How do I get better at basketball? - Page 3

Originally Posted by Verno Inferno

Sorry if this is stuff you already know, but I've played plenty of pick-up games with experienced players who just don't get this stuff. There are very few things you can do to make you better other than playing all the time with the purpose of improving. Here are things you can improve immediately so that when you are playing with others, you are a valuable asset to the team:

Play like Dennis Rodman. On offense, admit to yourself that you're terrible with the ball in your hands. If you're having trouble with layups, don't even try to score on offense. Your job should be figuring out how to affect the outcome of the game without attempting to score. Here are some pointers:

Move without the ball: When you play pick-up games, it's really annoying that people don't move without the ball. Everyone's in a man-to-man and nobody's cutting and it's irritating for people who play a lot of basketball. So when you are on offense, run to a corner. Let the guy guarding you catch up to you. Now run to the other corner. He won't know where your headed, so you'll always be a step ahead of him. Do this running with your hands out like you're calling for the ball. You're not the offensive juggernaut, so you won't get it probably, but you'll freak out the lazy pick-up game defense.

Set picks for the guy with the ball: you can be the worst player in the history of basketball and set picks to help the good player score all day. Pick-up game defenders are poor at making switches when it's appropriate. So good guy on your team has the ball. You run from your corner up to the guy with the ball and set a pick on the guy who's guarding him. One of two things will happen: your best player will get free of the fellow guarding him and will have a nice scoring advantage and can make something happen on offense. Or, they'll switch defenders so that he doesn't get a step on his man. So now you have another ideal scenario: the guy guarding you (probably not their best player if you are a weak offensive threat) will now be guarding your teams best player and their best athlete is probably guarding you.

Set picks for the guy without the ball: maybe a really good player doesn't have the ball. Run over to that fella and set a pick on the guy guarding him. Same benefits as before: he's either going to be wide open for a pass and easy bucket, or they have to switch defenders.

Box-Out: notice I didn't say rebound. You can try to rebound, of course, but the best thing you can do on offense is that when a shot goes up, put your butt on somebody and box him out so that he can't rebound. Either you or someone more athletic on your team will grab the board if everyone's boxing out. A pick-up team that has 5 players who actually box-out is a team I'll put money on because they are the team that's going to get second and third shots. So if you catch yourself watching someone's shot without boxing out, make a mental note that you won't be so lazy next time.

So that's a lot of words for simply: (1) make cuts without the ball; (2) set picks; (3) box-out.

That's how you become a better team asset instantly when you don't really have any offensive or defensive skills. None of that requires actual basketball skill or even any athletecism. And don't worry about plays. Once you learn the efficacy of setting picks, then you can move on to learning the pick and roll and maybe you can start getting some open looks of your own.

Originally Posted by indesertum

actually i think people used to learn karate from teh book.

it's hard to tell you what I don't suck at. My crossovers are pretty decent, but I tend to double crossover because my left hand skills suck. I generally don't do layups. I prefer mid range jumpers. I can get a lot of turnovers, but because I like the feeling of stealing a ball I tend to reach instead of defending properly by sidestepping.

I just want to improve everything. I also would like to learn some plays.

Right now I'm tempted to practice invest in the rockhandle and follow the vertical jump bible in a week or a week and a half.

Any resources, articles, books, media, stuff that I can read and watch?

Too late for this IM season, but next IM season I want to be ready.

Originally Posted by Kris

Three pages and no one has suggested negroplasty.

Originally Posted by FashionEttiquette

You get some negroplasty

Originally Posted by Matt

ahem....

Originally Posted by Monaco

Read up on rules, and play pick up games at your local park/basketball court, don't be shy just keep playing, thats the only way to get better. Try not to play with the same people on a consistent basis, you get too comfortable and won't get any better.