practice

Question
wut is the best way to work on my game when alone, during the school year its hard to find competion,and the person i play with is in football season. i have a court at my house, but i need a way i can really improve when im working out alone, do u have any suggestions

Answer
Nnamidi,

You can do many things on your own to improve your game. The easiest and the first thing I would do is work on my conditioning. When the season rolls around you will be way ahead of the game if you're in shape. Remember always warm up and stretch before you start any workout. If you have access to a full court you can simply dribble back and forth taking jump shots from the free throw line. Play games with yourself and say you have to hit 12 out 20 before you move on to the next drill. If you do this full speed not only will you get in shape but also get use to game like shots; 12 for 20 is 60% which is pretty good! You can also do the same thing with layups but before you move on to the next drill you have to make 20 for 20. No reason to miss a layup, the only reason we miss layups is because lack of concentration or fatigue. Alternate from right hand to left. To be successful in basketball you have to be able to go right and left. If 20 is to much then start with 10, 6 for 10 on jump shots and 10 for 10 on layups. In between drills shoot 10 free throws and keep track of your makes. Your goal is to be 8 or 9 for 10 each set. At the start you probably will be less than that but don't be discouraged, as it is probably because you are not in basketball shape. You can also do defensive slides full court, up and back 3 times to start. Also, you can work on dribbling full court. Work on crossovers, reverse dribble, between your legs, and speed dribbling.  If you only have a half court then work on game like shots going game speed and shoot from the wings, corners, and free throw line. Again, play games with yourself. You have to make 6 of 10 from each spot and shoot 10 free-throws in between each shooting spot. Also work on driving from each spot making 10 for 10 layups. Try to make everything you work on game like speed. There is no reason going half speed as you wont be able to in the game. Remember you play the way you practice. For conditioning jump rope as this is an excellent way to get in shape. I hope this helps and if you need specific drills for your position then let me know what position you play and I can possibly help more. Good luck with your season!