5 Ways You Can Work on Your Game at Home
In a perfect world, you would always have access to a gym where you can work on your game at any time of the day. However, most of the time, this is just not the case. Sometimes, even access to outdoor hoops can be complicated to find. So, what do you do in situations like this? Do you just say, “well, when a gym opens back up, I will start back up then.” Or, are you able to still find ways to work on your game at home?
This article is designed specifically for players and will point out five different ways that you can work on your game at home. They will allow you to continue your progress and skill development and will allow you to set yourself apart from the competition.
And, even when gyms and parks become available again, they are still excellent tools to use as you continue to pursue your basketball dreams and goals.
Study Other Players
Working on your game doesn’t always have to be a physical action. Yes, the game requires physical skills, but before you can do them, you need first to learn them. A great way to do that is by watching other players and studying their moves. Whether it is emulating Stephen Curry’s jump shot, James Harden’s crossover, or whatever it might be, take the time to learn from other players.
It doesn’t always have to be a specific skill, either. When you watch basketball games, study how different players execute throughout the game. It might be ball movement, shooting, defense, rebounding, etc. Whatever it is, be a student of the game and learn from the players on the floor.
Even as a current basketball trainer and ex-pro player, I still study other player’s moves and skill sets regularly because it allows me to become better at what I do. So regardless of what level you are at, it is essential to be learning from other players.
Work on Ball Handling
Ball handling is one of those basketball skills that can be worked on almost anywhere. All you need is a ball and a flat hard surface. With so many different basketball dribbling drills out there as well, it is easy to find new drills to keep yourself entertained and challenged as well. You have two ball dribbling drills, tennis ball dribbling drills, specific moves to work on, and more.
Here are a few different ball handling drills that you can get started with.
Two-Ball Windshield Wiper Drill
This ball handling drill is great for working on ball control with either hand. Also, because it is going to require two hands at the same time, you will not be able to switch the ball to your strong hand if you get uncomfortable.
Tennis Ball Crossover Dribbling Drill
If you are looking to work on a quick handle, this is the dribbling drill for you. By adding in a tennis ball toss and catch, you will be forced to execute an even quicker crossover move.
Between the Legs Crossover Dribbling Drill
This combo dribbling move is excellent for selling your defender that you are going to attack one way before you crush them with a second, counter move. When doing this drill, really lock in on selling the move each time.
Hand-Eye Coordination
Another great way to work on your game at home is by improving your hand-eye coordination. As a basketball player, this is going to translate to so many different areas of the game. Whether it is catching the ball, handling it, shooting, etc., the better your hand-eye coordination is, the better you will be able to do these skills.
A great way to work on your hand-eye coordination at home is with tennis balls. You could use a tennis ball/basketball combination (as listed above), but you can also use tennis balls by themselves to work on it as well. Try out these two drills with a partner.
One-Hand Tennis Ball Toss: This drill is going to require two players facing each other a few feet apart. One of the players will start with a tennis ball in each hand. When the drill starts, the player with the tennis balls will toss either ball underhand to their partner. The partner must catch the ball overhand (is not allowed to reach across their body to make the catch) and then immediately toss it back underhand. Without any delay, the passer can toss the other ball or the same ball, and the receiver must catch it overhand and then toss it back underhand. Continue this pattern for the desired amount of time.
The passer may choose to bounce the tennis balls instead of tossing them to make the drill more challenging. Also, the passer should look to toss some balls higher and some lower to get the receiver to change up their eye levels.
Two-Hand Tennis Ball Toss: This drill will start with a similar with the two partners facing each other and one partner having the tennis balls. This time, though, the passer will have both tennis balls in one hand, and they will toss them both at the same time. The receiver must catch one tennis ball with each hand. They will then put both tennis balls in one hand and repeat the action.
The goal is to make the tennis ball toss challenging for the receiver. So feel free to mix up the types of tosses, just make sure that the tennis balls must come out of the hand at the same time.
Develop Your Basketball IQ
Along with watching other players and learning from them, you can also improve your Basketball IQ by reading or watching instructional videos. There are so many great basketball books, websites, and videos out there that can be accessed. It is up to you, though, to take advantage of them and make sure that you are developing your basketball IQ.
As you do this regularly, you will start to see the game differently as you play. You will recognize different situations, and will be able to exploit your opponent better. You will be able to outthink them and use your Basketball IQ to your advantage.
Develop Physically
Basketball is a game that requires you to be explosive, quick, strong with the ball, etc. So a great way to develop your game at home is to work on these areas. And, don’t think that you need to have a full gym with weights to do this either. There are plenty of bodyweight exercises that you can do on your own as well as specific exercises and drills that will focus on vertical, agility, speed, and so on.
The more you can increase in these areas; the more your moves are going to work. When you make a crossover and then attack, you will be able to cover more ground. When you finish at the basket, you will be able to get the contact and the finish.
By spending time on these areas, you add more value to every other move that you have been working on.
5 Ways You Can Work on Your Game at Home Conclusion
Working on your game at home is not an ideal situation, but as you can see from this article, it can be done. And it can be very beneficial. So rather than allowing yourself to make excuses about not being able to get in the gym or use a court, start taking advantage of these five ways to work on your game at home.
Before you know it, you will be a better player and will have another way to workout that you can use regularly.