There is an endless line of prospective athletes who want to qualify for a basketball team, be it youth level, school teams, club teams, college teams and even semi-pro teams. But few are aware of the shortcuts available that can get them there ahead of most others.The first and normally just about the only skill that prospective hoopers spend what seems like forever practicing is scoring. Honing their shooting skills is all most everyone seems to be motivated to do.As a result, shooters are a dime a dozen. Note I did not say scorers as that is a whole other matter. But just about anyone who likes to play the game can shoot since most of their time has been spent lifting the ball towards the basket. In other words, virtually everyone is a shooter. Therefore it follows that the most difficult part of the game within which an athlete can distinguish themselves is shooting. To be recognized as exceptional in that skill set is the most difficult route one can pursue to get noticed and be of value to the team. Yet that is where almost every perspective player focuses.
When you really stop to consider that fact, it makes little sense to follow that crowd if you want to be a part of a basketball team. So what to do?First and foremost, keep in mind that basketball is a team game. Also remember that it requires a variety of skill sets. The game needs scorers, rebounders, defenders and ball handlers most particularly passers. Unlike a game such as football, there are not lineup changes for offense, defense and specialties. Keeping in mind that most all prospective players spend their skill development time to become shooters, all of the other skill sets are largely ignored. Yet those ignored skill sets are of equal value to scoring and no one is working to master any one of them.If you want to get on the fast track to qualifying for the team and even more significantly being an impact player, specialize in developing one or two of the other skill sets.Although this is not rocket science, it is amazing how overlooked this simple idea is by literally millions of athletes wanting to play on a basketball team. However, if you pause to consider the value and importance to getting this right, you can shortcut the team tryout process.Have you ever heard the phrase, “defend to win”? Most people who understand basketball know the value of defense. Theoretically, it is impossible for an opponent to win if they never score! Make your self the clearly superior defensive player trying out for the team and you will not only make the squad, you will get major playing time.Or how about being the best shot blocker and rebounder? It is very difficult if not impossible to keep a great rebounder and shot blocker out of a game, let alone not make them part of the team.
In basketball, possessions (that is the number of times your team has the ball as opposed to the other team) are a huge factor in determining team success. Rebounders and shot blockers provide for extra possessions and that often is the difference between winning and losing.Many will say they are too short or that they cannot jump high enough to be effective rebounders and shot blockers. That is just plain bunk! Just as it is possible to train shooting skills, it is possible to train jumping skills. In fact, it is possible for almost anyone to make huge improvements in their leaping ability should they really want to be on the team.But as we all know, almost no one does. They are just too busy trying to become shooters where they in fact will just be part of the crowd.For those few who are really driven to make a team, abandon the path followed by all of your competitors and get on a track that will not only land you on the team but will make you an invaluable part of the squad.All skill development work is hard work and that holds true for improving vertical jump. But if you get into a proved comprehensive jump development system, the future is yours. There are good options available if you seek them out. Do it, and the rest of us will see you in uniform busily providing those extra possessions for your team.