Basketball Skill Development: Use These Five Tips To Solidify Your Shots

While a proper basketball skill set will take a lot more than just shooting into account, like proper defense and the essential skill of passing, no player can deny that they would like the ability to sink more baskets. And nothing is more concrete than adding more points to the scoreboard. So even though game should be versatile, every player will spend plenty of time working on their shooting.

Here are some simple tips for improving your shots and sinking more baskets.

1. Set Up By Getting Open

While this seems obvious when you're not dribbling down the court, the action in a game makes things a little more complex. A lot of shots are tossed on a sudden whim, as if grabbing a spontaneous opportunity, but these are most often the shots that brick or completely miss the basket.

Anticipating and setting up a shot is much more likely to end in a goal, so try to plan things out even while doing all you can to not telegraph that plan.

2. Use Your Teammates

Never be a ball-hog and just take a shot because you want to claim it. Not only does this create more missed shots but it damage's team morale.

Keep an eye on where all teammates are before taking your shot, and if someone is open for an easier basket than you, throw the ball to them instead. Knowing when not too shoot is just as valuable, and if you miss, you will be very sorry that you did not make the right decision.

3. Precision Focus

Once you've moved into shooting position, drown out everything else and keep your eye directly on the target all the way through the shot, keeping your attention specifically on the rim. All other obstacles and distractions should be zoned out. Always follow through to get the most out of your motions and hold focus until the last possible second.

4. Work on Passing

Passing really is part of shooting as what often starts as a shot will end up turning into a pass, and most of the same smaller skills and movements that lead to a good pass also add up to a good pass. And I cannot stress enough how important it is to capitalize on a pass that makes more sense than being a ball-hog.

5. Practice, Practice, Practice

While it should go without saying, your shots should be practiced over and over and over and over again. Even once you feel you've mastered it in practice, you will often find your skills don't hold up in a game. The only way to defeat this is to keep practicing until you've developed enough confidence to stay consistent under pressure. It's all in your mind.

Check out some sensibly-price adjustable basketball hoops and consider getting one set up at home so you can practice in your free time. This is the type of dedication it takes to become a star shooter.

by James Druman