Basketball Training for Point Guard
Of the five players on the court for a basketball team, the point guard may be the most important. Mostly thought of as the "floor general," or as an extension of the head coach, the point guard controls the flow of the game and works hard to get all players involved. To be a leader on the court, a point guard must learn and excel at many different basketball skills.
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To be the most effective point guard, a player must be proficient in four areas: dribbling, passing, shooting and defense. Being a great point guard isn't only about dribbling or passing; it is about being skilled in all of these areas. To be the best, most well-rounded pint guard, an individual needs to devote time and plenty of practice in all areas.
Dribbling
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Dribbling is an important skill that a point guard must practice constantly and eventually master because the point guard is the player on each team who has possession of the ball for most of the game. It is important for a point guard to be able to take care of the ball without turning it over to the other team. With his dribbling prowess, a point guard is trusted to bring the ball up the court and create some offense--finding open players, driving to the basket and getting past the defense.
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Passing
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One of the fundamental responsibilities of a point guard is to get his teammates involved. Most point guards have a "pass first, shoot second" mentality. Another responsibility of a point guard is to not turn the ball over by making bad passes that the other team can intercept. This, obviously, involves excellent passing skills, as well as a keen ability to see the floor and read defenses. To be a good passer also involves communication. A good point guard needs to communicate with his players so they can work on different plays and techniques.
Shooting
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Reading defenses and creating open shots does not only apply to a point guard's teammates. Sometimes, if he finds himself open or unable to find someone to pass to, a point guard must be able to create shots for himself. That requires developing good shooting and dribbling skills, which can be used to drive to the basket. This will enable him to get easier shots from being closer to the basket.
Defense
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Many people think of a point guard only being important on offense. However, this is not the case. Many times the point guard is responsible for defending the other team's point guard--an individual who may be as skilled, or maybe more skillful, than he is. Playing good defense, along with stopping the other team's point guard, involves stealing the ball, rebounding and leading fast breaks. If a point guard is effective at stealing the ball from the other team, this can lead to fast breaks and easy scoring opportunities for his team. The same can be said if a point guard is able to rebound. if he grabs a rebound, he can quickly dribble down the court for an easy score or pass the ball to one of his teammates.
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- Photo Credit basketball on the street image by Alexey Klementiev from Fotolia.com
