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Have you ever noticed that some ballers seem to shine compared to other ballers? There are some special, dominate hoopers that just seem to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Are You one of them? Do fans come to watch you play? Or do they come to see one of your teammates? I just received an email from one of my special ballers that bought by Go Basketball Pro System and he had a very basic question? Rali, what are the most essential skills All Star ballers master? And here is the answer.

Skill # 1:
All star ballers are different then most. Some are small, big, fast, slow, but when I say different, I mean they have mastered what the rest of the ballers have not. This is one of the most crucial steps you MUST take in order to dominate the court. Goal setting. I know it sounds basic, but believe me, its more effective then you think. Think about it for one second, how are you going to achieve something you do not have a goal for? When you set your goal, you have a reason for playing, a reason for practicing, a reason for being. You have to know exactly what you want to accomplish, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Skill # 2: Defining a niche!
This is by far the most over looked aspect in basketball. A niche is what you do best, it is the one thing that you do great, the thing that separates you form the baller next to you. The One thing you can provide the team, and what the coach can count on you for. Without a niche, you have no identity on the court. If you look at all the kings in the NBA, you will easily discover their niche.
Steve Nash- passing
Ben Wallace- Rebounding
Dwayne Wade- attacking the basket
Mike Miller- Shooting
Kobe - Scoring
And the list goes on. Find a Niche and spend as much time working and improving it as much as possible.

Skill # 3:
Staying as low as possible. Basketball is a sport that should always be played from low to high, not high to low. The lower you are, the faster, stronger, more balanced you will be. When you drive past someone on offense, you want to focus on getting your shoulder to where the defenders hips are. That is how low you should be on all you drives. There are certain things that separate the “wannabee ballers” form the All-Star studs that get all the fame and publicity. And make no mistake about it, theses are the keys to unlocking your true potential. Here are the other crucial 3 keys All-Star ballers master

Skill # 4: Practicing Less But accomplishing more!
Yes, All-Star ballers leverage their time effectively and get more accomplished in less amount of time. How do you do that? Easy! You incorporate basketball circuits into your workouts. Most unsuccessful ballers do the traditional work on 1 or 2 things each practice, like spending 45 minutes to a hour working on their jump shot. And then spending the last 15 minutes on defense or conditioning. It would be far more effective if you had a circuit of exercise ranging anywhere from 4 to 8 different exercises in each circuit. These exercise would be called stations and you would spend a certain amount of time at each station and then rotate to the next station. From what I have found, 30 seconds is plenty of time to spend at each station, and then you would allow your self 15 to 30 seconds of rest in between each station before moving on to the next station. Just pick your top 6 drills that you love to do and incorporate them into a circuit and watch as time fly’s by and you get so much more done.

Skill # 5:
Mastering the art of marketing and exposure. There is nothing lucky about it. The reason why that baller is on T.V. and your not is because he knows how to market himself correctly to get as much exposure as he needs. Look, it’s very simple:The best basketball player in the world is nothing unless people, and I mean the right people know of him. How many ballers do you think are out there that have the talent to play in the NBA, but are not there? I know of at least 50 of them. Learn how to market yourself to teams, coaches, schools and organizations as soon and as early as possible and watch how fast an avalanche of scholarships and contacts will fill your mailbox.

Skill # 6:
Doing what’s Uncomfortable. Yep, That is right, doing the uncomfortable. All-Stars ballers have formed the habit of doing things they do not like to do. Let me explain. Everyone is natural inclination, including All-Stars, is to be lazy and only do things that are comfortable. Here is an example. I do not know about you, but when I played, I use to hate doing things that would improve my defense. Like defensive slides, holding my defensive stance and other drills that would make my legs feel like logs. But just because I did not want to do them does not mean I would not do it. I try to form the habit of doing all the things I did not want to do, but if I did, it would make me a better person, and a better baller. Everyday think of the one things that you do not want to do, but if you did, it would make your life better, on and off the court. Master these 6 skills and I guarantee you your competition will be sorry.

Since You’ve dedicated your self to reading this entire article, I want to give you a FREE Gift. Simply visit www.GoBasketballPro.com and claim your subscription to my “Untold Basketball Secrets” newsletter. It’s jammed packed with outrageous all-star baller strategies.

One very important aspect about any sport, not just basketball is continual growth and development. When you are not growing you are doing the opposite… Dying! Successful basketball players and those who aren’t achieving their dreams are different.

