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- Coach Twenty
- Jan 3
- 2 min read
Think about your advantages, it could be one or more things you can do on the court to get the upper hand. Its not always about scoring on your opponnent. Think about if you have the best rebounder or shot blocker guarding you. It's best to keep them away from the basket, try to be opposite of the best slasher on your team. Give them space to create. Getting them away from the basket will take them out of plays most of the time. Not giving them a chance to help rebound or contest shots.
Taking players off the dribble is another way you can win your matchup. It's not about scoring on someone. It's more about kick starting the offense. Getting started with getting by your matchup should draw attention from the help side defense. When this happens someone is open and that leads to an open shot or action for a better shot. either way if you can consistently perform this job, you will be playing a key role in the offense without scoring the ball.
Winning your match up on the defensive end takes more of understanding who you are guarding. Watch what they do most. do your best to take it away. See if they can hit open jump shots, you take a risk of giving up a bucket but at the same time you are testing your matchup to see if you have to play them tight around the jump shooting area. Some players can only go one way. Take the strong hand drive away from the player your guarding making them do something they don't want to do on the court. If they like to go left force them to go right, if they like to right make them go left. You can't do this with every player, but you can try this with most players.
- Coach Twenty
- Jun 11, 2024
- 5 min read
It is different ways you can help your team win if you want to be a consistent impact player. By reading and reacting to a few different situations the best you can. Working on your game at a level of focus that can help you improve over time. Taking risk and trying new moves can help you improve faster then you think. Work on these moves in pick up games and build the confidents to get away with these moves during the game. then over time something will click and you'll have the new move in your Basketball DNA
Ball Handling can you help your game overall, mastering this skill will help you stay on the court depending on the situation of the team, if you are kind of big and can handle the ball good enough not to flip it (turn the ball over). If you are a bigger player that can handle the basketball this will give you a great chance to gain trust from your teammates and the coaching staff. It's players that can dribble but they don't really have a triple threat package, or they dribble and it seems like they never get off the ball (pass the ball). Over dribbling is not good for the other player on the court if you are only over dribbling to look for your own shot. It's different if you are looking for teammates and your goal is to either draw defenders to you so you can make the right pass or take the shot if you have it. You must be able to do then a few combo moves. Ball handling is about making the correct pass at right time. It's a skill to be able to dribble pass someone get into the paint and make the right play. Sometimes the pass is there and sometimes it's the shot. You have to be able to make that choice in the heat of the moment. That's very important, I think players that make these type of plays are vital down the stretch because not only does that make you look good, you are getting a chance to put your teammates in scoring opportunity. Work on your moves to develop them to impact your game. Just as important as handling the ball is going somewhere with your dribble. use your feet as you dribble in different ways. You can use your feet to protect that basketball, you can also use your feet to sale different moves asa you make a play. Using your feet and hands it the same time will make you hander to guard on the basketball court.
Defense
Passing
Shooting
Rebounding
DEFENSE understand the term "defense wins championships." when it comes to defense, it's different ways that you can make an impact for your team in the 5 on 5 situation. talking on defense will help your teammates aware of what type of defense they are able to play. What type of speaking will help your teammate. One is calling out the screens, that can save a player if they are locked in playing defense they aren't going to be aware that it's a screen being set on them.
CLOSING OUT on the ball is good, but what is your purpose for closing out on the ball? Are you taking aways the 3 point shot? if so can be receptive to the drive or the pump fake, some coaches say don't leave your feet on a closeout unless your are sure they are going to take the shot. I agree with them. Closing out on the ball could end bad if you don't approach the correct way.
MOVING YOUR FEET fast in tight spaces. Focus on being quick and staying in front of your defender. If you get beat you have to know how to turn your hips in order to keep up with the player that has the basketball. If you are able to recover you might save the possession. If they get by you making a good move, don't
ROTATION to the right areas on defense can save a team. Sometimes it doesn't depend on who you are guarding. It's about ball you man 1st, stop the ball and rotate as you should. if you rotate the right way you will be in the right spot to play the passing lane and maybe you'll be able to get a steal or make a play like drawing charge or making the player with the ball think twice maybe they might travel or throw the ball away. You just have to know how to stay active during the time the ball is in play.
Talking
Closeout
Moving your feet
Rotation
Full Court Pressure
Playing the passing lane
in important
Read and React to what the defense gives you. Keep your head up and dribble alive
Finding players and making them better is about passing them the ball at the right time. You can get a teammate going by getting them easy buckets time and time again. It could be for lay-ups or it could be for open shots. Keeping you head up when you have to ball is very important if you want to make these types of plays that also can also leave you on the court and make your teammates better.
REBOUNDING Is important because if you can hold teams to one shot per trip then you'll have a better chance to win the game. Offensive rebounds and put backs put teams in the frame of mind, it gives your team confidence. Rebounding is simple, it's about boxing out, tipping the basketball in the direction where your teammate can recover it. Plays like that are important when it comes to winning games.
PASSING can help your team because it can move the ball faster then the defense can get to it most times. Understanding when to make passes for the backdoor cut, or the skip pass can help your team get easy points. A few more different ways you can pass the are outlet passes, driving a passing for a layup 3 pointer or a lob at the basketball to a player that can handle it.
SHOOTING open shots, making shots off the dribble or shooting a high percentage in freethrows can help your team. It all adds up. When it comes to shooting the ball you have to breakdown the fundamentals if you want to have a impact and be trusted by your teammates as a knock down shooter.
REPETITIONS
Understand Defense will keep you on the floor and it will give you easy chances to make lay-ups in a game. Footwork and active hands are vital for improving defense. If you want to advance in Basketball you are going to have to inquire certain ways you can put the ball in the Basket. Finding your game is important, players take different approaches when it comes to scoring the ball at first. You can add to your game by learning new moves that you can use on the court to make an impact. Scoring from different ways, using a pump fake before a layup or learning easy ways to get to the basket in order to make the right pass.
- Coach Twenty
- Jun 10, 2024
- 2 min read
Reading the defense isn’t about scoring the ball based on what you see on TV on mostly in pick up games, rec league, youth league or anywhere else, that does play a major role in reading the defense though. Getting the defense to react off of what you do is very important when it comes to reading the defense. Different ways to read the defense without the ball to get open comes down to a few different factors.
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 Using the backdoor cut to get open (Being Overplayed)
 Using a L or V cut to create space (When getting denied)
Screening away from the ball (To keep good action)
Taking what the defense gives you (Make the game easy)
 Work the defense (Passing, Driving, and Triple Threat)
Working on different attacking angles
Working on your game puts you in position to make a great impact on for your team as a play maker. putting in the work to improve your skills and becoming a play maker takes practice and you have to trust yourself and at the same time you need to be able to make the right reads at the right time in games along with having the skill, and strength to be able to make to ajustment in live action.
Different aspects you can incorporate to improve. Along with getting shots up and reps in. You also need to improve your strength, quickness, and jumping ability to become an overall better basketball player, then you’ll be able to play versus any type of competition and still have a chance to be successful. Your goal to having a successful basketball career is consistency and enjoying the journey of improving over timeÂ
For more tips and videos on different ways to improve your skills
Understanding the Defense