How to Become a Dominant Basketball Big Man

While guards and forwards are nice in basketball, most every successful team has at least one dominant big man on its roster. As the name suggests a player does need the correct physical attributes to be a big man, but that is only part of the role. Read on to learn how to become a dominant basketball big man.

Instructions

1. Learn to set proper screens. Fundamentals are a large part of becoming a dominant basketball big man. All post players must know how to set proper screens in basketball. It may not be glamorous or show up in the box score but screen setting is very important.

2. Get good low post position. Some big men think just because they are bigger than other players they know how to get in low post position. This is not necessarily the case. A big man must learn to run to rim on every play and get a position as close to the basket as possible. It is also important to get out of the lane within three seconds or the referee will call a three-second violation.

3. Provide excellent help defense around the basket. It is the responsibility of any dominant big man to guard the basket on defense. This includes when an opposing gets past a teammate and the big man must help keep that player away from the basket. Helping defense is also where a big man usually gets most of his blocked shots.

4. Develop a go-to offensive move around the basket. Most every successful big man has a single move that works most of the time he uses it. Whether it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his shy hook or Hakeem Olajuwon and his dream shake, all dominant big men have had a signature move or shot that opponents could not stop.

5. Rebound most every basketball that comes into your area. A dominant big man must be able to rebound the basketball and after the rebound throw an effective outlet pass to the point guard. An offensive rebound gives you or a teammate another chance to score and a defensive rebound enables your team to get out on the fast break. Both these types of rebounds are crucial aspects of becoming a dominant basketball big man.