And most of the time it has nothing to do with ability or talent. Ask yourself a simple question? Do you think there is some baller out there that is way better then some guys in the league, but he is stuck somewhere working at a food restaurant or something? I know of at least a dozen of them!

But why is this so? Did they make a bad decision, made a wrong move, or didn’t play their cards right? All of these could be true, but from what I have found, these are not the main causes. The main cause of basketball failure is a lack of growth! What kind of growth? Personal growth.

As I stated earlier, if you are not growing, you are doing the opposite of growing. You see successful, dominate ballers have formed habits of doing things they do not like doing.

Let’s read that again. You see successful, dominate ballers have formed habits of doing things they do not like doing.

Everyone has the bad habit of being lazy, even successful basketball players. But successful ballers have formed the habit of doing the things that will benefit them even when they are feeling lazy. Successful ballers focus solely on results, and unsuccessful ballers focus solely on the process of those results.

Here is an example: A baller who has formed the habit of doing things even when they do not want to, and focuses just on the results will go wake up at 6 in the morning and work on their game with the intention of playing pro basketball. The result (playing pro basketball) is the fuel and drive they use to achieve their dreams or goal.

A unsuccessful basketball player will not get up at 6 in the mourning and will look at the process of becoming a pro baller, (competition, chances, odds, how, obstacles, lack of resources, commitment etc…). And hence they will never get tot their goal, because their goal seems to be a hill they can not climb, it’s too hard, too many things to do. They actually prevent them selves from achieving their goal!

Here is something that you can do right now and for the rest of your life to ensure basketball growth. Everyday when you wake up, or even the night before, take out apiece of paper and write down one thing that you do not want to do, but if you did would move your life, and development forward. Then write down the benefits of completing that task (again focus on the results). By focusing on the result you will take the necessary action to get the job done.

If you were to do this everyday for the rest of your life, your results will be amazing, and you will accomplish some of the biggest goals that you thought were nothing but a dream. Try this for the next 4 weeks and watch as your game, life and everything around it becomes magical!

Since You’ve dedicated your self to reading this entire article, I want to give you a FREE Gift. Simply visit www.GoBasketballPro.com and claim your subscription to my “Untold Basketball Secrets” newsletter. It’s jammed packed with outrageous all-star baller strategies.

With so many drills and different ways to practice to improve your game, you could very easily get confused and frustrated trying to compile a perfect practice plan. Some of the main components I have always stressed with all my private basketball clients, whether they are beginners or an NBA veteran, is to try and train smarter and not just harder.

A major component you have to consider when trying to design a basketball improvement system is to leverage your time wisely and work on the areas that are most important to you and your game. To use an example, if you are a point guard, your main job is to be able to handle the rock under control and pressure, control the pace of the game, make sure all your teammates are doing their job correctly and be your coaches on the court general.

It would be great if you were a great rebounder, it is not something that you should spend alot of time practicing. You should focus the majority of your time practicing and improving the areas that are most required. Try not to get caught up in trying to work on every aspect of basketball,there just is not enough time to work on every thing in one practice.

I have outlined a practice plan that I use to structure all of my pro clients workouts,they are very effective and time efficient. The practice will last approximately 1 hour and will begin with a sports warm-up.

Sports Warm Up ( 15 minutes)
It is very essential you participate in an active warm up that will prepare you for a vigorous work out ahead. The days of static stretching as a team are long over,due to the fact that you want to prepare your self for moving, running,and explosive burst, you want to prepare your body to handle certain movements and game situations.

I normally have all my players run 4 to 5 times around the court at about 50%, and then follow that up with 4 half court layups from both the right and left side. Then, we perform 3 full court layups on each side, right and left. Then we move onto two ball dribbling, full court and back 3 times, two ball alternating dribbling full court and back, 3 times, and then finishwith a couple of dynamic warm up stretches that improve the mobility, stability, and flexibility of certain muscle groups.

Basketball conditioning ( 10 minutes)
I have always like jumping right into some conditioning drills as my players perform better when we get conditioning done at the beginning of practice. Many practices, the exercise or drills will change and vary, but the principles remain the same. I usually compile 6 conditioning drills that we will perform only once, but at 100% intensity.

I will then give them a 30-45 second break and thenmove onto the next conditioning drill.We do not perform the drills for certain amount of reps, but rather for a duration of time. Usually lasting 30-45 seconds.

