Basketball is a sport enjoyed by millions of people worldwide. Whether you’re playing pickup games with friends or joining a team, basketball can provide an excellent way to stay active and have fun. However, if you’re new to the sport, it can be intimidating to get started. Fortunately, with the right guidance and practice, anyone can improve their skills and enjoy the game. In this article, we’ll share five basketball tips for beginners to help you get started on the right foot. Whether you’re looking to improve your shooting, passing, or dribbling, these tips will give you a solid foundation to build upon as you develop your skills.
Tips To Starting Out In Basketball
1. Learn The Fundamentals
Fundamentals are the basic skills of basketball and are the foundation for basketball players to improve in their development. Below I will give you some of the basic skills to learn in basketball as well as some links and tips to help improve each of those skills.
Basic Skills Of Basketball
- Shooting
- Dribbling
- Rebounding
- Passing
- Defense
To really learn and master the fundamentals of the game it is important to really master and practice each of the skills above. You can practice these by doing workouts and exercises called drills. To do these drills go to a basketball court or hoop near you and follow drills and exercises which aim at getting you better by adding repetition into your workouts. Remember by practicing more and more you develop muscle memory which is crucial in developing a great basketball player. For some of the best beginner basketball drills, you can check out the link here.
2. Play Pick Up Games
For any beginner one of the best ways to expose yourself to in-game scenarios and really practice your skills is by playing more games and picking up basketball is a great way to do so. Advantages to playing in pick up Great way to practice your skills A fun way to meet other basketball players Great way to learn from more experienced players Great way to get your body used to the physical demands of playing basketball
3. Watch Other Players
Not only beginners but any player looking to get better at basketball will greatly benefit from watching more basketball. Watching more basketball whether that be on youtube, tv, College, or NBA, will help you see more experienced players and see what you can learn from them and implement into your game. In fact, watching NBA players was something that really helped me personally develop some of my favorite moves that I go to regularly and still use today.
4. Get In Shape
Any experienced basketball player will tell you being in good basketball shape is totally different than being in just good shape in general. This is because in basketball you not only have to be good at running long distances but you also have to get used to varying different speeds. For example, in basketball there going to be times when you’re going to have to sprint and then job which is a totally different skill set than just running at a steady pace, or just sprinting. To work on this I recommend players do H.I.I.T Workouts which are exercises that involve doing short-intensity sprints with long slow cardio and various other types of speeds.
5. Become More Explosive
Because of the high-intensity nature of basketball to really be the best player you can be it helps to become a more explosive athlete who is capable of moving your body quickly in a given direction. One great way of doing this is by doing exercises called plyometrics and weight training. Weight training helps you build that necessary muscle you will need to be the best athlete you can be while plyometrics will help develop your fast-twitch muscle fibers which are essential in abilities like running and jumping.
- Plyometrics
- Strength Training
- Upper Body Exercises
- Leg Exercises