Basketball Essay, Research Paper
How to play Basketball
Im sure you all have played the game got basketball at sometime but today Im going to tell you a few tips of
the game. Do maybe you can become a better player. Basketball is a fun sport but to be good you have to be able to
shoot, pass and dribble.
In order to score points you have to get the ball in the basket. You can do this by shooting the ball. When you
make a shot that is inside the three point line weather its a dunk, lay up or jump shot its worth 2 points. The long
range shots outside the three point line are worth three points. If you get fouled while shooting, you get a chance to
go to the free throw line where if you make the shot you get one try but if you are fouled and you miss the shot you
get two tries. Each free throw is worth one point. Proper shot alignment would be with your front foot lined up wit the
basket. The right foot for right-handed shooters and left foot for left-handed shooters. Your back foot should have
the toe lined up wit the front foot heel. The back foot is about shoulder width apart from the front foot. The back foot
is primarily used for balance during the shot. And the knees, the closer to the basket the more the knees are used for
jumping.
At the end of the shot, the knees are flexed enough to slip a dine under the player’s heels. Shooting side elbow
should be lined up with the shooting toe. The older the player, the higher the elbow during the shot. For older
players, the elbow will be even with the eyes. The wrist should push the ball up and through. The desired path
brings the ball coming straight down toward the basket. Hands and fingers, the index finer and middle finer make up a
shooting fork. The middle finer is spread away from the index finger until the skin becomes tight. All the fingers are
spread with the outside quater of the thumb touching the ball. The opposite hand is used strictly for balance.
Everyone has their own style of shot but those tips can help improve your accuracy when shooting, but a few
things that all good shooters do is use a compact motion with a few moving parts, properly align with the target,
shoot from a balanced stance, start with a proper grip on the ball, know their range and shot selection and develop
consistent shooting habits.
Passing is also important to be a good offense basketball plater. In a basketball game if you want to score and
be successful, you have to be able to move the ball around the court and keep it away from your opponents. A lot of
great NBA stars who are known for scoring over 30 points a game have to credit players on their team to get them the
ball, Karl Malone had John Stockton from the Utah Jazz, Chris Webber has one of the fanciest players in the league
Jayson Williams of the Sacramento Kings. Catching a pass when closely guarded you should move, take a step to
meet the ball. When stopping use a one-two stop wit the inside foot as a pivot foot. Lastly turning is also important
to make a front turn to see the basket. Your body stays low so you can have position against the defender. Feet
should step at, around, over or through the defense. Your arms are used to protect the ball. Head and eyes should
always be up when you receive the ball, hold the ball in the triple threat position, this gives you the opportunity to
either shoot, pass or dribble the ball. For good positioning pass the ball then move somewhere. Come to the passer
only to maintain spacing, to break pressure defense or when the player is open. Good passers always know when to
pass the ball, how to pass away from the defender, maintain proper floor spacing also know what to do after catching
the ball and how to make a smooth transition to the triple threat position, he also instinctively adjusts to being
closely guarded. Also to help out the person with the ball in making a design on where to pass it if you open you
should call for the ball.
In order to move the ball up and down the court and keep it away from defenders you have to have good
dribbling skills. Dribbling is a very important part of the game but also a difficult part. Not everyone can dribble well
but some of these tips may help you out a little bit. When you stop dribbling, stop only when you have located an
open man for the pass. Your feet should be in a two step stop planting in a wide base. The back of your knees should
bend to lower the body so you don’t have to dribble up high and risk the ball getting stolen. When stopping but
continuing to dribble, your feet should be shoulder width apart. Your toes should be facing the basket. Your hands
have to be prepared to change the dribble from a speed dribble to a controlled dribble. Eyes have to read the
defender and the defense so you can make quick moves to fake before either shooting, passing or driving. When
dribbling under extreme pressure, your feet should take a quick step backward, then use either a change of direction.
The head always has to be up and not looking at the ball. Your eyes should always be looking for a pass to an open
teammate. Dribbling is very difficult, the good dribblers always exhibit consistent dribbling skills, dribble to separate
themselves from the defense, know when to stop dribbling, and they also know which dribble to use in each
situation.
As you can see to be a good ball player there is a technique needed. I hope you all have learned something
from my speech. Now from this speech don’t think that if your a good shooter, passer and dribbler you can be an all-
star player because there are other things that are needed to be learned such as defense because it is just as
important as offense. Once you learn about the entire game offense and defense you can have a lot of fun and make a
lot money at the same time all while playing the game of basketball.