Hers is a sample Conditioning workout:
Exercise # 1 suicide ( 30 seconds)
Rest(45seconds)
Exercise # 2 ( machine guns while dribbling a basketball) 30 seconds
Rest (45 seconds)
Exercise # 3 Basketball Pushups with a basketball( 20 seconds on each side)
Rest(45 seconds)
Exercise #4 Full court Defensive slides( 35 seconds)
Rest ( 45 seconds)
Exercise # 5 Net or rim touches ( 30 seconds)
Rest ( 45 Seconds)
Exercise # 6 Push Up Holds ( 45 seconds)
Rest Until 10 minutes is up.

As you can see, if you structure your workouts and practices correctly, you can get a very effective practice in a short period of time. The next 10 minutes will solely focus on shooting. I have a simple rule when trying to improve your shooting.

Think of the 5 most common shots and area that you are most likely to shoot in a game and work on those 5 shots the most. It is almost a waste of time if you are a center trying to improve your 3 point shooting. Once you have figured out your 5 most common shots, spend 2 minutes each working on them and getting up as many shots as you can in those 2 minutes from those specific spots.

You will be surprised when you start working on only a couple of shoots how much more you will improve compared to trying to shoot from every where. After you finish working on your shooting, you will then dedicate the next 10 minutes on ball handling. There are millions of drills that will improve your ball handling skills and you can pick which ever ones you like, but follow these rules when you do so.

1. Try not to ever look down at the ball.

2. Try your hardest not to mess up.

3. Involve as much running and movement as you can.

4.When you have mastered a drill, do not continue to do the same drill, move on to a more challenging drill.

5. Try to incorporate multitasking drills as much as possible, like 2 ball dribbling, the more you can do at the same time the better.

Follow those rules and you will see a dramatic improvement in your over all game. Now that you have gotten past those stations, it is time now to move on to the most important aspect of the practice. The last 15 minutes will solely be committed to working on your niche, the most important component of your game.

What Is Your Niche? This is by far the most over looked aspect in basketball. A niche is what you do best, it is the one thing that you do great, the thing that separates you form the baller next to you. The One thing you can provide the team, and what the coach can count on you for. Without a Niche, you have no identity on the court. If you look at all the kings in the NBA, you will easily discover their niche.

Steve Nash- passing
Ben Wallace- Rebounding
Dwayne Wade- attacking the basket
Mike Miller- Shooting
Kobe - Scoring
And the list goes on.

Spend the last 15 minutes working and mastering your niche. Whatever it is, whether it be shooting, rebounding, ball handling, defense, scoring, driving to the basket, 3 point shooting, ect. Work on mastering and improving it. I guarantee you that if you take this outline and use it to structure your workouts and practices, you will have more improvement in a couple of weeks then you probably have had your whole career.

Improving your game is easy when you do it the right way.

Since You’ve dedicated your self to reading this entire article, I want to give you a FREE Gift. Simply visit www.GoBasketballPro.com and claim your subscription to my “Untold Basketball Secrets” newsletter. It’s jammed packed with outrageous all-star baller strategies.

As I am sure you are getting prepared for this up coming basketball season, there are a lot of little easy things you can and should be doing to guarantee you will make the final cut. I have been receiving tons of emails lately asking if I have any tips or secrets on how to make a basketball team. Unfortunately, not every one is as talented as Lebron or Kobe, and it can be a pretty difficult challenge especially if you live in a big city or go to a big school.

Since I have been getting so many emails on this topic, I have put together 5 Tips To help you get on any basketball team. Put these tips to use and you will be thanking me in a couple of weeks when you make your team! Lets get started… Okay first things first. You have to realize why most coaches choose certain players. They are only concerned with a player that will help the team. And it necessarily doesn’t always have to be talent or skill level. One of the great assets Steve Nash brings is the confidence he instills in his teammates.Every time one of them falls down, he runs to pick them up. When one of them makes a mistake, he pats them on their shoulder and tells them not to worry about it. When they do something right, he is the first one to applaud them. Do you do these things? Do you make your teammates feel better when they play with you? I guarantee you if you can develop this kind of maturity, your coach will love you. Here are my 5 tips:

Tip # 1:
Show up to the try-outs super early, already warmed up and stretched and ready to go.

