How to study basketball players

Ultimate Guide to Improving your Basketball Knowledge

Photo Credit: anton khoff via Compfight cc

The interesting thing about the best leaders is that they immerse themselves in both teaching and learning. Growth comes by both          – Kevin Eastman

Coaching isn’t all about packed arenas, nail-biting games, and running practices. There’s a much less glamorous side of coaching…  But a side that all truly passionate coaches love.

A side that involves staying up till 3am dissecting games, travelling across the country to attend coaching clinics, and giving up our free time to learn from the best coaches.

We have an incredible opportunity to impact the lives of our youth players, but first we must attain the knowledge all great coaches require. We must learn the right things to teach, the right things to say, how to communicate with our players, the best drills, how to be a leader, and many more important things.

How do we do this? By constantly studying and learning the game of basketball.

Below I’m going to share with you 13 different ways and many, many resources on how you can improve on your current basketball knowledge. If you’ve got any resources we’re missing, leave a comment!

I love to read. Especially coaching autobiographies. So much knowledge can be gained by getting a true insight into the lives of former and current coaches and the struggles they had to endure to be successful.

I came across a quote from George Raveling on his Twitter account last week that said this “A dog is not our best friend, books are our best friends.” And since I don’t have a dog anymore (sad face), I’m inclined to agree.

Some of my favourites in no particular order:

1. Sum It Up – by Pat Summitt
2. They Call Me Coach – John Wooden
3. The Carolina Way – Dean Smith

Coaching clinics are a great way to meet other coaches and get advice from some of the best coaches in the game.

It wouldn’t be smart for me to list specific clinics to attend because it is going to depend entirely on where you’re located which clinics you are able to attend. If you are located near one, don’t miss it. You’ll regret it.

It’s great to watch other games and pick up little tips and tricks you can use for your team, but no game is more beneficial to watch than your own games.

By studying your games from the previous seasons in detail you’ll see which areas of your team needs improvement, which areas your team is good at, what you should be doing differently, etc. This is essential to develop a great pre-season practice plan so that you’ll be ready for next season.

Living in an age with such great technology has it’s benefits. We can now meet, connect, and mastermind with other coaches incredibly easily. Something the coaches before us couldn’t do.

We’ve all got coaches that we look up to and admire. Send them an e-mail, a tweet, a FaceBook message… you’ll be surprised how many of them are more than happy to connect with you if you just reach out to them. You’ll never know if you don’t try, right?

If you plan on sending someone you admire an e-mail, here’s a blog post on Medium I love that I recommend you to read. It will certainly improve the chances of you receiving a response.

Medium – How to get a busy person to respond to your e-mail.

Use the above post along with this blog post detailing 8 different ways you can connect with other coaches.

Word of warning: DVD’s are expensive… but can be well worth it.

It seems like every week Championship Productions are releasing another basketball coaching DVD giving us insight into the drills and game-plans used by some of the best coaches in basketball.

If you have some spare cash lying around, DVD’s can be a great investment.

The free option you have is to watch online clinics. There are a ton of free clinics available online if you just know where to look.

My favourite place to find them is the FIBA YouTube channel. They post a ton of great clinics on their channel for free and I highly recommend you subscribe to it. Only problem is they’re posted along with a ton of other videos you’ll probably find irrelevant. Just have to keep your eye out for the good ones!

Some of my favourite are…

1. Cutthroat Defensive Drill – Brett Brown
2. Transition Drills – Jamie Carey
3. The Shooting and Drills – Juan Orenga

Have a specific coaching question you need answered? It’s probably answered somewhere on the internet. Actually, scratch that. It’s definitely answered somewhere on the internet. And Google can lead you to it.

There are so many great blogs and websites on the internet about coaching basketball that are posting a massive amount of terrific content.

If I ever have a question Google is usually my first port of call and it will link me to many great articles on any topic I’m asking about.

There are a ton of insanely smart coaches that are participating in forums on the internet. Forums make for a fantastic place to share ideas, hear ideas, and get feedback on your different thoughts and techniques. Not to mention you’ll be building relationships with other coaches. And as I keep saying… that’s very important!

