How to play basketball like a professional

How to become a better basketball player, according to NBA legends

You play pickup ball with your friends each week, but you can’t seem to keep up.

You’ve been working hard in the gym, hitting the weights to boost your fitness, but nothing seems to be working. The best way to sharpen your skills on the court? By picking up tips, tricks, and training suggestions from some of the best professionals in the sport.

Whether it’s boosting your speed, stamina, shooting, or mental toughness, we have some options for you to help your pickup skills.

Here’s your basketball training guide:

Jason Kidd – former NBA point guard, Milwaukee Bucks head coach

Back when he was age 34, Jason Kidd had one of his best seasons, joining greats Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson as the only players to average at least 13 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds per game. Kidd shares some tips on how to deliver pinpoint passes and achieve your personal triple-double: strength, speed, and endurance.

Passing Skills

“I always felt passing isn’t so much working on passing as it is anticipation: What does the eye see, and can the mind relay that to my body? What does this guy like to do? Does he like to go right or left? If I see somebody is going backdoor, can I get it to him in stride so that he can catch and finish?”

Hand-Eye Coordination

“How do you work on sight and passing? Try to throw a strikeout in the [batter’s] box. If you are playing strikeout with a buddy, if you see he doesn’t like the ball inside, can you throw on the inside corner on the plate consistently? I think this is good for anybody with a son or daughter—can you throw pitches to an 8-year-old consistently where you know he or she can hit it? Can you throw the ball so it is in their sweet spot? That isn’t a very easy thing to do.”

In the Gym

“I do a lot of leg work—stepups with 30-pound dumbbells, leg press, calves and calfraises—and I do situps in between each set. I’m a big fan of Pilates for maintaining your strength. I can go an hour or 30 minutes to stretch and work on my flexibility and my abs. I don’t run a lot, but I do try to swim five times a week. I also play one-on-one with a good friend not so much to beatng him but more to chase him, stay in front of him, andmove my feet.”

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Kobe Bryant – Retired NBA legend, Los Angeles Lakers

When he was at his peak, Bryant was the NBA’s best overall scorer. Over the years Bryant bulked up with a regimen that combined Olympic lifts with track work. He shared his secrets for playing with the same intensity each time you hit the court.

Conditioning

“You want to make sure you go into the upcoming season in tip-top shape. My conditioning comes from running, whether it’s on a track, on a field, or on the court itself just doing suicides or sprints. Whatever your program is, the key is to push yourself to a level where you’re hurting. You can’t gain conditioning without going through it. You’re going to have to feel some pain, you’re going to have to feel like your lungs are burning, that sort of thing.”

Consistency

“If you watch me train, it doesn’t look like I’m overexerting myself. It’s an everyday thing. You have to abide by your program religiously.”

In the Gym

“During the season, I focus a lot on weight training, building up my strength level as the season progresses. Clean pulls, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, back squats, things of that nature. In the off-season, it’s about getting stronger as well as more agile. Then, obviously, you want to get on the court and work on your skills. I shoot between 750 and 1,000 makes a day.”

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Cuttino Mobley – Former Houston Rockets, L.

The former Clippers and Rockets guard was one of the best 3-point shooters in the league during his playing days. Here’s how to shore up your own longdistance stroke.

Warm-Up

“Start in at the rim, almost like a layup with jump-shot form, and shoot about 100 shots inside, then start moving farther out. It’ll just become muscle memory from repetition.”

Proper Form

“Tuck your elbow and line it up with your knee, and don’t shoot at the rim, shoot up over it. Put some air under the ball so you give it a chance to go in. Pretend you’re picking an apple out of the basket. Reach up, go inside the basket with your release, andfollow through with your index and middle fingers. That’s what your form should be: up, pick the apple out of the basket, then back down. You don’t want to be leaning back when you shoot, either; you just want to go straight up and come down on the same spot.”