Tip # 2:
Look around to see what most of the other kids are good at, are there a lot of shooters, scorers, ball handlers. Whatever there is a lot of, try to focus on what there isn’t a lot of.Like are there a lot of great defenders, hustlers? If there is not, make it your main focus to try as hard as you can on defense and bust your butt.

Tip # 3:
Show the coach that you would be a great addition to his team, either by skill, intelligence, or being a team leader.

Tip # 4:
Get to know the coach as much as possible. Develop a off the court relationship. Find out why they are coaching, and why they love the sport.

Tip # 5:
Don’t be afraid, show confidence, show them you are willing to put in the time to improve, and most importantly, show them you love playing basketball. These 5 tips are basic, but it could determine whether or not you make the team, or have to wait until next year to try out again.

P.S.Instead of worrying about making the team, how would you like to become the most dominant all-star your rivals have ever seen? Grab your free All-Star ballers crash course and discover the basketball training secrets of the most unstoppable hoops stars known to man.

Since You’ve dedicated your self to reading this entire article, I want to give you a FREE Gift. Simply visit www.GoBasketballPro.com and claim your subscription to my “Untold Basketball Secrets” newsletter. It’s jammed packed with outrageous all-star baller strategies.

Oscar Robertson is the Milwaukee Bucks’ first star player. Known as “The Big O”, Robertson is a recipient of the MVP award in 14 professional seasons. Robertson is an inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame and also one of the 50 greatest NBA players in history.

The Milwaukee Bucks is the NBA team representing the city of Milwaukee in Winconsin.

Robertson’s Early Years

The NBA star was born to a poor family on November 24, 1983 in a segregated housing project in Indianapolis. Boys his age were into baseball but Robertson was not interested in the sport. Instead, he preferred to learn basketball. Because of their poverty, Robertson resorted to using tennis balls and rags which he tied together using a rubber band instead of a proper basketball. In place of a hoop, he shot these makeshift basketballs into a peach basket. With these improvised equipment, Robertson honed the skills that would later on propel him to stardom in the NBA.

School

In 1954, Robertson entered a segregated school that is exclusive for African-Americans, called the Crispus Attucks High School. Because of his love for basketball, he joined the high school basketball team in the state competition. The team had previously lost during the state quarterfinals to Milan, who would later on become state champions. However, with Robertson around, the team bounced back getting an excellent record of 31 wins and 1 loss in 1955 and won the state championship. This was the first time an all-black school ever won a state championship in Indianapolis.

The following season, Robertson and the Attucks won their second state championship. The team this time impressed the crowd with 31 wins with no losses at all. The team was also on the way to securing a state record of 45 straight victories. Because of his efforts — he scored 24 points for every game during his senior year — Robertson was awarded the title Indiana “Mr. Basketball” in 1955.

In 1956, Robertson graduated and entered the University of Cincinnati, eventually joining the university’s basketball team. His skills had improved to the point that he scored 33.8 points per game on the average. Robertson’s record was the third highest scoring in the history of college basketball.

For three years, Robertson won the national scoring title. In every year, he was named an All-American player and College Player of the Year. Robertson also set 14 NCAA and 19 school records during his stay in the University of Cincinnati. With him on board, the Cincinnati Bearcats had an overall record of 79 wins and 9 losses, as well as two appearances in the Final Four. However, he failed to lead the team into a championship despite his excellent record in high school. By the time he left college, Robertson was a leading NCAA scorer.

After college, Robertson joined the U.S. basketball team during the 1960 Summer Olympics. His team captain was Jerry West. Robertson and West, along with a few others, were regarded as the greatest collection of amateur basketball players. They were undefeated, and got the gold medal. Robertson and few others then made it to the NBA, where three of them became Hall-of-Famers.

NBA Years

Robertson’s first professional team was the Cincinnati Royals (which would later on become the Sacramento Kings). While he was with the team, Robertson made a mark as a rookie by scoring 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists during his first year with the Royals. His performance led to an NBA rookie of the year award in the 1960-1961 season, and an election into the All-NBA First Team. He also appeared in an All-Star game, during which the West scored victory and Robertson made a record of 23 points, 14 assists and 9 rebounds. However, the Royals during the season never made it past the Western Division with a record of 33 wins and 46 losses.

During the next season (1961-1962), Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 11.4 assists and 12.5 rebounds for every game. He was the only player to do so. He also broke Bob Cousy’s 715-assist record with his 899 assists.

