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How to play aggressive in basketball
How to play aggressive in basketball
Basketball on the Edge - 10 Tips for Playing More Aggressive Basketball
Coaches in every sport say it, “Be aggressive out there!” What does that mean exactly? You know your coach wants you to “be more aggressive” but what specifically can you do to play more aggressively? Here are some suggestions of what you can do right now to play more aggressively and some suggestions that can help over the long term.
Play more aggressively today.
1. Go after loose balls.
Every coach loves a player who will get on the floor for a loose ball. Possessions are valuable, they give your team another opportunity to score. Be the player that gets after (AND GETS) every loose ball.
2. Develop an “Every rebound is mine.” mentality.
What stops you from going after every rebound? Unless it is your responsibility to get back on defense why not go hard after the rebound? I watch players in every game just stand and watch as the shot goes up. If you think “Every rebound is mine.![]()
” You’ll play more aggressively.
3. Don’t hesitate. Make a decision and go.
Catch the ball and make a quick basketball. Are you open? Take a shot. Defender rushing at you? Head fake and drive. Teammate open? Make a quick pass. As your skill level improves (See #1 in the long term section) you’ll get better at eliminating hesitation from your game
4. Set physical screens.
Make contact with defenders when you screen. Too many players set phantom screens with little or no contact. It doesn’t take great talent to set a hard screen. Make setting physical screens part of your identity as a player.
5. Play with high energy.
Run the floor harder than your opponent. Don’t rest while you are playing help-side defense. Make hard cuts to the basket on offense. Think of all the little ways you can bring more energy to the game.
6. Communicate
If you want to play more aggressively become a better communicator. Talk more out on the floor.
Remind teammates where to go, what to do, or about specific game situations. Your coach will perceive you as a more aggressive player when you are out there communicating and talking the game.
Ways to improve your aggressiveness for the long term.
7. Develop your basketball skills.
The better your basketball skill set the more likely you are to be aggressive. If you can’t dribble well with your weak hand, you probably won’t be very aggressive driving that direction in a game. As you develop your skills you’ll become more aggressive because you know you can do certain out on the court. You know you’ve put the time to become a better player that can “be more aggressive”.
8. Be confident.
Skill building is confidence building. When you are confident you feel you can do almost anything out on the court. You’ll be more relaxed, knowing you’ve put the time in working on your game. How much more confident and aggressive would you be shooting a game winning jump shot in a tie game with 2 seconds left if you had practiced 100 of those shots every day in the off-season? Confident players are aggressive players.
9. Get your body right.
Work on your strength, agility, cardio, and athleticism. Eat right, Get enough sleep. You can’t be aggressive if you’re worn down, injured, or tired.
10. Don’t fear failure.
When you play scared you often play trying to avoid mistakes. That is a sure way to avoid playing aggressively. Fear often grips players who are bench players. They check in the game feeling that one mistake will have them on the bench. Try to remember that fear really only exists in your mind. Play the way you are capable of playing and good things will happen.
Follow these ten tips and you can start being a more aggressive player today. Show your coach that you know how to “Be more aggressive!”
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7 Basketball Toughness Drills To Develop Aggressiveness, Confidence & Swagger
Skip to content How to Be More Aggressive in Basketball
If your youth basketball coaching sessions have seen your coach imploring you to be more aggressive out there on the court, there are a great number of drills you can do to gain more toughness and therefore more aggressive in your basketball.
Teaching the Aggressive Defensive Basketball Position Drill
Aggressive play starts with defense.
Put your energy into stopping that opposing player from scoring like your life depends on it. Get every rebound and never give up on it. This is a way to play aggressively when playing the fundamentals of basketball.
Your teammates will take notice and consider you a valuable asset on the court – someone who will always have their back.
Your teammates will feed off this energy and you will be considered a huge presence on the court. This, in turn, will give you the confidence you need for aggressive offensive play.
Own the Ball
When the ball is in your hands and you’re on the offense – own it! Cultivate the idea that the ball belongs to you – not the defender!
It is your ball…you are holding it.
It is not theirs…and never will be.
All you have to do is hold on to the ball, keep it from them, and the rest will come to you.