In the Gym

“Do as many pushups pullups, and dips as you can. Your jump shot comes from your triceps and your wrist strength. You don’t have to be lifting all those weights to shoot.”

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Leandro Barbosa – Phoenix Suns guard

Leandro Barbosa, “the Brazilian Blur,” previously won the Sixth Man Award earlier in his career, partly because he’s proven himself to be faster than just about anybody in the NBA. His experience will help improve your speed.

Take Up Soccer

“When I was a kid, I used to play soccer without shoes on the street. I don’t have a lot of ball-handling skills like Steve Nash, but my thing is just to get the ball down the court and score. Soccer really helped me develop my quick feet.”

In the Gym

“I don’t do a lot of upper-body stuff, but I do leg presses, Romanian deadlifts, and some other lower-body work every day. I also try to do exercises while I’m wearing a weighted shirt. People say it can be bad for your knees, but I do a lot of exercises with it on to keep my legs strong. Sometimes, I’ll just walk around the locker room with it on. Then, when I take it off, I can really feel the difference.”

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Gilbert Arenas – Former Washington Wizards guard

“Basketball is all mental,” says eccentric guard Gilbert Arenas. “Everyone’s talent is the same, but the mental aspect separates stars from superstars.” Heed his advice and be as tough upstairs as this former clutch shooter.

Redirect Your Energy

“My confidence got hurt coming into the league [Arenas was drafted 31st overall in the second round; he expected to go higher], but after seeing an old highlight tape, I realized that it’s just basketball. I put all my frustration and energy into basketball for two weeks. I did it, and I got to play, and I just decided that [my intensity] is what got me on [the team], and this is what’s going to keep me on it. ”

Find a Training Partner

“You need someone to challenge you, because it keeps you motivated. He’s going to make you work hard for what you do. You need somebody like that.”

The Psychology of Game Winners

“When we play pickup games, I won’t shoot the ball until it’s the last shot,” says Arenas. “I’m the only one who’s going to take it all the way until we lose or we win. I’ve been doing that for the last three years. You have to have that mind-set: If you don’t make it, you have to live with it. As many shots as Michael Jordan’s made, he’s missed three times as many.”

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Here Are The Most Effective Ways To Play Basketball Like A Professional

Every sport, including basketball, requires lots of commitment and training to become a pro. Whether you are a well-established player or a beginner, there are ways you need to follow to make your game better. This is regardless of whether you get playtime or always warming the bench. Players like LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and the late Kobe Bryant always worked tirelessly in improving their strength, skills, IQ, power, condition, and agility. You can also do the same and become one of the renowned basketball players. Which ways can one pick to become the best in basketball? Check on the list below.

1. Be Fearless to the game

If you want to succeed on anything, then don’t approach it with fear. Becoming the best in basketball requires determination and a worry-less approach to the game. It would be best if you are not afraid of heights, thinking you will break your bones when you fall, or be afraid of lifting weights because you are weak. Try on everything you come across in your training and try harder for things that don’t work. This situation is regardless of what your teammates, friends, family, and coach say about you. You need to believe in yourself and tackle everything as it comes. You should use your failure as a learning experience to improve on your play.

2. Train your body

You should train your body to adapt to the game. How do you do so? You have to exercise to improve your jumps, speed, mobility, power, and overall strength. A perfect athletic exercise should help build your body and train it to adapt to the game. If you take a look at the vertical jump training, you will learn that it’s divided into several parts that should help build and train your body to keep up with the game. You have to take every path that improves athletes, as the game has a lot of running, jumping, and hopping. You will also need strength and the ability to move your body and avoid opponents during playing. Improving in all this will result in a better on-court performance.

3. Give unlimited effort

Do not limit your efforts while playing the game. At all times, ensure what you give during training and on-court performance is 100%. After getting complaints or after becoming the best in the game, most players start losing focus. You have to give all your best regardless of whether you are playing or at the backbench. Getting criticized will mean there is something you aren’t doing right. Try on rectifying the situation and give out your best. When you receive praises, it means your efforts are paying out. It would help not to stop at the praises—work harder irrespective of the results. Mistakes and challenges should be your motivation to achieve something better.