As I mentioned in my post on connecting with other coaches, I’m not as active on forums as I’d like to be. But here are my two favourites…

1. http://coachingbball.proboards.com/
2. http://www.basketballcoach.com/coaching/

Online membership sites allow you to view premium content from some of the top skills coaches from the comfort of your own home. Most basketball membership websites are for players, but the ones listed below have many great workouts and drills that will help you with your coaching.

Here are three online basketball membership websites you can think about signing up to.

1. http://miskillz.com/
2. http://www.hoopsuinsider.com/
3. http://basketballhq.com/

By subscribing to blogs you make sure you never miss out on any of the content they publish. It’ll get sent straight to your e-mail so that you can view it when you have time.

While we’re on this topic, if you like the content I’ve been putting out, you can subscribe to my blog (cheesy self promoting, I know). You can do that at the top right of this page. Thanks if you do!

If you don’t like my blog (that would make me sad), here are 13 other awesome coaching blogs that I check out all the time.

1. Hoops Thoughts
2. Hoops Skills
3. Jeff Haefner’s Coaching Blog
4. Layups
5. Coach Dunlap
6. Breakthrough Basketball
7. Stronger Team
8. Keys to the Gym
9. Hoops Roundtable
10. George Raveling
11. Men’s Basketball Hoop Scoop
12. Online Basketball Drills
13. KCS Basketball

Podcasts are the new big thing. Everybody’s starting to do them. I listen to them every time I’m driving since I’m usually in the car a couple of hours a day. Why would I waste time listening to music when I could be learning!

I’ve decided to list only one basketball coaching podcast since I believe it’s the only one you’ll ever need.

The Hardwood Hustle Podcast by Alan Stein and Adam Bradley.

Please do yourself a favour and don’t miss a single episode.

Are you a tweeter? I am. I love spending time connecting and socialising with other coaches and skills trainers on Twitter.

When I’m watching live NBA and NCAA games I’ve usually got Twitter open on my phone so that during time-outs and between quarters I can get an insight into how other coaches and analysts are seeing the game and what their thoughts are.

Some of the tweeters I always look out for are:

1. BBall Breakdown
2. Zach Lowe
3. Amin Elhassan
4. Nate Jones

More of a FaceBooker than a Tweeter? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with that too.

1. Proactive Coach
2. Ganon Baker Basketball
3. Functional Basketball Coaching

Bookmark this page and refer back to it regularly. Use this blog post and the resources provided to improve your coaching knowledge. You can never learn too much!

Are there any other resources you use that other coaches might want to know about?

How to Study Basketball Strategies: A Basic Guide

Are you a basketball player who needs some basketball strategy tips? Or are you someone who is not so familiar with basketball and would like to learn more about it? If either of these applies to you, then this blog post is for you. Here we will discuss how one can study basketball strategies. As well as the basics of basketball that every aspiring player should know. We will also provide tips on how to improve your knowledge to become an expert!

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Why is Strategy Important in Basketball?

Basketball plays and strategies win basketball games, it can be the difference between winning and losing a game. Without the proper basketball plays your team will not do well in any level of competition. No matter how talented they may be at shooting/dribbling etc…

Tips to Improve Your Basketball Knowledge

The above are just some basics that one must know about to learn more advanced strategies. However, there are many other things that you can do on your own! Here we will give a few tips and suggestions as well as links where you can find this information online:

Watch & Study Professional Players’ Moves (and how they work)

This is something I highly recommend doing – watching professional players and analyzing their moves (and why those moves work). You might wonder “how does it help me?”. But understanding specific basketball plays such as pick n rolls or back screens will help you figure out how to defend these basketball plays. Watching basketball games live or on television is also helpful. But it can be difficult for some people who do not have cable/satellite TV access. If this applies to you then I would recommend watching basketball videos online that are posted regularly (e.g., youtube).

Attend Basketball Camps and Workouts

This goes hand in hand with the previous tip. Attending basketball camps and workouts gives one a chance to watch players practice their moves under the supervision of professional coaches! The coaching staff there has years of experience helping young players improve & learn new strategies. So they may apply them during future games/practices etc… There’s no way around it – if you want to improve your basketball knowledge then you should attend basketball workouts and camps.

Learn from the Best!

