Basketball
7 basketball skills every player should be working on
Becoming a great basketball player means hard work, discipline and lots of training. Here are the skills every player should master.
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When you watch pro basketball players on the court, they make some of the most incredible feats seem effortless. The reality is that every one of those fantastic performances is only made possible by years of working hard to build the skills needed to execute at the highest level. If you're looking to play like the pros and compete in events like Red Bull Half Court, the 3on3 competition, here are the top skills you need to train to take your game to the next level.
To be an elite basketball player, you need to be able to produce both offence and defence play. While all-time greats like Lebron James and Michael Jordan are known for their scoring prowess, they also played shutdown defence. If you want to excel, it's important to develop your talents on both sides of the court by focusing on offensive skills, defensive skills and those skills that apply at both ends.
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The 7 skills that matter
Although different roles on the court will place a different emphasis on each skill, the fundamentals of basketball remain consistent no matter where you play. The more well-rounded you are, the better situated you'll be to beat your opponents and lead your team to victory. These are the core skills every basketball player should be working on consistently.
1. Dribbling
It doesn't matter if you're trying to beat your man from the set offence or leading fast breaks, basketball players always benefit from having strong ball-handling skills. By mastering moves like the crossover, behind-the-back and spin dribble, you ensure defenders can never be confident of where you're going with the ball. Once you have them confused, it's easier to get past your opponent with your skilled dribbling.
'Pistol' Pete Maravich famously dribbled a ball nearly everywhere he went and it helped him to develop his famed dribbling ability, both for crowd-pleasing tricks and practical moves to beat his opponents on the court.
Top class dribbling skills will take you past rivals with ease
© Cassy Athena/Red Bull Content Pool
Michael Hicks recommends practice dribbling technique for 30 minutes a day with both hands, and doing more technical dribbling drills like through the legs or behind your back. "I swear one year, if you do this each day, you'll be able to dribble however you want to."
Dribbling with your weaker hand, as well as being two-sided, makes you significantly harder to defend against.
2. Shooting
At the end of the day, basketball is about scoring and a team without shooters is going to struggle no matter how much they excel elsewhere on the court. In the modern game, shooting is moving away from mid-range jumpers to a focus on finishing around the basket and hitting the deep ball. Even big men are now being expected to develop a threat from long range. In addition to practicing your fundamentals, you should also get reps in working less-conventional shots like hooks or fade away jumpers that allow you to score while contested.
Chris 'Lethal Shooter' Matthews believes you should have foundation, form and follow through in any particular type of shot. "Make sure you form shoot every single day, because what it does is it builds up your muscle memory," he instructs.
3. Passing
Lethal Shooter shows the Red Bull Half Court finalists how to do it
© Markus Berger/Red Bull Content Pool
If you want to know how to be a better player to your team-mates, improving your passing is a must. The ability to see lanes and thread a pass into them where others wouldn't significantly opens up your attacking arsenal. A great thing about passing is you need nothing more than a wall and a ball to practice. Be sure you're mixing up your pass types to diversify your game.
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4. Rebounding
A player who dominates the boards can carve out a strong career nearly on that talent alone. Drills like the tip drill, where a player repeatedly elevates to rebound the ball and put it right back off the glass again, teach you to meet the ball up high and look to turn that rebound right back into another shot when on the attack.
Both rebound and defensive skills will help boost your team's chances
© Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
5. Defending
Offense may be flashy, but defense is no less important. Developing fast hands to make steals off the dribble or an intimidating presence around the rim to deter a driving opponents can make you a terror to deal with on the court. When your defensive skills are strong enough, you can even use them to quickly turn the table and set up fast-breaks.
6. Foot Movement
Fast feet are key to a good defence
© Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
Although the ability to move at a sprint is always a plus, basketball is unique to many other sports by the need for quick horizontal motion. Running wind sprints with side-shuffles can help you develop the side-to-side motion you need to keep your opponent in front of you when you're defending.
7. Jumping
Basketball is all about getting vertical and an increased jump height benefits you on both sides of the ball. Work on building your leg strength with exercises like squats and calf presses. Squats especially help you to build the explosive power you need to out-jump your opposition.
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Playing 3on3 tournaments like Red Bull Half Court
3on3 tournaments like Red Bull Half Court can offer a unique practice setting for these skills as Michael Hicks, a veteran in the world of basketball who's represented Poland in numerous international competitions, explained at the recent Red Bull Half Court 2023 World Final in Belgrade.
"It's very good for training, because I stay in shape and there's good competition out here, a good atmosphere and good players. I must always be concentrated and stay fresh."
Nadine Selaawi is a 3on3 fan
© Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
Nadine Selaawi's 3 favourite Red Bull Half Court skill moves
"What makes 3on3 special is the shot clock is completely different to 5on5 basketball, so the pace is really quick," adds Nadine Selaawi, a rising star of women's basketball. The rapid pace forces athletes to adapt, enhancing their reactions, agility and decision-making abilities.
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How to build your basketball skills
If you really want to know how to get better at basketball, simply working on your skills isn't enough. Drilling is important and shouldn't be overlooked, but it's important to do the right things when not drilling to ensure you see as much benefit as possible from all that hard work. Combining diligent work off the court with hard work on in will produce the most growth.
- Create a healthy diet: There's a saying that an army marches on its stomach and the same can be applied to a basketball team. A nutritious diet is essential to getting the most out of yourself when you're playing. Eating clean allows you to play at your best and put the skills you've honed into action more effectively.
- Build your cardio: The better you get, the more time your coaches are going to want to get from you in every game – and that means developing your cardiovascular system until it can keep up with the increased demand. When your cardio fails you, your ability to utilise the skills you worked so hard to develop drops off as well.
- Set concrete targets: An effective way to build your skills in basketball is to identify a weakness and then pick a measurable target for improvement on it. By using quantifiable measures you can track your progress and change things up if you hit plateaus in your progression.
- Play in small-sided games: No matter how much talent is on the court, there's only one ball, so one simple way to increase your chances to attack and defend is to reduce the players on each team. Tournaments like Red Bull Half Court combine elements of organised play and pick-up games to create an exciting style of play. And with only two other team-mates, you're on the ball far more often than in a full 5-on-5 match.
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