When you’re trying to improve your basketball game, there are two main things you must do. One is practice, the other is play games. Both of these require motivation!
As human beings, we lose momentum sometimes. Setting an intention to keep practicing or playing every day can be hard when you don’t feel like it. Sometimes life gets in the way too, making it difficult to find the time to hone your skills.
Luckily, there are several ways to motivate yourself to keep practicing and/or keeping up with games. Some work better for some people than others, but all have one thing in common: they focus on what you want, not what you need.
This article will go into detail about five ways to motivate yourself to practice more and play more games.
Watch videos
Watching basketball games is one of the most effective ways to learn new skills or improve an old skill. There are several reasons for this. First, you can watch game sounds, such as when players talk about playing position or how coaches motivate their teams.
Second, there are many great YouTube channels that create fun gameplay videos. Their comments and reactions also give you insights into what types of shots seem successful for certain players.
Third, some of these videos have interactive features. For example, if you notice that a player always moves his feet in a certain pattern before shooting, you can imitate that move to see if it helps your own shot.
Fourth, some videos offer tips and tricks for different parts of the game. These could be things like drills or exercises to strengthen specific muscles, or lessons like how to dribble more smoothly or shift gears in running.
Lastly, some videos feature at least part of the coach’s speech or thoughts on the game. This may be helpful for understanding the play patterns or strategies that the team uses.
Ask experts
One of the most effective ways to learn how to play basketball is by asking an expert, or someone with more experience than you. There are many resources available to anyone at any level looking to improve their game.
Many schools and community centers have coaches that teach fundamentals, strategy, and/or exercise routines. These coaches are usually willing to share their knowledge and experiences with others in order to help them progress.
You can also visit local playgrounds, gyms, courts, and arenas and find out if there’s anything being done to promote fitness and wellness. Or, you could just start practicing!
Keep in mind that no matter who you talk to, whether it’s for minutes or hours, what really matters is to listen and ask good questions. Don’t assume that because they’re a coach or instructor means they already know everything about improving your game.
Good mentors will take time to answer your questions honestly and frankly. Sometimes they’ll even let you try something on your own first before actually having to use those skills in a game.
Focus on your weaknesses
As we mentioned before, you will not see many professional basketball players who do not have at least average strength or height. What makes some people become stars is how they use their strengths to overcome their weaknesses.
If you look closer though, most successful shooters are very good at it. Most great shooters are really strong athletes that can move quickly around the court and make quick decisions due to their agility.
Because of this, they are able to compensate for their lack of size by using a slow shot as an advantage. They know that if they take a long time to shoot the ball, then their body will still be moving when the ball comes close to them, giving them more time to react and defend.
Similarly, because of their speed, they don’t need to spend much time developing a good hand-eye coordination which allows them to fire faster. All they need to do is get into position and start shooting and their fast reflexes help guarantee success.
Play more often
This is one of the most important things you can do to improve your basketball game. You will not know what parts of the game are missing unless you play it, so make sure to pick up the ball and go!
Practice makes perfect, so by playing enough games, you’ll find that your skills get sharper and finer over time. Plus, practicing every day gives your body time to recover and rebind with new moves.
Your level of skill will increase if you keep doing it, so don’t skip out on the fun times or lose interest because you aren’t feeling very good about yourself.
Don’t worry about how bad you are, instead focus on trying your best and having fun while you’re doing it. That’ll push you ahead in the right direction.
Become a good defender
Defending is one of the most important parts of basketball, especially for young players. As you grow up playing the game, defenders become longer versions of passing cars- they can now take more elaborate routes in their assignments.
This is how it works: as an offensive player, you need to have someone guarding you so that you can pass the ball or run the court. But if no one is there to do this, then your teammates will feel free to go all out attacking the basket, or taking ill advised shots.
It’s like when parents send their kids off to school early in order to make sure they get there safely. Obviously, the safer option is to let them walk themselves home, but sometimes that isn’t possible!
As a defensive player, you must know what to expect from the offense at any given time. You cannot allow them to set up plays because you would be too late. Or worse, you could stop them before the play even begins!
That is why being smart with your assignment is so crucial- you can still contribute to the team by reading the quarterback and helping him find his target.
Learn the basics
The first step in improving your basketball game is learning the basic fundamentals of the sport. This includes things like how to handle the ball, how to shoot with both hands, how to dribble, and how to position yourself on the court.
Once you have mastered these skills, it’s time to move onto more advanced concepts. These include ways to combine the above skills into plays, and strategies for keeping up intensity during practices and games.
You can also learn about different positions within the sport. For example, there are big men positions such as power forward or center, and small man positions such as guard or wing. Knowing the differences between each position gives you an idea of which players share similarities and what makes them special.
This article will go over some fundamental tips that anyone can use to improve their own basketball game.
Practice making skill shots
Most professional basketball players have a coach or trainer who is assigned to them as they enter into their career. This person helps them with practice drills and exercises, game planning, and anything else that needs attention. Having this person watching your development can be very helpful in giving you feedback and guidance at any time of the day.
Most pro athletes enjoy having someone keep an eye on them while they are practicing or working out, and it helps motivate them to do better tasks. Their coach may also notice something about their body position or technique that looks wrong and work to correct it.
Practicing your craft isn’t always easy, but having help will take away some of the stress and pressure that could otherwise get in the way of you reaching your goal.
Drill down on these tips to improve your basketball game and develop your skills.
Learn the game plan
The second part of improving your basketball game is learning the game plan. This article’s title mentioned how to improve your shooting, but it didn’t say much about the other parts of the game. That’s because all of these things go hand in hand with each other!
Shooting is just making shots under pressure. Pressured situations are when you have limited time to make a shot or there’s not enough space for you to take a good one.
This can be due to defenders closing out on you, someone grabbing your ball, or the length that opponents use to defend the basket.
By being aware of your weaknesses, you will know what to work on. You can spend hours practicing your three-point shot, but if you don’t understand the game then nothing has been improved!
Understanding the game includes knowing different styles of play as well as players. For example, most people learn offense through playing the position first before moving onto the next one.
Knowing who played which positions helps you determine their strengths and weaknesses so you can recreate theirs in yours. Similarly, studying players’ games is an excellent way to pick up tips and tricks.
There are many ways to learn about the NBA besides watching TV programs and listening to the radio. Reading magazines and doing research online is another way to get more information.
