Basketball help to make try outs?

Question

Ok, I want to become a better basketball player. The things I really need to work on are my vertical jump, my speed, flexibility, and my ball handling.

My vertical jump right now is 19 inches, which isn't bad, but I'm in 8th grade, and I really wanna make the team in January. So any help with that would be great, recently I've been doing 2 minutes of wall sits every night.

Ball handling, I really just get out there and dribble, and move it embetween my legs, around my head, and around my chest, 1 minute of each excerzie when you move the ball, and get faster as you go. It's helping a little bit, but not as much as I would like it to.

Speed, this is the really tricky one. I've been running every night, and running suicides and sprints. Any drills for that?

Flexibility... Another tricky one, but you know, I've just been stretching the areas that need help. Underneath my knee, and the muscles between your legs, like when you do the splits. Those things... any good stretches that work fast?

Thanks for you help! I know it's a lot, but 10 points for the best answer!

Answer 1

Hmm.. I am very tall and having a vertical helps. What I used to do, and still do, is I jump and touch the ceiling. When I was a little kid that was one of my goals, and now its a piece of cake, but my vertical has improved tremendously. Something that will actually be like.. training like, is to do box jumps. If you have a box or something, you jump up, then jump down, jump up, and down. You do that for awhile, and your vertical will be awesome. (use a wooden box)



Flexibility.. just stretch. Keep pushing yourself to do better. Do the hurdle stretch, where you have one leg in and one out, and you try to touch your toe, and if you can do that, you try to touch your nose to your knee.



Oh, and work on endurance, that is key sometimes in basketball. If you have great stamina, then when all the really fast players are tired, you are in control. Just go on jogs for a long ways. That will help.



Keep working on ball handling and i have a great tip for you! Do fingertip pushups!! That will help sooooooo much!! You will be able to grab the ball and hold on to it, which helps with rebounding and stuff.



Speed, just keep doing what you are doing. It'll help!

Answer 2

wall sits aren't going to do much for your vertical. you should do calf workouts like calf raises and stuff.

for your dribbling the only way to get better is to do it a lot, every day. if you are not good with your left use it a lot more.

and for your speed Try exaggerated skipping. Swing the arm that's opposite the leg being lifted, and drive each knee up as high as comfortably possible. Use the arm swing to help generate higher lift. Skip 100 yards up and 100 yards back.

Do basketball slides. This is like a sideways skip, but without bending the knees. Slide with the left leg, then bring the right leg to meet the left. Land on the right foot and repeat. Keep the arms bent in running position. Slide 100 yards, and slide back facing the same direction. Be like Frankenstein. Extend your arms straight out in front of you. Walk slowly, keeping your knees straight, and raise one leg at a time as high as comfortably possible toward your hands. Keep your trunk straight. Walk 100 yards minimum.

Kick butt. Bend at the waist so your upper body is parallel to the ground. Rise onto your toes. With your arms bent or loose at your sides, run with your feet kicking up in back, trying to kick your butt. The steps should be quick. Do this for 100 yards.

Practice stiff-legged running. With arms bent at 90-degree angles at your sides, rise up on your toes. Keeping the knees locked, run as quickly as possible. The strides will be very short. Do this for a minimum of 100 yards.

for stretching the best thing to do is hamstring and calf stretches. lay on your back and put your leg straight up, and then have someone push your leg at you( while your leg is still straight). and you probably know all the calf stretches.



Good Luck on making the team!

Answer 3

Take the ball where ever you go- not only will your ball control and handling improve but your quickness will as well as you will be used to running the court while having possesion of the ball.Also with flexibility and jumping don't do the same routine everyday-mix it up or else you won't see improvements

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Just keep doing what your doing and practice.



Believe in yourself and don't give up.