Have a Basketball Match with Unknown Players
If you find your aggression changes based on who you are playing, this can be a guide for taming your passiveness problem. It is common for players to play aggressively with their friends and people they know well as they are comfortable and in their element.
Players know that if they make a mistake with their friends they probably won’t punish them too badly for it. Players also know that if they push aggressively by using their elbows and arms more vigorously, accidentally hurting someone they know will be more quickly forgiven.
When we play against unknown players we are out of our groove and we don’t know exactly how they will react to aggressive play.
This can make us tense, nervous, and timid.
The key to getting out of this psychological rut is to play more with people you do not know – play more games with the people that make you nervous or in settings that push your boundaries. Each time you play with unknown players you are building your mental strength.
You will be gaining the experience and learning the skills needed to deal with any kind of teammate or opponent, as well as proving to yourself that there is nothing to fear.
Develop Your Skills in Basketball
It’s easy to look at the best players on the team that seem to effortlessly scoring basket after basket and think: “Well, I would be confident if I could play that well.
”
The fact is they have practiced those shots hundreds or thousands of times.
If you practice the same way you will feel the same confidence – even when there are three seconds left on the clock and the ball is in your hands.
If you’ve got a weak dribble with the ball in your left hand, for example, work on it every day.
Work on your strength, your athleticism, agility, and playing skills. Eat the right food, and get enough sleep every day so you’re always playing at your best and developing your skills as quickly as possible.
Teaching the “Build the Habit Drill”
Consciously start hand-checking and boxing out more often. Much like any habit: aggressive, confident basketball playing comes from forcing yourself to do it time and again…until it becomes second nature.
This builds your toughness!
If you find yourself standing around the perimeter then it’s time to remind yourself to get in there and work – even it if appears your immediate efforts are unimportant.
It’s all about building up those aggressive habits until they become second nature as you become a naturally aggressive player.
Try Cross-Training
One suggestion is to cross-train in a different sport…perhaps football?
Football is a highly aggressive contact youth sport…much more so than basketball.
You will be learning how to play aggressively every day and becoming used to the rough and tumble of competitive sports!
Never Fear to Fail
If you’re often benched, you might build a mental block where you fear that any on-court failure will have you back on the bench. You prefer to play it safe – a dangerous thing to do in basketball. Try to remember that fear is just a state of mind.
You have the power to tell yourself “No, I’m not afraid!”
Taking more risks will make you a better player. Your coach will ultimately not want to bench the player that’s always ready to go in for that loose ball.
Aggressiveness and mental toughness comes from confidence.
The less confident we are, the more fearful we are of making mistakes. The more fearful we are of making mistakes, the more we fear failure. The more we fear failure, the more we fear our coaches. Ultimately, this is can result in a loss of passion for the game, which again feeds into a lack of aggression on the court.
Love the game first, and you’ll want to get in there and win it all for your cherished teammates.
The Mental Toughness Academy has a program designed specifically to improve your ability on the court. Our Basketball Mental Toughness program can teach you how to overcome negativity and doubt by instilling confidence and mental fortitude.
A mentally tough athlete is an unstoppable athlete!
Welcome to the Winner’s Circle!
Craig Sigl, The Mental Toughness Trainer and Youth Sports Specialist
Craig Sigl2021-04-14T02:59:37+08:00
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Philosophy and principles of attack | Basketball
There are two types of attacks: aggressive (fast, sharp) and slow (controlled).
When using an aggressive offense, the team must get the ball into the frontcourt as quickly as possible, making a reliable shot when the opportunity presents itself. Such an attack weakens the opponent's game on the shield. Using the second type of attack, the team slows down the attack or changes the pace of the game. This attack is important in cases where: a) there are few good players left in the team, b) the opposing team is superior in speed, c) when leading in the last minutes of the game, d) the enemy has taken positions in defense. Organized defense is difficult to attack. Fast, reliable shots after wedging into the opponent's zone increase the team's chances of finishing, as the defense moves and cannot get into a good blocking position or a position to recover the ball on the backboard.
