How To: Become A Better Ball Player (Intro)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Basketball_through_hoop.jpg

As a reddit user and a an r/basketball lurker, I've noticed a lot people looking for tips, tricks, drills, and other ways to hone in on their basketball skills.  As one of the most fundamental players on my high school team and growing up with a basketball coach as a father, I thought I might be able to help.  This is my guide to becoming a polished, poised, and elite basketball player.

Be Consistant

Find a weakness and work on it consistently.  Don't ignore any flaws you have.  They will only get bigger.  If your weakness is going left, spend days practicing going left outside in your driveway.  Look at your different skill sets as a bar graph.  You want all of the bars to be completely equal at whatever skill level they are. The wider ranger your skill set is, the more versatile and effective you will be.  Work hard and consistently.  It's like working out in a gym.  Find a daily or weekly schedule and stick to it.

Shoot, Shoot, Shoot

Get to hoop at put up as many shots as you can a day.  The more you shoot, as long as your shot is mechanically correct, the better you will be.  When shooting a basketball, you should never miss to the left or right.  Hitting the front or back rim is fine, but when your shot is hitting left or right rim, your mechanics are off.

Find A List Of Drills To Help With Weakness

There is no point in working on certain skills if you're working on them the wrong way.  Sometimes it's very uncomfortable when you change your fundamentals from what feels comfortable to what is actually correct. Here is a good list of individual drills for different skills.

Play As Much As Possible

Not only do you need to work on your individual skills, but you need to play the game.  Find an open gym somewhere or even some pick-up. Make sure, though, when you're playing pick-up ball to not fall back into your old patterns.  Go into each game wanting to work on a certain aspect of your game and don't stray from it.  Stay fundamental. Some people may not like the way you play, depending on what gym you're at, but that doesn't matter.  When you play pick-up ball it's easy to slip into old habits. Don't let that happen.

There are many other ways to improve your game, but these are great ways to start.  If you want to know more or have specific questions, feel free to comment or email me through the contact us tab, or follow us on twitter!

Trey Frisbey
Boy Meets Sports
2/3/2014
Twitter: @boymeetsports