4. Study the game

Before technology got better, people depended on one-on-one training to improve their skills. Things have changed, and you can acquire the right skills by training at home. There are many basketball tutorials online, including on YouTube channels and other social media sites. Here, you can follow the renowned basketball players’ steps, train on the same and be better in the game. This idea will be an addition to what your coach is training you – you shouldn’t abandon your teams’ training for the self-tutorial videos. Achieving the best skills compared to your team members will earn you more playing time, increasing your skills and popularity. It would be best to dedicate your training time to become an all-around basketball performer.

5. Understand your role

You play basketball as a team and not as an individual. However, the person who feeds you with the ball and the next person will require you to be the best in your role, as they are, to make the team score. Whether you are a leading scorer, top performer, or the best shooter, you need to grasp your role well. Understanding your team’s role enables you to focus on the given part and act as per the team’s needs. 

6. Stop complaining in the game

Do you curse your coaches because they never give you enough playing time? Do you always get complaints from your teammates? It seems there is something you aren’t doing right. You have to listen to everyone and work as a team in improving your play. You might not be experienced enough to earn a slot in the leading team or aren’t serving members well in on-court sessions. Try as much to use the backlashes to improve your game. 

When you follow all the suggestions listed here, you will surely improve in playing the basketball game. You will rise from becoming an average player to a pro. You will have to design a training program that will improve your strength, skills, speed, and any other ability required in playing the game. You will also need to work on your weaknesses to become better.

How to learn to play basketball, when to start, what exercises are effective

In each school, children are introduced to different sports, and the most common games are volleyball and basketball. They tell the basics, but few people after these lessons become Michael Jordan. However, it is quite possible to achieve sports success. If you always hit the ball in the basket and decided to learn how to learn how to play basketball, read this article. We'll walk you through the first steps to help beginners start playing well.

At what age do you start playing basketball?

Of course, if you want to build a career as a basketball player, you have to start in childhood. The most optimal age for the first basketball lessons is 8-9 years old. Some professionals started at the age of 12, but not later. At this age, the body is considered sufficiently strong, and the brain is ready to build complex schemes.

Sometimes a child is too small and is not taken to the section. But his parents may be advised to attend prep basketball for 1-2 years. There, the kid will not be taught the technique of the game, but he will begin to learn how to control the ball. This game will positively affect the health of the child and his development. It helps to develop endurance, develop coordination and agility. Basketball players improve their vision and logical thinking.

Who is banned from basketball practice?

They are not available to people with the following diseases:

• cardiovascular diseases;

• excessive mobility of the cervical vertebrae;

• flat feet;

• gastric ulcer;

• asthma and other respiratory diseases;

• diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Exercises for Beginner Basketball Players

Not a single training session takes place without these basketball exercises, therefore, their implementation must be approached especially responsibly. They are aimed at developing the basic necessary skills:

To speed up the effect of basketball training, start with 5 minutes of running without stress.

After that, you can do the following exercises, which are needed to warm up each muscle group.

Shoulders

Stand up straight and stretch your arms out to the sides. Straight arms should move in a circle: 10 turns back and forth.

Pelvis

Fix the hands on the belt, and spread the legs shoulder-width apart. Perform rotations in the hip joint.

Back

Bend your elbows and press them to your chest. Put your feet shoulder width apart. Turn right and left 5-10 times in each direction.

Knees

Stand up straight, connect your toes and heels. Bend your knees slightly and put your hands on them. Perform circular movements with your knees, helping yourself with your hands.

Ankle

Keeping the hands on the belt, and placing the right foot on the toe behind the back behind you, you need to make several rotations of the feet. After a while, change legs.

Squats

Squat 5 times. The exercise must be performed carefully, do not lift your heels off the floor, and stretch your arms in front of you.

How to learn how to throw a ball correctly?

