How to Practice Basketball in Your House Without a Hoop

Stuck in the house but you really want to practice your basketball skills? Many people believe that in order to practice basketball, you need to have a basketball hoop...HOGWASH...there are a tremendous amount of exercises and drills that can be done without the use of a basketball hoop. Here are some examples of things you can do at home to become an excellent player when you can't get to a gym or there is 2 feet of snow on the ground.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Basketball

1. BALL HANDLING
   All you need is your basketball and about a 5'x5' area of space.
   Here are some ball handling drills can be done on any floor surface:
   1. Ball Slaps
   2. Finger Tip Touches
   3. Head, Waist, and Knee Wraps
   4. Figure Eights
   5. Alternate Touches - left in front/right in front
   6. Alternate Touches - front and back
   
   See related article "How to Improve Basketball Ball Handling Skills in 7 Minutes per Day" for more detailed exercises.

2. FORM SHOOTING
   Who says you can't work on your shot in your house? To improve your shooting form, lie on your back with your knees bent (bending your knees will provide better balance when doing this). Using proper shooting form, shoot the ball straight up towards the ceiling making sure that you release the guide hand before shooting. If using proper form, the ball should have a tight backwards rotation. Catch the ball and repeat the process.

3. BOX-OUT
   This is a great drill when you and some friends have some energy to burn and you can't run around outside. Start out by outlining a 10'x10' open space...clearing out a space in the basement is perfect! Place a basketball in the center of this open space.
   D1= Defensive Rebounder
   O1= Offensive Rebounder
   O1 starts anywhere on the perimeter of the 10'x10'open space. D1 faces O1.
   The object of this drill is for D1 to prevent O1 from touching the ball for 3 seconds by using proper box-out techniques and strong desire.
   If D1 keeps O1 from touching the ball, D1 gets one point.
   If O1 touches the ball, O1 gets one point.
   First player to 5 wins.
   
   If you have a third person playing, that person can be the referee. They would yell "Shot"(which would start the drill) and then count the 3 seconds out loud. They could also make sure that it does not turn into a wrestling match by calling fouls.
   
   If there are only two players, the defense counts out loud and starts counting as soon as O1 makes a move for the ball.

4. TRIPLE THREAT TECHNIQUE
   This essential skill can be practiced anywhere. Pretend there is a basket and square your body to it. Choose a pivot foot and pretend to nail your big toe into the ground to keep it stationary. Get in a strong position by bending your legs and keeping the ball in two hands while protecting it from the pretend defender. Practice different pivots while moving the ball high, low, and side-to-side. Next, square your body for a shot--then, pretend to make a bounce pass into the post--then, get low and make a dribble move to the right--then, get low and make a dribble move to the left. Now, switch your pivot foot and repeat. Continue these movements and they will become very natural to you when you are back on the court in real action.

5. MENTAL PREPARATION
   Basketball is as much a mental game as it is a physical game. It is the responsibilty of each player to know his/her roles, techniques, and positioning. A good method to enhance mental preparation is to visualize yourself in various situations on the court and play it through in your head. Visualize yourself being successful in each situation and acheiving a positive outcome.
   
   Examples of visualization:
   1. Running though the offense and passing to an open player for a lay-up
   2. Properly boxing out, grabbing a rebound, and making the outlet pass
   3. Playing aggressive defense and forcing a turnover
   4. Catching a pass on the wing, getting in triple threat position, taking two dribbles, squaring up for a jump shot, and watching it "swish" through the net
   
   * It is very important to visualize yourself being successful. When you get into game situations, you will feel that you have done it before and it will be easier to acheive a successful result.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that you clear out any breakable items in case you lose control of the ball
• For the Box-Out drill, being aggressive is essential, but do not turn it into a wrestling match--referees will call fouls in the game.
• Mental Preparation/Visualization is best done in a quiet area - perhaps with some soft music in the background

[Hyguy]

on 11/12/2007 Good comments. Just handling the basketball all the time in your house gets you more comfortable with ballhandling, shooting and thinking about playing.