If attending basketball camps/workouts is not an option for you. Another alternative would be to learn basketball strategies online through video lessons (e.g., youtube). There are many different providers of this service. So it’s best if you do some research on the internet before deciding which one will suit your needs best. I recommend doing a search for “how to learn basketball”, or something similar such as that. There should be enough options available online where people can choose what works best for them depending on their budget, etc…

Strategy Plays in Basketball

Screening

This basketball play is very common and it involves the player who has the basketball setting a pick on his/her defender. The objective of this basketball strategy is to free up another player (usually one that is not guarded). So they can get an open shot or drive into the paint for a layup.

Screens are important basketball plays. Because if set properly, they will allow your teammate with possession of the basketball more time & space. With which he/she may shoot, pass, or drive to the basketball hoop. This basketball strategy is probably one of the most common basketball plays you will see. It can be run out of many different set plays such as a pick n roll (with two players), side ball screen (with two players), etc…

The goal here is for your basketball player with possession of the basketball to dribble towards their teammate who has set themselves up for an open layup/dunk opportunity once they receive a pass from their teammate! This play works best if there’s another shooter on your team. And someone else setting screens for them so that way everyone benefits & scores points during this play. Because all players involved in this basketball move touch the basketball before finally ending at either shooting or dunking.

This basketball strategy can also be used as a defensive tactic if players switch defenders or just leave their original defender to go double the basketball player with possession. This basketball play works best when teams have shooters on them. But it is still effective even without. You will simply give your opponent more time and space to shoot/dunk so do this at your own risk!

Cutting

This basketball move is similar to the previous basketball strategy. It involves players “cutting” through screens and freeing themselves up for an open shot/layup. The difference between this basketball play and above basketball plays (pick n roll & back screen) is that cutting does not necessarily require another player on your team with possession of the basketball. You may cut into a defender’s path without having anyone else passing you the ball! This cut works best when defenders are overplaying or slightly distracted. So they do not notice someone quickly moving behind them. But even if no one cuts then at least there will be more space given for shooters.

The objective here is simple: wait until your opponent turns around or gets out of position momentarily before diving behind them for an open basketball shot/layup. If you are playing basketball defense, the best way to stop this basketball play is by watching out for players behind your back. It sounds easy but if done properly then cutting can be one of the most effective basketball strategies used in actual games!

Different Types of Offense Strategies in Basketball

A basketball team would normally practice offense to come up with new plays that they can use in an actual game situation. This means they are trying to score baskets by passing around the basketball court. While their opponents try stopping them from scoring any points!

Zone Offense

Zone offense is a basketball strategy where the offensive team aims to get open shots. By passing and moving within their predetermined locations on the court. The objective of this basketball play is to cut off all possible angles for defenders. So that they cannot stop any pass made. While at the same time preparing themselves for an eventual shot if there’s enough space available.

Motion Offense

Motion offense is a basketball play where the offensive players move around freely within their predetermined paths on the court. This basketball strategy works by creating passing lanes for open shots. Which results in increased scoring opportunities because of this dynamic movement.

Transition Offense

Transition offense refers to a basketball strategy in which the offensive team tries to move quickly when they get possession of the basketball. Aiming for an early shot at a high percentage. This tactic works by catching your opponent off-guard. If you can play faster than them then it’s likely that one or more players from your basketball team will be open for easy shots. Even before the defense has been able to set up their positions!

Set Offense

Set offense basketball strategy is one of the most common basketball plays that you will see in every game. This basketball play involves running a sequence of screens (i. e., pick n rolls) until someone gets an open shot. While this may seem simple enough, it can be very tricky to stop because there are so many options available – if defenders try guarding against only one option then another player becomes open for an easy basket!

Different Types of Defense Strategies in Basketball

Defense on the other hand is quite different as they do not care about scoring at all – instead what matters most for these players is preventing others from shooting or putting it into their basket too easily.

Zone Defense

Zone basketball defense is a basketball strategy where the defensive team aims to clog all passing lanes and force their opponent into difficult shots. The idea behind this basketball play is that an offensive player will be less effective if they are not able to pass the ball around easily. So defenders should stay between them and the basket as much as possible.

