basic layups, you can progress to the interleaving and competitive drills below. To get started, here's a good layup drill for beginners:
Lay Up Progressions Drill
You'll notice we do not have any drills listed in this section because all the drills below work for players whether they are 3rd grade youth players or advanced college players.
With youth players you might only work on basic layups and you might adjust the rules to reduce the challenge. Older players might work on advanced finishing moves and have 1-2 tight defenders challenging the shot.
We recommend that you use interleaving and random layup drills.
Interleaving means you mix skills and allows you to practice more efficiently -- so you might work on both dribble moves and finishing at the same time. Or you could combine layups with pieces of your offense, passing, shooting, etc.
Random means you are changing the situations and types of shots. In games, the type of layup you shoot changes randomly. All of the following can change from shot to shot in a game:
- the angle of the drive (from the top, guard lane, wing, baseline, etc)
- the number of dribbles you take to get to the basket
- the size of the defender contesting the shot
- the angle the defender takes to contest the shot
- the location the defender contests the shot
However, most teams practice the traditional block style of drill with layup lines where the same things happens over and over -- they start with the perfect angle to the basket, take 2 dribbles, and shoot the ball off the backboard with no defenders.
This rarely happens in a game, especially against good defensive teams, so we recommend using "interleaving" for efficiency and "random" for better transfer skills to the games.
Here are a few good interleaving and random layup drills:
Cone Grab Finishing Drill
3 Cone - Groove Finishing Drill
The Arc Finishing Drill
Figure 8 Hook Shots
Wichita State Attack Series
Finishing Moves Off the Pass
Drop Step Dribble - Ballhandling & Finishing
Kyrie Irving Mikan Drill With 12 Variations
A common question on our message boards: "We practice every day -- why do we miss so many lay ups in games?"
The answer is almost always you need to use more competitive finishing drills (with defenders).
Competitive drills utilize defenders to contest shots and simulate what actually happens in a game. There are hundreds of ways to make drills competitive and simulate situations. Here are a few good game based drills that will help your team finish more shots.
1v1 Speed Dribble
Baseline 1 on 1 Escape
Beatem to the Left
1v1 Hip Pocket Finishing Drill
Foster 1v1 Drill
1v1 Attack With Narrow Cones
3 Pass 1v1 and 3v3
2 Beilein Finishing Drills
1 on 1 Trailing Lay Up Drill
Corner Finishing
Competitive 1v1 Attack
If you'd like MORE basketball drills, check out our FREE 152 page ebook with 72 great basketball drills that are neatly organized and ready for you to print out in PDF format.
Slamdunk Journal :: Basketball techniques
Our phone number is 8-800-500-62-63.
What techniques exist and how they differ
Let's first deal with the definition: playing techniques are skills that a professional player must possess. Sounds simple, but what exactly are the skills in basketball? What should an amateur who wants to improve the performance of his game pay attention to? Let's figure it out.
The main goal in basketball is to successfully hit the ball into the basket, and everything that happens on the court only brings the players to this moment.
There are skills that basketball players work out in training to bypass rivals and make a successful shot.
Before we list them, let us remind you that basketball is a team sport, and even the most successful players do not master all the tricks perfectly. With a serious approach to training, you should decide on your position on the site and especially carefully work out the necessary techniques.
So the post must deftly pick up the ball under the hoop and throw it right into the basket. Back row players are highly regarded for their ability to pass and make accurate shots from medium to long distances. And for an attacking basketball player, it is extremely important to be able to make lightning-fast breakthroughs to the ring. All these techniques and skills are practiced in training.
What are the basic skills?
- Holding the throw. Performed with two hands. Widely spaced fingers hold the ball from both sides. One of the basic skills for any player.
- Catching the ball. Another basic skill that no basketball player can do without. But are you sure you know how to do it right?!
The easiest way to catch the ball is at chin level. To do this, you need to take a small step forward and stretch your arms towards the ball with widely spread fingers - a “funnel”. In this case, the thumbs should be directed towards each other and brought together up to 3-5 centimeters. This will save you from slipping and hitting the ball in the face if you catch it at high speed. At the moment the ball touches the fingers, you need to make a shock-absorbing movement and transfer it to the chest. When catching the ball above the head, the actions are similar, but you need to extinguish the speed of its flight from the top-front, and then transfer it to the chest in an arc.
One of the most difficult tricks is catching the ball flying behind. Such a pass is often used to quickly break through to the opponent's ring. For him, without slowing down, make a slight turn of the shoulder and head towards the ball, and then catch it with the far hand and move it to the chest with a raking movement.
Basic passing techniques:
There are several technically correct ways to pass the ball. One of the most basic is a transfer with two hands from the chest. In this position, the ball is most protected from the attacks of opponents, and besides, the transfer from the chest is the most accurate and reliable, regardless of whether it is carried out on the spot or while the player is moving.
- Two-handed downshift is more commonly used after stops and turns. During the swing, the ball is taken to the thigh, after which it is sent to another player with a sharp movement of both hands. Such a transfer is effective for beating especially tall opponents.
