How to Become a Great Basketball Player

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If you dream of being the best basketball player in your league, or at the gym you play at then listen up! To be the best you have to train hard, practice with perfection, and play strong.

Basketball skills like shooting, ball handling, rebounding, stealing the ball, setting picks and screens, defense, keeping the post or boxing out, passing, blocking shots, moving without the ball, and foot-work are going to be your foundation especially a good jump shot.

Now if you want to get to the next level of competition you must perfect your basketball skills and practice drills like you were playing in a game. Don’t ever get sloppy in your training or practice; it’s better to have quality practice time than slopping quantity practice.

Here are some great practice tips to make you the best you can be:

1. One-Spot Shooting – Shot continuously from one spot on the court until you hit 90% of your shots, then move to a new spot and repeat. Eventually you will be able to hit shots at incredible accuracy from anywhere on the court. Practice jump shots, lay-ups, hook shots, fad away jumpers, and standing shots with each hand. Practice dribbling before the shot, fake before the shot, basically shot as if you had a defender in your face.

2. One-hand Dribbling – use one hand to dribble with, go through your legs, around and behind your back, over your shoulder, back and forth, side-to-side, high powerful bounces and low fast bounces. Do this with one hand at a time.

3. Plyometrics – You must be able to jump. You will most likely get a lot of jumping practice while playing, but to really unleash you full potential do some plyometrics. Try repetitive jumping from one spot bend down to your jumping angle and explode back up as high as you can, stay on the ground for only enough time for you to gather enough energy to jump as high as you can.

4. Squats and Leg Presses – You need major strength in your legs if you want to jump higher, hold the post, set better picks and screens. So you will need to be able to lift 2-3 times your body weight for squats and at least double that for your leg press. This will be painful, but you will gain tremendous strength, which will elevate your game quickly.

5. Upper Body Press and Pulls – Don’t forget about your upper-body. Fast hands means better dribbling, more steals and blocked shots, and a quick release shot. To increase your hand speed do push-ups, chin-ups are excellent for hand speed, shoulder presses, handstands, and shadow boxing. Now go out there and grab the rock!

6. Sprints – The best way to Increase HGH (Human Growth Hormone) is by running 5-10 second sprints. Sprints or any intense exercise will increase your HGH by as much as 300% for a few hours. What this means is that you will get faster, stronger, bigger muscles to take your basketball skills to the next level.

Now go practice your skills with perfection and build you speed, and strength. You are well on your way to dominating in your league or local gym, Good Job!

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Dr. Basketball www.basketball-dunk-shoot.com/"> Basketball Tips and Information

Discount Basketball Shoes--Be Careful

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Please remember that you usually get exactly what you pay for--so buyer beware when you purchase discount basketball shoes. Be very selective and examine the shoes inside and outside. The time that you spend in the selection process may be time well spent.

The demand for basketball shoes has led to the setting up of a large number of shops, both online and offline, that sell discount basketball shoes. These stores offer huge discounts -- as high as 20 to 40 per cent -- on basketball shoes, making the offer very tempting.

However, one must be careful while selecting the branded basketball shoes. A concerned Nike, which is a leading manufacturer of basketball shoes, has gone to the extent of putting up a notice warning buyers to be careful of stores that offer big discounts. Nike's greatest fear is that substandard shoes are being sold in the name of Nike.

According to Nike, "If the fit isn't the same, the sole has little traction, or they smell of cheap rubber glue they're fake. Websites that sell fakes will usually state that their shoes are factory samples or variants or custom or replicas, etc. Also see where they are shipped from. Beware of sites that say they ship from Hong Kong or China via EMS."

Even E-bay in its guidelines for buyers advises caution. It advises buyers of discount shoes to check the credentials of the seller by going through the testimonials or feedback section. E-bay also advises buyers to check the seller's return policy before buying a basketball shoe.

However, this does not mean that every discount store is a cheat. There are several genuine discount stores on the net. One only has to scout around to locate the good ones. Nike itself recommends several online stores where its shoes can be bought without fear or concern.

Another point that needs to be checked is the shipping charge. There is no point in buying a shoe on discount if the shoe's cost becomes equal to the cost of a new shoe, once the shipping cost is added. In such cases, it makes more sense to buy the basketball shoe from an offline store. The buyer can at least check the quality of the shoe, and its fit.

Stores that offer a return policy should always be favored. The advantage with these stores is that they will change the shoe in case it does not fit or fails to meet the buyer's expectations.

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William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats.Download a 100% FREE $89 value SEO eBook and discover all the joys and secrets of Basketball at Basketball's Holy Grail