Press Defense

Press basketball defense is a basketball play where the defensive team tries to force their opponent into errors by pressuring them when they have possession of the basketball. If executed properly, this basketball strategy will make it very difficult for the offensive basketball players to pass or dribble past defenders which in turn results in turnovers and steals! While this may sound simple enough at first glance, you need to be physically fit if you want to use press defense due to all that running required throughout each game/practice, etc…

Man-to-Man Defense

Man-to-man basketball defense is a basketball strategy where the defensive team aims to guard an offensive player closely to prevent them from shooting. This basketball play works by matching up against another player on your opponent’s basketball team, which makes it easy for both teams to keep track of who is guarding whom.

Conclusion

In summary, there are many different types of basketball strategies and plays out there but these should give you a good idea about what basketball is all about. Remember: successful teams win games – why not learn how to improve yourself as a player AND help your teammates do better too? If this interests you then I would recommend using basketball strategies to your advantage.

Good luck basketball players! I hope this blog post helps you learn basketball strategies and improve as a player/team coach etc… If it does then please feel free to send us an email with your thoughts – We’d love to hear from readers of our basketball blog posts. Thanks for reading, have a great day everyone!

Here are Some of our Favourite Basketball Sneakers

Here we will be giving more of an opinion, rather than facts. Are the sneakers worth the price that they are being sold at? Should you upgrade from your current sneakers, depending on what boots you own? What features stand out on these sneakers? If any. Does it do the job? Speed, control, stability etc. Depending on your needs/preferences. We can also mention its durability, if we have collected enough data on the specific sneakers.

What did we expect vs. what we got. Is it maybe overrated/underrated?

Elite

Here’s our pick from the very best of the bunch.

Pro

On your way to the pro leagues? Here’s our pick.

Beginner

Want something to start with? Have a look at our pick.

9 Definitions Every Basketball Player Should Know

Learning to Speak the Same Language

Learning to Speak the Same Language

WE DECIDED TO HELP THE BEGINNERS LEARN BASKETBALL LANGUAGE, TO NOT BE LOST ON THE COURT AND UNDERSTAND BETTER.

!!! If you haven't seen the first article with 11 terms, read it first:

!!! If you haven't seen the first article with 11 terms, read it first:

Basketball terms everyone should know

This word in basketball has two meanings: sometimes they say this about the bench. "Sit on the bank." And sometimes they call it a block shot. We hope that you will distribute cans, and not sit on it.

Another definition for a block shot:

Pick and roll

One of the simple combinations in basketball, which is based on the interaction of two players. The first moves with the ball, the second puts a screen (peak) and after the screen he turns around (roll) and moves to the ring.

Pick and pop

This combination is a variation of the pick and roll, only in this version the player who puts the screen does not move towards the ring, but opens up for a throw.

The difference in playing the combination will be in reading the actions of the defense.

In the 1990s, Utah and their duo of Karl Malone (2 in all-time scoring) and John Stockton (1 in all-time assists) often played this combo.

Eurostep

One of the ways to complete the attack in the passage is when the first step is taken in one direction and the second in the other. This movement began to be popularized by Manu Ginobili, and now Giannis Antetokounmpo stands out with this technique from his size, sweeping steps and powerful dunks from not the most convenient positions.

See a short and simple analysis from the Greek:

Back door

A type of offensive interaction when a player without the ball runs behind his defender and receives a pass there. For a better understanding, watch the video:

Ankle breaker

A term that is often heard in relation to street basketball, although it is sometimes seen at the professional level. This phrase refers to a situation where the ball carrier makes some movement and the defender goes down. In some cases, the ankle is twisted along with this ...

Coast to coast

This is the name given to the passage of one player from his ring to someone else's in a fast break.

Double, triple (triple-double) and quadruple-double

All these terms refer to achievements in statistics per match. Each game is recorded: points, rebounds, assists, block shots and interceptions. When 10+ points are observed for 2 indicators of them, it will be a double. If according to 3 indicators - triple, if according to 4 - quadruple-double.

Interesting fact: Russell Westbrook is the second player in history to average a triple-double per game in 1 season. However, he is the only one who has done this more than once.

Interesting fact

Only 4 people in the history of the NBA collected a quadruple double. The last one was recorded in 1994 by David Robinson.

Do you want to take your first steps in basketball or improve your basic skills? We have a Basic Basketball Skills workout for you. See the schedule and sign up:

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Coach: Yuriy Bespalov

- Professional player of the INANOMO 3x3 team;
- Champion of Russia 3x3 2019;
- Winner and medalist of the MOFB championship;
- MLBL Summer League MVP 2017;
- Multiple participant of Moscow Open;
- Champion of Moscow 3x3 2017;
- MVP GrunisCup 2017.