- One-handed passes are less accurate and more often used when speed is important. Their development should be given special attention in training in order to achieve maximum strength and accuracy.
- The shoulder pass is used when the ball needs to be passed as far and as fast as possible, and the hook pass, performed in an arcing motion, is good for passing the opponent.
- To get around a nimble and agile opponent, a rebound pass will also be good. It can be done with one or two hands. In this case, the push of the ball must be strong, and the rebound point must be closer to the receiving player.
What about dribbling?
Dribbling is the most basic thing in basketball. What makes this sport different from the rest. Simply put, dribbling is dribbling. It allows the player in possession of the ball, without violating strict basketball rules, to enter a position convenient for attacking, approach the ring and score the ball. The dribbling is carried out by elastic pushes of the ball with the fingers. It is dribbling that should be given special attention in training beginners.
Well-developed dribbling technique will teach you not only how to move on the court, but also skillfully take the ball away from your opponents, which will bring you closer to the coveted ring.
But we already wrote about how to properly throw the ball into the ring in our other article;)
Slamdunk.
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90,000 Schumacher being driven out of F-1 - how is that at all? Is he really that bad? - Nostalgia and Modern - Blogs
The replacement is a 35-year-old reservist with a Grand Prix record without podiums.
Son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher spent two seasons in the Grand Prix for the underdog Haas - and found his own identity as Mick Schumacher : F-2 and F-2 champion -3 finished twice in the top 10 and broke through to the third qualifying segment on a car that was not the fastest. However, with a total of 12 points against 24, teammate Kevin Magnussen , even adjusted for the strength of the team, more and more questions arise for Mick “whether Schumacher’s name should be associated with such achievements.”
“We need a rider who will do the best for Haas,” Günther Steiner, Haas chief , repeated throughout the autumn.
– Mick should show the result. His chances are 50/50, but there is a home field advantage.
How fast is he? I dont know. And I do not know how stable it shows the speed. It is unlikely that he himself understands this - otherwise he would have consistently produced results.
If Mick shows speed, then, of course, the surname is good. But Mick must not remain in the shadow of his father. He can be himself. Of course, getting out of the shadow of the seven-time world champion is hard. But this is inevitable anyway. I respect his father, but we need Mick Schumacher. He gets along well with his race engineer and the rest of the team. And for Mick, that's a plus."
The team has been asking him to show progress since the middle of the year, and insiders are constantly leaking discussions about the possible return of the two-year reserve race record holder (179!) without podiums Nico Hulkenberg (who is actually 35). The once extremely promising German keeps fit and jumped into the car to replace the ill Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel in the past two years, and Steiner has known him for a long time and really talked.
Mick's main problem from the start of the season was accidents - Michael's son didn't solve it completely, and the Haas owner is still complaining.
“Mick should be scoring and we're trying to give him as much time as possible. If he wants to stay, he needs to demonstrate that he is capable of earning points,” Gene Haas explained. “We can't afford so many accidents—it's just too expensive. If errors are made in pilot selection or strategy, they cost millions of dollars.
I think Mick has a lot of potential, but, you know, he cost us a fortune. He crashed a lot of fireballs - this is serious money, which we do not have. If you bring points, if you're Verstappen and crash cars, that's fine with us. But if you chase in the tail and get into accidents, the situation is very difficult. If he wins the next Grand Prix, he will stay. All intermediate options are a gray area.”
Schumacher is now the main F-1 crasher: he smashed cars worth $6 million. He takes too many risks - ambitions, expectations and the ceiling of possibilities crush
Of course, it is impossible to win the race at Haas, and therefore, with each stage, Mick's situation looks more and more unpleasant and more unpleasant.
People of the caliber of former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone are also not on his side:
“People are disappointed with his performances. We don't know whose fault it is more - himself or the team - but yes, it is very difficult to find a person who would decide to put Mick behind the wheel of a car that can win.
Maybe Mick should forget about Formula 1 and focus on another racing series. His name is his biggest burden, but Mick is doing his best to deal with it. And all these troubles mainly arise against the background of his name. Just forget it and try yourself in another category.”
“When viewed from the outside, it seems that the first part was unsuccessful,” Helmut Marko, chief of all Red Bull pilots, assessed Schumacher's year. - There were many big accidents that led to serious losses of equipment and money - this is an important topic for the team. Then there were good races, in England and Austria. In the second part of the season, Schumacher performs much better.
He had no luck with Haas' strategy and breakdowns.
Looking at the situation from the team's point of view, big money is at stake in the Constructors' Championship - even the difference between tenth and eighth places is several million dollars. I guess Haas will pick a veteran."
"A team like Haas needs a driver who can deliver consistently," agreed 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill. - Let's remember what Sergio Perez did for Force India and Racing Point, after which he eventually got his chance (in the top team). These are the kind of riders these teams need. They need someone who will consistently reach the finish line and use the available opportunities.
Perhaps a team like Haas would be better served by inviting such a rider than trying to find the fastest driver. At the same time, Mick Schumacher is not such a racer, he is not Max Verstappen. Yes, he may turn out to be very good in the future, but on the side of the same Hulkenberg there is just a huge experience.
