When picking up a new sport, it is vitally important that you understand the basic elements of that sport to avoid injury and also ensure that you have a proper understanding of the game. Basketball is fast-paced and intense; read the steps below to avoid common beginner mistakes.
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1. Poor Shooting Form and Technique
For a game based around the concept of maintaining possession of a ball and shooting the ball through suspended hoops to score points, shooting technique and form is arguably the most fundamental aspect of the game.
For beginners and seasoned pros alike, understanding and implementing the correct form is imperative for maintaining consistency and success in the game.
Developing your own shooting technique enhances the chances of scoring and maintaining a strong form and reduces the chance of injury throughout games.
Correct form execution allows power generation from legs and encourages a strong core and balance, which leads to a focus trajectory path for the ball. You will work towards perfecting great shooting form by focusing on the key fundamentals outlined below.
Follow the quick tips below for form development.
- Stance: The best stance is well balanced with feet shoulder distance apart. It is best to have your dominant foot placed in the front.
- Grip: Keeping the ball balanced on the fingertips rather than held in the palms is recommended. The fingerprint grip allows for extra control and allows for spin upon release.
- Alignment: Keep your dominant eye focused on the basket for increased depth perception and accuracy. Your dominant eye is often the same as your dominant hand.
- Elbow Placement: Keep elbows tightly aligned with your shoulder throughout your shooting. A common mistake is to let the elbows flare out loosely, preventing shots from being accurate.
- Follow-through: Once the ball has left your fingertips, it is essential to follow through until the ball has safely reached the hoop.
- Regular Practice: Like every sport, it is essential to keep practicing daily!
2. Neglecting to Train Dribbling Skills
Basketball is a demanding sport, requiring an array of skill sets to succeed. A fundamental skill while playing basketball is the ability to dribble, which means moving across the court while bouncing the ball. Players can score, pass, and create learned plays and set-ups in moving across the court. Dribbling exercises and drills are essential to develop and hone skills.
To avoid neglecting dribbling drills, keep the following points in mind while playing, remember the following:
- Keep Your Eyes Up: When still learning to play basketball, focusing on the ground and your hands is a common mistake. However, keep your eyes up and focus on the game, your teammates, and your opponents, too! This tricky skill takes practice – eventually, your confidence will grow, and you will need to focus less on your hands.
- Watch Your Fingertips: Like when shooting, the best practice is to hold the ball lightly at your fingertips rather than in your palms. This helps keep control and to be reactive.
- Focus on Hand Speed: Another neglected skill is training hand speed – you can practice these through various drills. Increasing hand speed will enhance coordination and fluency—similarly, practice using both hands to increase proficiency and versatility on the court.
- Master Varying Dribbling Height: Varying the dribble height is another fundamental skill that develops with lots of focused practice. Incorporating variance into your repertoire makes it harder for opponents to anticipate your next move.
- Keep Low: Keeping low ensures a strong center of gravity and increases the chances of keeping opponents away.
3. Ignoring Defense
When first learning to play a new sport, it is easy to become hyper-focused on your performance – the dribbling skills, positioning, and shooting form, that you forget to focus on the competition!
Ignoring the defense is an easy way to lose possession of the ball and let precious points slip away easily! To maintain a strong defensive play, keep the following tips in mind!
- Communicate With Your Team: Basketball is a team sport, so get used to getting vocal with your teammates! This will help when you need to give instructions, call a play or move around the court to support one another.
- Practice Quick Footwork: As you continue to practice your skills, your footwork will eventually improve, and you can move quicker and more efficiently across the court. More speed equals more baskets, and you can outperform your opponents in no time!
- Keep Active Arms: Keeping your arms raised and active during play is an excellent method to seize quick opportunities and ensure a continually challenging environment for your opposing team.
- Anticipate Moves: One thing beginners tend to do is not study plays and offensive strategies. As you develop as a player, this will become helpful, and you can start to visualize and anticipate the opposing team’s strategy – then, you can begin to play offensively.
4. Incorrect Positioning on the Court
When beginners first get some actual court time, it is easy to neglect court positioning as a vital part of the game, as there are many other play aspects to focus upon. However, with a little effort, it will become easier to keep positioned correctly. There are three key elements to remember: stance, spacing, and communication.
These three elements will help dramatically. Stance is crucial in acting quickly when needed – as will quick communication with teammates to ensure you are marking the right opponent.
Similarly, spacing on the court is vital to ensure that you and your teammates are not all grouped, allowing the other team to seize more shooting opportunities.
5. Not Mastering the Fundamental Skills
Another mistake of people new to basketball is not mastering the fundamental skills of the game before starting to play.
Some core and critical skills must be understood and practiced before engaging in a game. Simple skills such as lay-ups, rebounds, dribble, and shooting techniques are crucial to playing efficiently and successfully.
Getting practice time with your teammates is very important, but learning drills throughout practice will help you develop as a player.
6. Lack of Communication
There are five players on a basketball team, and you should communicate with every one of them. Communication is critical when playing effectively as a team.
As discussed, it is imperative to keep vocal within the game to call out fast breaks, passes, and if players need to switch marking.
7. Not Taking Rest Breaks
Basketball is incredibly fast-paced, and taking a break and rest between plays is imperative. Not taking adequate rest breaks can lead to fatigue and possible injury! Similarly, keeping hydrated is also incredibly important.
As you continue to hone and develop your individual skills, following these starter tips should help you become a more efficient and confident player!