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Historical development

During the tactical and technical training, athletes must, with the help of general and special physical training, master the necessary skills for playing basketball.

These include: foot, hand and finger speed training, agility, endurance, reaction time and running. Along with good track and field and gymnastic preparation, a good means to achieve the above goals is the training of typical forms of individual game moments and the technique of body control typical of basketball.

When training basketball players, special attention is paid to mastering the technique and individual tactics of the game, especially the technique of passes and shots to the basket. At least half of the total training time is devoted to training these elements.

Basketball: guidelines.

As a rule, they start with a separate training of technical elements (stance, running, jumping). Then they are combined with other technical elements, they are trained with a passive and later with an active opponent, and finally they are tested in the game. The study of all these elements in conditions as close as possible to the conditions of the game can be carried out from the very beginning. Learning is facilitated by the fact that during the game it is forbidden to touch the opponent.

Basketball: learning the technique of the game.

The study of the technique of playing basketball begins with the study of the technique of passing in conjunction with the elements of the technique of body control (stops, turns). This is followed by simple shots to the basket from close range and dribbling. This process ends with the improvement of the transmission technique and various types of throws in defense and attack and the study of feints. Due to the fact that the rules of movement and foul are difficult for beginners, mastering these rules is the primary goal of preparation.

Basketball: tactical training.

After mastering individual technique and tactics, they move on to mastering collective tactics. Thanks to group exercises, in which two-on-two or three-on-three play at the backboard is preferred, technique and individual tactics are consolidated and the most important game systems are preliminarily prepared. Team players must first of all master the forms of attack and defense against the guardianship of an opponent with one and two centers.

Interesting fact:

Forbes magazine named the richest NBA basketball players of 2021

The National Basketball Association or NBA is the best league in the world. NBA games are watched all over the world. In Russia, due to the difference in time zones, fans specially get up at night in order to watch matches and place bets on basketball on the Internet.

This much attention allows the league and the players to earn impressive amounts. The well-known Forbes magazine announced the amount of earnings of the leading athletes in the NBA and formed a special rating from this.

Russell Westbrook - $74.2 million

This year, the basketball player returned to his native California, where he became a player for the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to that, Westbrook defended the colors of Oklahoma for more than 10 years, and also managed to play for the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards. The Mr. Triple-Double earned over $44 million on the basketball court in 2021. Own business and advertising agreements brought another three tens of millions to Russell's account, allowing him to get into the top five richest players in the NBA.

Giannis Antetokounmpo - $80.3 million

Greek basketball player has been defending the colors of the Milwaukee Bucks for 8 years. In 2021, Giannis finally came to his first NBA championship. Prior to that, he twice became the most valuable player in the league. Naturally, his salary has gone up a lot since his debut in 2013. If at the start he was paid about 1.7 million, now Antetokounmpo receives 39.3 million - a huge increase. At the same time, off the basketball court, Giannis makes even more money - $41,000,000.

Kevin Durant - $87.9 million

Two-time NBA champion returned to the court this year after suffering an Achilles injury. His Brooklyn Nets team in the regular season occupies the first line in the Eastern Conference. Durant is aiming for a third championship. The new title will definitely lift his already considerable income. For 2021, Durant added $87.9 million to his account: he earned $40.9 from a contract, and $47 came from third-party sources of income.

Stephen Curry - 9$2.8 million

The Golden State Warriors leader received a new $215 million contract in August. According to the results of the outgoing 2021, Curry will receive $45,800,000. Almost as much to him brings activities outside the basketball court. Curry is working with the brand Under Armor, which pays him 20 million a year. Together with other contracts and his own business, Stef earned another $47,000,000 in 2021.

LeBron James - $111.2 million

The most famous basketball player of our time today receives in his club "Los Angeles Lakers" in the region of 41.2 million US dollars. Almost twice as much LeBron earns from his personal brand and business. On the monetization of his personality, the basketball player from above earned another $70,000,000 in 2021. This amount was brought to him by cooperation with Nike, Fortnite, Tonal and other brands.

Basketball

• Historical development

• Rules

• Material support

• Judging

• Technique

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