Similar to his stay in the University of Cincinnati, Robertson failed to see a championship with the Royals until he left the team during a trade off in the 1970-1971 season draft. Traded for the Milwaukee Bucks’ Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk, it was with the Bucks that Robertson saw his first championship in 1971. He also helped the Bucks get two division titles during the 1971-1972 and 1972-1973 seasons, and also assisted the team to reach the finals during the 1974 season. However, the team lost to the Bolton Celtics during the season.

The Oscar Robertson Suit

The Oscar Robertson suit is a suit filed by the NBA Player Association — of which Robertson was president — against the league in 1974. The suit basically was settled after six years, which resulted to a merger of the NBA and the ABA, and introduced the free agency status of players after their contracts expired.

Attila Z Jancsina is a freelance copy writer. He occasionally writes for Wisconsin Real Estate FSBO. Website offers Free FSBO advertisement.

Basketball at the 2008 Olympic Games will be held at Wukesong Indoor Stadium in Beijing from August 9-24, 2008.

Basketball is definitely a global sport that has shown continued growth over recent years. The USA with the NBA and its college basketball system undoubtedly has the toughest competitions in the world that attracts the world’s best players. However, the USA has not always dominated the Olympics and on several occasions they have been embarrassed by some unexpected defeats to lesser known teams.

The USA always enters the Olympics as favourites but their inability to gel and play as a team has brought about some bad losses. The question will be is will they have a team of players who play like individuals or will they put aside their egos and play as a team. If they play as a team then they should win the gold medal.

In 1972 the Soviet Union beat the USA to win the gold in a controversial game. After 1988 the Olympics opened the sport up for professional players to play which saw the greatest basketball team of all time to compete in 1992. The “Dream Team” lead by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were just unbeatable and put on a show for all the world to see. Most of the players on the other teams were star struck by playing against these legends of the game.

In 1992 Michael Jordan was the team’s second highest scorer with 14.9 points per game and he had a tournament high 37 steals. The U.S. defeated Croatia 117-85 in the final and as a result Michael Jordan earned his second Olympic gold medal.

David Stern of the NBA has stated a number of times that they wish to expand and promote the game of basketball in China. As a result they have played and will continue to play more exhibition games in China. The presence of China’s greatest player, Yao Ming in the NBA has helped to increase the popularity of basketball in China.

The following teams have already qualified for the Beijing 2008 Olympics: Angola (African Champion), Argentina (Americas runner-up), Australia (Oceania Champion), China (host), Iran (Asian Champion), Lithuania (European Bronze medallist), Russia (European Champion), Spain (World Champion) and USA (Champion of the Americas).

The remaining three positions for the Beijing Olympics will be decided in the twelve team FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men that will take place in Athens, Greece on July 14th. The tournament will involve the following teams: Cameroon and Cape Verde (Africa), Brazil and Canada (Americas), Lebanon, Puerto Rico and the Republic of Korea (Asia), Greece, Germany, Croatia, and Slovenia (Europe) and New Zealand (Oceania). The draw for this tournament will be held on July 20, 2008 in Athens.

The semi finals are scheduled to be played on August 22nd and the finals two days later on August 24th. Although the Americans often underplay the importance of the Olympic Games it is guaranteed that this time they will want to restore their global dominance in basketball by coming out and performing at their best. Anything less than a gold medal will be taken as a failure by many players and supporters in the USA.

For more information on Basketball at the Olympics you should visit Basketball in Beijing 2008

Basketball was invented in a pursuit for an indoor game, which would provide complete fitness. Dr James Naismith, a Canadian physical instructor, wrote down the basic rule for the game after initial rejection of many ideas, at a YMCA Training School. This game was officially played for the first time on January 20, 1892, in the YMCA Gymnasium, at Springfield College. Women began playing basketball in 1892, at Smith College, and different sets of rules were laid down for them.

This is a team sport where two teams, consisting of nine members each, throw ball into a ten-foot high basket of the opponent in order to get a score. While one team member aims for the basket, member of the other team prevents him from doing so. The team that has the highest score wins the game. The ball is dribbled and carried forward. In competitive basketball variation there are lot of regulations and the handling of the ball is restricted. Less regulated versions have been developed for recreational purposes and in some countries, this game is considered as a spectator sport.

Initially a soccer ball was used in basketball after which a brown colored ball was introduced. But to increase the visibility of the ball to the players and spectators alike the color was changed to orange, in 1950s by Tony Hinkle. Initially dribbling wasn’t a part of the game. It was included in the game in the 1950s.