Teams that use a sharp attack are usually in great shape, so necessary in the last minutes of the game. The goal of such a team is to score the ball in the simplest way possible, to attack aggressively and to break the opponent's balance with pressure each time.
Such an attack eliminates unnecessary possession of the ball and unnecessary movements. It develops individual and team aggressiveness, allows for frequent replacement of players, keeps them ready and disorganizes the defense. All attackers have the ability to hit the basket if they are active, so a quick attack is a pleasure for the team and spectators. Using it, you can use the tactic of leaving the lead and the moment when the opponent shoots the basket.
Coaches should also be aware of the negative aspects of this type of attack. We need to teach the players to appreciate every possession of the ball. Teams that use aggressive, sharp attacks sometimes get too many personal comments and put themselves in a difficult position.
Players often waste energy for no purpose. Sometimes they start the break too early or use the break when the defense is back in position.
To achieve the best results, the team uses fast breaking and aggressive attacks in combination with positional play of the ball.
If a team wants to be perfectly balanced offensively, it must be able to play both fast and slow.
Offensively, one must be able to work against personal and zone defense, pressing and combined defense, as well as play positionally, using the tactics of wasting time and freezing the ball. (The feigned combination does not necessarily mean slow movement. It involves the correct execution of game techniques to ensure the effectiveness of the combination). The team must also be armed with combinations for the last minutes of the game, for playing dropped balls and combinations for throwing the ball in from outside the area.
Offensive players should aim for close range jump shots rather than going to the basket itself. First, the defense places taller players closer to the basket, allowing them to block shots from shorter players who go too deep. Secondly, the jump shot is the most effective, as players are now more productive than in the past. Thirdly, in accordance with the rules of the game, a player passing to the basket with the ball is responsible for any collision if a defender blocks his path.
Players must believe that. the coach chose the best attack system. They must subordinate the individual will to the interests of the team. It is important that their attitude to the game be expressed by the words “we won”, “we lost”.
All players move during the play of melds. At the same time, consistency is important, which is achieved by a long joint training. Another important ingredient is patience. Offensive combinations are practiced in drills that begin with learning techniques in one-on-one situations, then two-on-two, three-on-three, four-on-four, and finally five-on-five.
Every player is important in a team. Therefore, the coach must also control those who are on the sidelines, teach them to distract the enemy from the spearhead of the attack. You need to make critical remarks about the opportunities that players miss on offense, or reward them for a good shot.
Players must quickly put the ball into play on successful shots by the opponent, especially against a pressing team.
They should look for flare-ups against personal pressure by using feints, backwards and screens at the sidelines; The basic philosophy of attack is reasonable aggressiveness. Aggressive attacks can cause errors, but they are compensated by opening opportunities.
It is essential for the attacking player in the center to know the position of the attackers and defenders before they receive the ball. You need to know which of the partners is breaking through to the opponent's basket and which of the defenders is moving into position to prevent a breakthrough. If it is not possible to make the first pass on the rebound from the backboard to the point guard immediately, it is possible to pass the ball to a partner, who then gives it to the point guard. This tactic gives the point guard an advantage over an opponent who was trying to get ahead of him while moving towards the shield on a throw.
If the ball is moving fast forward, it should only be passed to a player breaking through to the opponent's basket.
Players moving in the other direction, towards the endline or touchline, usually cannot be in position to create a sharp attack and should not pass the ball. An exception can be made when the player can make a reliable throw without resistance from the opponent.
About the importance of aggressive defense - Ball For Life - Blogs
Last Sunday we managed to watch the match of the Superleague "Parma" - "Ataman". I'm ashamed to admit it, but over the past three years I've probably seen no more than 5 matches of the Superleague live, a couple of Ural's matches in January, and here's a Sunday match in Perm. Just as a statement of fact - I would strongly disagree with Zozulin, the overall level of the teams has grown. It even seems like teams like Parma, for example, have something to note and take into service. Moreover, you can’t call both teams even middle peasants - before the match, each of them had four wins and they shared the penultimate place, 13th place in the standings.
Five years ago, such teams in the Super League just kept afloat without showing any special style of play.
