Building a Basketball Player (pt 3 - FINAL)

Are the skills transferable to an actual game of basketball?

"Secret recipe" of elite shooters?

The most under-coached & misunderstood area of basketball

It's Tim here... Good to have you reading part 3 (the last) part of the Building a Basketball Player series.

If you missed the previous blogs, it's worth checking them out so we can be closer to the same page on this last part.

• Part 1 "Nose for the Ball", Good Feet

• Part 2 Layups, Ball Handling

I want to help the next generation of ballers ...

Yes, I do want to help the next generation of ballers. To give a bit of recap, I believe there are four foundations of individual skill

• Layups

• Ball Handling

• Shooting

• Footwork

We have looked at the first two foundations of individual skills, layups & dribbling, in the previous Blog.

Let’s now take a look at the next two and identify some of their nuances. In this part, we will discuss shooting and footwork and also point out a particular area of each that I believe is being taught incorrectly or rarely being addressed.

TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS?

At times, some of the training methods that I have used have been criticised for being non-transferable to an actual game of basketball. Before we dive into our two skills, I would like to address what I believe my training method promotes.

I will often times use props (tennis balls, plyometric boxes, rip cones etc.) to help assist my training techniques.

This is done for a few reasons. A skill such as picking up a rip cone off the ground, can help teach a player how to get low whilst driving to the basket and also help teach certain movement patterns to enable the player to become more comfortable and familiar with the position. Another more important reason is decision making. The wrong explanation for my coaching methods is that using props makes the skill easier in the game. The correct explanation is that basketball is a game of decision making, players must learn to make decisions and adjust their focus whilst also performing a certain skill such as dribbling.

Basketball is fast paced decision making and players that can react with the correct decision the fastest will likely be more successful.

Now let’s dive into numbers 3 & 4.

3. SHOOTING

The aspect of shooting which I believe is taught incorrectly is where the shot starts from. I see many players set the ball high while their knees are still bent, then shooting the ball as if from a launch pad. This flaw is seen more in women’s basketball, but I have seen it in men’s as well.

The only time elite shooters should catch and keep the ball high, is off a higher pass and there is no time to dip the ball.

This technique is called a ‘no dip’ and is very difficult to perfect.

If we look at great shooters, Curry, Durant, Reddick, Mya Moore, Diana Taurasi, all these superstar shooters start their shot with the basketball around their hips, they then move the ball up to their lift point as their body follows closely behind (ball moves first, then the body lifts). This results in a smooth rhythm also help to generate more power, allowing you shoot from deep (and who doesn’t love a 3!)

All these superstar shooters start their shot with the basketball around their hips

Let me be clear, you can be a dead-eye shooter even if you set the ball high before you shoot. However, you’ll never become a dynamic shooter that can pull up quickly off the bounce, release their shot with great speed, or pull up from deep effortlessly. LOOK AT WHAT THE BEST DO!

4. FOOTWORK

Perhaps the most under-coached and misunderstood area of basketball, in Australia at least, is footwork. When we see highlights of Kyrie, Curry or Harden performing amazing dribble moves, most of us get caught up in watching what the basketball does. But what is most impressive is what they do with their feet.

Everything in basketball starts with your feet, therefore, footwork patterns such as placement, angle, length of step, quickness, will all determine how successful your move will be.

The second concept today is about using hidden steps to gain an advantage. This involves the ball being in what’s known as ‘active dribble’ where the player can move their feet as long as the ball is not technically being help onto. Once gravity starts to bring the ball down, the player must either dribble again or their 2-step count begins.

This technique can often be seen on fast breaks and after crossovers. On a fastbreak, players push the ball out in front, often changing hands as they do so, then sprinting at full speed & taking more than two steps between dribbles or before a layup. Hidden steps are also used when players perform an attacking crossover. You will often see the ball suspended in the pocket position while hidden steps are taken either between the next dribble or their layup.

The ‘hidden step technique’ is very valuable in terms of players being faster when they need to be.

Thanks for reading guys! Feel free to comment and share your thoughts. The most important part about coaching, and sometimes life in general, is not being married to your ideas. If I see evidence that what I do or coach is not beneficial or there is a better way of doing things, I like to think that I will adjust accordingly.

Happy hooping!