Different versions have different rules and time limits. According to NBA, some of the rules have been discussed here. The basketball court should be 94 X 50 feet. There should be baskets on two opposite ends of the court. The court is either made out of wood or cement. The ten feet high basket is made out of steel rim with a net attached. One score, also called shot, is counted as two points or three points when aimed from a distance of 7.24 meter. The game is divided into four quarters which each of them with a time limit of twelve minutes.

A break of fifteen minutes is allowed after the first two quarter and in between each quarter, there is a break of two minutes. In the third quarter, both the teams exchange their baskets. At a time five members of each team are present on the court. Permission is given to have up to seven substitutes. Other than the coach assistant coaches, statisticians, managers, trainers and doctors assists a team. Other equipments, other than the ball, required during the game are scoreboard, score sheets, clocks, stop clocks, whistles, and alternating possession arrows.

The male and the female player require to wear a pair of shorts and a jersey with clear number printed on the front and the back. High-top sneakers can be worn to provide extra ankle support. Sometimes the coach can request clock stoppages in between the game, if he wants to discuss something important with his team members. Usually three referees watch over the game. Other things like timekeeping, fouls by an individual or a team, score, team possession arrow, shot clock and player substitutions are taken care of by the table officials.

Over the period of time, various positions have been developed in basketball. Initially there were one guard, two forwards, and two centers or two guards, two forwards, and one center. Later on point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center positions were added.

Actions, which lead to violations are double dribbling, traveling, and carrying the ball and shot clock. Foul is illegal physical contact with the opponent team members, which would hinder them.

The other variations of the professional basketball are wheelchair basketball for the physically handicapped, water basketball to be played in a swimming pool, beach basketball which has very few or no regulations, half court game which has only one basket, and street ball and one-on-one which has two players and smaller court.

Alan Richardson is the owner of The Sports Equipment Site where you will find a massive selection of deals on sporting equipment and apparel.

Michael Jordan was born three days after Valentine’s Day in 1963. He brought a new level of excitement to the game of basketball, and is now retired, much to the relief of his opponents, and despite coming back several times previously. He is a marketing genius and a businessman. Michael Jordan is often called the greatest basketball player to ever live - a distinction he himself is quick to denounce. He was, however, marketed to the fullest by his team, and his shoe line from Nike, the Air Jordan, remains the top selling shoe endorsed by a sports personality. He ruled basketball through the 80’s and 90’s.

He began his career as a stand-out playing the Tarheels out of the University of North Carolina. Be began his professional career in the near mid 1980’s when he inked a deal with the Chicago Bulls franchise. It did not take Michael Jordan long to shine on the professional level, becoming one of the greatest stars in his rookie season. He was a high scorer with a tremendous leaping ability and many of his slam dunks have become highlight reel moments - especially the backboard shattering ones of which there were plenty. All of his accolades as a leaper and a scorer gave him the moniker of “Air Jordan” and he was also sometimes referred to as “His Airness” by sassy commentators. Besides being a great offensive player, he was also a tremendous defender.

He helped take the Chicago Bulls to World Champion Chicago Bulls in 1991 and their streak continued through 1992 and 1993 securing them a much talked about “three-peat”. Michael Jordan, feeling bored with basketball, took a leave during the 1993 through 1994 season in order to follow a dream of becoming a major league baseball player. That did not go as well as he would have liked and he went back to playing basketball with the Chicago Bulls in 1995. With Michael Jordan back on the wood, the Chicago Bulls pulled off another three-peat by winning back to back to back championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998 and they also set a record with winning 72 games in a regular season in 95-96. Michael Jordan again retired in 1999 but soon returned to play in the 2001 and 2002 seasons with the Washington Wizards, a team he was part owner in.

Michael Jordan is probably the most highly decorated basketball player in the game today, winning five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team Designations, fourteen all star game appearances as well as holding the record for the highest career regular-season scoring by managing a little over 30 points a game.

Sebastian Marders loves writing about a variety of things and sharing the website that inspires each piece with his readers. If you would like to know a bit about basketball Jump Soles, or are interested in finding basketball ankle braces or supportive knee braces then please visit.

When we sit and watch a basketball game, we are always yelling at our team for every screw up they throw our way. We are fans - and as fans - it is our job to judge, heckle and to annoy these men who, as far as we are concerned, are not worth as much as they are paid to play a “simple sport” or “game.” Basketball is big business like any other sport.