Now, for example, it was very striking - the desire of the perimeter players near Parma to put pressure on the ball so that the player with the ball would constantly experience pressure and discomfort from marking.
Sometimes players and spectators are very obsessed with seeing the ball in the basket, although if you look at it, protecting your ring from points scored by the opponent is just as important as attacking. Yes, in general, an attack in basketball has an advantage over a regular defense - the defenders need to react to the actions of the attackers. But with active defense and pressure, the accents change, and this is perhaps the most important thing - pressure in defense allows the defending team to control the situation itself, be the aggressor and set the direction of the opponent’s attacks, i.e. the opponent with the ball against excellent defense does what the defending team wants, and not that so much time was worked out in training and in previous games.
How Aggressive Defence Can Benefit:
1. Constant pressure throughout a match simply exhausts opponents. You should have seen how the same Matejunas from Ataman was breathing already in the first quarter after the judges gave a foul to one of the Parma players - it was like a man spent 5 minutes under water - how deeply the main point guard of the Rostov team breathed. :) From fatigue and constant interference, concentration is lost, which ultimately leads to errors. It is not surprising that, having played the first half almost on a par, in the second, Parma dealt with their rivals with a double-digit difference in the score.
2. One of the biggest advantages of an aggressive defense is that it breaks down the opposing team's offense. The passing lines are closing, or the partner is opening, and the player with the ball is thinking at this moment how to keep the ball on dribbling and all his concentration is directed only to this and he does not see the moment when his partner can be opened.
In such a viscous, defensive game, it is often just a fraction of a second. As a result, attacking players are forced to make decisions on the go, because the combinations “break”, the paths of the players’ movement are blurred, and the transfer lines are blocked - often a positional attack eventually falls into a one-on-one game or, even worse, heavy attacks with a time pressure of possession time per attack
3. Opponent's field goal percentage is significantly reduced - again, because of the pressure, the attacking team sometimes makes hasty or heavy throws through the arm - for example, in the match with Parma, in the first half, the same Pishchalnikov made three or four shots from the deviation and with serious resistance - all misses were in the front arch (1/7 from the game in the end).
4. Parma tried to play from the ball all over the court. For example, after a goal or some stoppage of the game, perimeter players immediately grab their counterparts, which sometimes leads to the fact that the ball is received and brought out by not the best dribbler in the team, a player who usually does not perform these functions.
He is under pressure in a situation not peculiar to him. This does not always lead to losses, but there are other advantages from this - the time “sneaks” to overcome half of the site (there were situations when Ataman had only 4 seconds to bring the ball into his attack zone, and the throw-in was still due to for the front), this all leads to a decrease in the total time to attack. Well, imagine the situation: the ball at the end of 8 seconds is brought out under decent pressure by the attacker of the team, who actually usually stands in the corner or should open from under the barrier. As long as he gives the ball to the point guard, while he orders the combination, while the players stand up and make the necessary movement, there will most likely be less than 10 seconds left for the attack, and in fact, in such a situation, the opponent’s attack plays not only against five defenders, but also against the 24-second counter. By the way, it’s rare for players to retain their composure when their partners start counting 7…6…5…4 aloud – and although it’s possible to calmly go through the entire court in three seconds with dribbling, most likely, in such a situation, the players will rush and make a convulsive throw through the arm.
5. Pressure on the ball and play from the ball from the first pass, of course, leads to bad passes and as a result losses. “Ataman”, for example, made 20 losses in a match and there were such losses that seemed random, but only at first glance: the point guard passed the pass a little to the side and lower, the center as a result had to squat and reach for the ball, handling it with one hand and it treacherously slipped out of his hand. Lack of skill? Slippery ball? Everything is possible - but if there were no aggressive play on the ball and away from the ball, then such losses would not have happened out of the blue. By the way, besides the fact that losses are simply deadly for the attacking teams - they do not even lead to shots on the basket, they also hit the defense hard - it is after losses that a lot of easy, high percentage points are gained in fast breaks. Interceptions do not always lead to free attacks from under the ring - the opponent fouls - teams and players are loaded with personal remarks, and players on whom the rules are violated still perform almost the most highly effective throws in basketball - free throws.
