As a basketball consultant and personal trainer, I work with many youth, high school and basketball teams and players every year. In every practice, players fail at least one of these five simple skills, ultimately decreasing the team’s effectiveness. While no one will automatically make someone a great basketball player or turn them into a ball contender, every player must possess these skills in order for his team’s offense to run smoothly. These are simple skills that can be easily introduced and reinforced through daily drills that require little practice time. But these skills need to be highlighted.
1. The left hand of the layman. At the “elite” camp next summer, a high school freshman informed me that she could not use her right (left used) because the coach never put it on the right side of the floor. Every good player has the ability to use his hand either right or left. I’m not an old-school coach (like my father) who believes a player should always use the outside hand in a drop or layup. But players have the ability to use their hand and use the right hand in the situation. Watching Manu Ginobili and Steve Nash perform between plays should only reinforce the importance of versatility around the basket.
2. The Ark. The biggest drawback of youth basketball is the number of jump balls; while some see the balls as salty in their great defense and drive, many come from an unpleasant lack of play, and the constant beating of the whistle slows down the playing time. To avoid unnecessary jumping balls, players must be aggressive while protecting the ball from the defense. Therefore, players must ekeep the ball. The chest is the area in the middle of the body between the chest and the top of the knees. When he passes the ball from one side of his body to the other, under defensive pressure, he splits the ball over the top, along the player’s ball line, or low, below the player’s knees. The offensive player remains aggressive while protecting the ball and limiting turnovers.
3. You will pass through. The chests are great, and every coach looks nice while exercising, but they have limited game effectiveness, as passing must be relatively unguarded. Unfortunately, many teams play defense, limiting the utility of the box passer. The pass rush is more functional as an offensive player can pass under defensive pressure. An impulse shot is a quick, two-handed pass followed by a one-handed shot, much like a horizontal shot, used as a drop shot or from a triple threat position. Joining the fake ball, the impact jump is probably the most powerful jump in his arsenal. Speed is key, and a throat hit increases a player’s speed when distributing the ball.
4. Transfer Crossover. This move is especially useful when capturing the defense, spreading pressure or creating space against a ready and aggressive defender. The basic movement is a quick change of direction, from front to back, using the offensive player’s body to protect the ball. Correctly executing the command, the offensive player resists his attack by getting within a foot of the defender. A fullback protects the ball from the back foot, as a ball handler to keep body width between the defender and the ball, just like the receivers of offensive players. The faster the change of direction, the greater the separation. When enough space is created, the ball handler opens his shoulders to the court and sends a difficult cross, accelerating in the other direction.
5. Cut the paper. Ball movement and player movement; every successful team combines these two important elements. The poor players stand and watch and applaud for their teammates. A simple basket cut gets an open dribble for a layup or a collapsed defense to create an opening for a teammate. The movement of the player is harder to defend, as every offensive player moves, the defender must move; if the defenders concentrate on their own, the help of the defense penetrates more slowly. The players run to the ball; but they run to the basket. The ball will find them; they do not always run to him. Greedy players run the ball; ambitious players; good players move and cut the basket.