Make no bones about it though - it is not easy. There are a lot of things that go into making a great basketball player and height, surprisingly, is not one of them. It helps - do not get me wrong - but there have been some short men to play the sport over the last hundred years or so (Muggsy Bogues to name one of recent play). Strength, stamina and endurance are all important factors in your basketball game. The following simple techniques will help you achieve your potential.

1) Run the Wood

Endurance is a major factor in the game of basketball and you are required to constantly run, run, run up and down the court. So in order to meet the needs of the game, this is what you do - run up and down a basketball court for 20 minutes to start. Gradually increase your time and speed. Timing your pivots and run backs are important as well, so make sure to touch the line before you pivot as making quick changes during a game are important.

2) Tire Throw

Besides throwing the basketball into a hoop, you always need to be able to pass with accuracy. A simple way to accomplish this feat is by stealing an idea from football players. Unused car tires make a perfect target for throwing your “rock” and hitting the mark. If you have some friends who want to improve their skills at the same time, you can take turns running in-between several hanging tires, to pass the ball through the holes, avoiding possible steals.

3) Nothing Beats Calisthenics

No one likes doing these. I know I hated them. It brings me back to high school gym class, but nothing can get your stamina, endurance and strength up as much as doing jumping jacks, push ups, pull ups and up downs (jogging in place, hitting the floor and getting up to do it all again).

Doing these simple things for at least 20 minutes before your practice will help you gain endurance, stamina and strength to make your game all that much more improved.

Sebastian Marders loves writing about a variety of things and sharing the website that inspires each piece with his readers. If you would like to know a bit about training with Jump Soles, or are interested in ankle braces for basketball or comfortable knee braces then please visit.

Two important skills in basketball are faking and moving without the ball. Both should be practiced well.

Faking

In order to be an offensive threat you must be able to elude your guard whether you have the ball or not. A fake is an act designed to throw your guard off balance, so you can drive past him or free yourself for a shot. Do this by faking with your head, eyes, feet, shoulders, and body.

The fake drive-and-shot is designed to throw the defensive player off balance and force him back to make room for the shot. Feint a dribble around the guard, using the front foot to force him back.

The offensive player then comes up to position for the shot. Any feint will produce some recoiling action on the guard’s part. The fake shot-and-drive is a maneuver in which the player with the ball fakes a shot at the basket to draw the guard close to him so he can dribble around him.

When you are faking, keep the ball protected and in position for the dribble. The first stride should be a long one with the right foot if going right, placing the ball well out in front while driving by the guard.

A double fake is executed by faking a drive with a deep step to the right, causing the guard to drop back a little. The offensive man then moves his front foot a bit back and poises for a set shot.

As the guard comes up on his toes to stop the shot, the offensive man lowers his body and drives off his front foot, placing the ball well out ahead and drives in for the goal. To go to the right side, the deep step is faked to the left with the right foot. The shot is faked, then comes the drive to the right. A left-handed player will use his left foot as the forward foot and follow the same technique as above.

In starting a fake, a player never knows whether it will be a single or a double fake. This will depend on the action of the guard. Sometimes a guard commits himself on the first fake. If he is not fooled on the first fake, then try the double fake.

A common fault of many players executing feints is that they do not allow enough time for the defensive player to “fall for” the deception. Shooting or driving too soon simply means that the deception is wasted.

Moving without the ball

Players often do not know how to act offensively when they do not have the ball. In my coaching experience I have found this to be especially true of young players. Too frequently they do nothing. They stand around watching the man with the ball, waving their arms for a pass even though he is closely guarded. The easiest man to guard is the player who stands around and moves slowly and aimlessly. Basketball is a team game and all five players must work as a unit to get the best results.

A player without the ball can do the following:

1. Move at all times to prevent the defense from double- teaming a teammate.

2. Keep the middle of the court open to permit plays down the middle.

3. Set up a screen for teammates.

4. Be alert to cut in for a possible play.

Situations change with every pass of the ball. Watch for weaknesses in the defense so you may take advantage of them.

It is important to know what you intend to do. Indiscriminate running will only tire you out. Never run straight or in circles. An opponent can easily guard you. Deception and change of pace will help you elude your guard.

Learn to fake and also to move without the ball, and you will become a much more valuable player for your team.

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