And experience is one of those things that a team like Haas might need.
The beginning of the season for Schumacher turned out to be not at all positive: 4 accidents, huge gaps from Magnussen and a general sad impression about the driver who missed the year, even not too physically ready for the first Grand Prix. It even reached the point of irony on the part of Mazepin himself!
But by the middle of the season - the 10th Grand Prix in Great Britain - he finally got used to it: first he hacked with Verstappen wheel to wheel for the seventh position, and in Austria he beautifully and skillfully opposed Hamilton in the sprint. Here are all the highlights from 10 laps of battle against the seven-time world champion.
Since then, however, Mick has not been in the top 10 anymore, but Haas itself is to blame for this: for example, in Japan, the team took a risk and kept the guy on slow tires until the last in the hope of a safety car or early completion of the rain race.
Because Schumacher visited all positions (starting with the first), in the tail.
Development during the season also suffered: the Americans had only one update, while all direct competitors like Williams, Aston Martin and Alpha Tauri systematically accelerated. And over time, both pilots in white cars stopped entering the top ten: Magnussen also scored only once after Austria.
So the experts insist: not everything is so simple!
“If you look at the races since the Silverstone round, we can conclude that of the two Haas drivers, it was Mick who looked more stable - and it was he who was unlucky a couple of times due to unsuccessful strategies. During the race in Mexico, Mick was sometimes faster than Magnussen by 0.6 seconds per lap,” said former F-1 driver, winner of 6 Grand Prix, RTL expert and Mick’s uncle Ralf Schumacher.
“You have to look at the whole season. On the development of the pilot during the season. At the moment, Mick's speed is higher than that of his partner.
Although he made a couple of mistakes in the last races, you can’t judge a driver by the last two races, ”concluded former F-1 driver Timo Glock.
"Mick Schumacher deserves a seat on the grille," snapped Mercedes chief Toto Wolff.
And even Magnussen himself admitted that throwing away his son Michael would not be too fair:
“Mick has been consistently improving throughout this season. At the beginning of the season, he did not really like the behavior of the car, he lacked confidence in piloting. But over time, he managed to noticeably add.
And lately it's been very hard for me to defeat him. It seems to me that, given the level of performance Mick is showing now, he definitely deserves a place in Formula 1.
It's just that it's really hard to shine every weekend in Haas: in the basement and middle of the field, the competition is higher, and sometimes a couple of thousandths separate those who have dropped out and advanced to other segments in qualifying.
According to statistics, Mick went into the top 15 and 10 even more often than Kevin (14 vs. 11) - it's just that the Dane went into the third segment more consistently (8:4). But the overall score of 15:5 in favor of Magnussen, with an average net time difference of 0.3 seconds, is not admiration, but not a rout: two times less than that of Norris and Riccardo, and three times less than between Albon and Latifi or Bottas and Zhou. And almost three times more than Schumacher himself beat Mazepin.
However, it seems that the leadership of Haas has already created a rather negative image.
Mick also fell into the trap of Steiner's impulsiveness and categoricalness. Gunther not only learns the basics of Formula 1 from the examples and lessons of his own team, but constantly radically changes his approach to development under the impression of any strong sudden turn.
For example, the update epic: in 2019, new items only worsened the car, and it returned to pace when they were removed.
Bottom line: since 2020, Haas has generally refused to improve during the season (it went like this in 2021, in 2022 - only one update) - it invests everything in a new car at the start of the championship, and Steiner broadcast several times press "novelties are overrated."
Now a similar story happened to the pilots: Haas worked with Grosjean and Magnussen for several years in a row, then chose two newcomers - Mazepin and Schumacher - with the logic “why not, we will still prepare them for the lost season for the new regulations”, and then he returned Kevin, and it turned out ...
"A very good moment: how a fast driver can show the team how good their car is," Russian Formula 1 photographer Evgeny Safronov shared rumors. – What I heard in the paddock: when a team has a driver, well, not so fast, they probably don’t know and don’t believe, for example, what a cool car they built. Or how you can potentially tune this machine. And when there is an exemplary fast pilot who can sit down and drive normally .
.. "
“With the same pair of drivers, the team would have been in tenth place with zero points. We would think, “Oh my God! So much effort on the development of the machine, and we can not even get into the third segment of the qualification. But a rider like Kev gives the team a lot of motivation,” confirmed Haas Chief Race Engineer Ayao Komatsu.
“Last year I repeated: we have no reference point, we don't really understand [the potential of the machine]. At some point, I mentioned tests [with an experienced pilot] that could be a guideline. Now this issue has resolved itself,” said Steiner himself.
And by the end of the season, Günther came up with a summary “I've had enough of working with newbies for the near future”. Yes, Mick is no longer a beginner, but the sharp reversal of domestic preferences is obvious.
However, it is precisely for the same reason that you cannot guess the next line of Steiner's strategy: what if astrologers announce the year of Germany, and Magnussen is fired again? In the end, Gunther himself issued this: “Any racer is a risk, except for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