The ability to throw the ball correctly is practically the most important thing in basketball, so pay more attention to throwing exercises.

• Stand 2-3 meters from the ring. Take two slow steps. Standing on one leg, throw the ball into the ring;
• get behind the line. Hit the ball on the floor a couple of times. Take two steps towards the ring. Throw the ball into the basket;
• standing on the three-point line, throw the ball at the wall and catch it. Take two steps and throw the ball around the ring;
• to get the ball into the basket, you need to throw it into the corner of the rectangle drawn on the shield.

Leg development

If you take an extra step, you can lose points and let the team down, so you need to have trained legs. Practice the jump stop.

• Do not change position while performing the exercise;
• throw the ball against the wall, catch it with both hands and at the same time jump with both feet;
• choose one foot as a point of support and turn forward and backward on it;
• imagine that you are catching the ball with your hands while in a jump, land and make turns on the supporting leg. Please note that you need to land on 2 legs.

Practicing the pass

Basketball is a team game. Even if you accurately hit the ring, you still cannot pass the ball to others, you will be of little use to the team.

• Stand 2-3 m from the wall. Throw the ball at her twice and catch it;
• hold the ball with both hands. Make a movement with brushes, directing it to the wall;
• Gradually increase the distance between the player and the wall. During long passes, you need to take a step forward.

Learning to dribble

Do you remember how pathetically Adriano Celentano dribbled the ball in the film "The Taming of the Shrew"? You can do the same if you practice these exercises;

• quickly toss the ball with the fingers, keeping it off the floor;
• transfer the ball from one hand to the other by wrapping it around the body, head or leg.

Basketball is a very versatile sport, so many skills will have to be developed. A basketball player must accelerate, practice shuttle running, be able to run backwards and move on half-bent knees, work out the speed of hand movement (which is very important when intercepting).

Watch basketball like a pro

What details to pay attention to in order to learn?

Professional players pay attention to details that many people ignore. They always have good footwork and balance, so they are efficient in everything they do. Even for the most talented athletes, this doesn't come naturally. It takes hard work and focus to play at the highest level. The best players in the NBA are dedicated to perfecting the details, learning the "smart game" and effective basketball.

To all players who set some goals for themselves in basketball, I advise you to watch matches of professionals and note not cool dunks and outrageous athleticism in the NBA, but details.

In this article, I'm listing things that can be observed to make the training process more effective. Development is more than just exercise. In training, we work on certain details, and looking at them performed by professionals will form an understanding of quality basketball in my head.

Footwork . Watch as the players open up, turn to receive the ball, prepare to shoot, make transfers and begin their movement.

Taking up position on site . Watch how the pros create space for the ball to run into during the break, pay attention to their movements in response to defensive actions and how they move throughout the attack. Analyze how the pros get the best position on the court.

How teams defend together . Watch and learn how to defend against a player with the ball with different screening and combinations when taking the ball out of touch.

Late attack strategy . Watch how offensive and defensive teams create late game scoring opportunities with fouls, double teams and timeouts.

How players finish on ring . Watch how the players finish the pass with a floater, a throw with a change of hand, a euro step and the like.

Rapid decision making in attack . The best players make the decision to pass, throw, or go to the pass in a split second. Find that moment.

Readiness of the players from the bench to enter the court . Substitutes do not enter the court "cold". They prepare their body and mind for the game, so when they enter the court, they immediately turn on the maximum.

Influence of players' fatigue level on their performance at the end of the game . Notice that some players look tired at the end of the game, they have a decrease in performance, while other players are more efficient. See how they act in this case.

Analyze games and you will also notice details

Movement efficiency and use of energy of a veteran player against a beginner . Veterans know how to play at the elite level without wasting energy on unnecessary movements, thus saving it.

The specific role of each player . All the players in the team have a special role to play, it is useful to look at how each of them helps their team.

Teamwork . Watch how teammates, coaches and referees interact and how this affects their performance.

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