what does it take to play basketball?
445334
athleticism, coordination, knowledge, awareness, hustle, skills, creativity, unselfishness, thirst for winning, and most importantly, heart!
69371
get your b-ball team into the championship game and win. show great player effort.\n\nnormally scouts are only there like in high school
740796
make sure you got the basics down like dribbling, shooting, and defense. if you got the fundementals, than you can own anyone who comes down the block
15426
Work on the basics.\n\nDribbling:  Work both hands, eyes up\nPassing:  Bounce, Chest and lob pass.  Angles are very important.\nShooting: Layups, Free Throws, Angles shots off the back board.
428377
Play team basketball with boys at your neighborhood court. Pratice everyday by working on both left and right hand lay ups, dribbling, free throws, and shot 500 or more shots a day and run for endurance.
248464
The only essential equipment in basketball is the ball and the court: a flat, rectangular surface with baskets at opposite ends. Competitive levels require the use of more equipment such as clocks, scoresheets, scoreboards, alternating possession arrows, and whistle-operated stop-clock systems.\n\nThe men's ball's circumference is about 29.5 inches (76 cm) and weighs about 1 lb 5 oz (600 g). The women's ball's circumference is about 28.5 inches (73 cm) and weighs about 1 lb 3 oz (540 g). A regulation basketball court in international games is 28 by 15 meters (approx. 92 by 49 ft) and in the NBA is 94 by 50 feet (29 by 15 m). Most courts are made of wood.\n\nA cast-iron basket with net and backboard hang over each end of the court. At almost all levels of competition, the top of the rim is exactly 10 feet (3.05 m) above the court and 4 feet (1.2 m) inside the endline. While variation is possible in the dimensions of the court and backboard, it is considered important for the basket to be the correct height; a rim that is off by but a few inches can have an adverse effect on shooting.
502448
http://www.guidetocoachingbasketball.com/\n\nstart here.  click the links and learn what you can about skills, drills and strategies.\n\nPractice playing.  If you cant get in a game, practice by yourself: shooting and dribbling and passing against a brick wall.\n\nif you have the money, order a fundamentals dvd.  make sure the coach who produces the video is a good college or pro coach or former player.\n\nmost importantly, the NBA playoffs are gong on now.  WATCH the game as the pros play it.  and listen to the commentary.  basketball is 50% physical and skilled and 50% mental.  and any real player will tell you the same.\n\nGood luck.
768175
I will not try to explain the mechanics of shooting the basketball here. However I will tell you to get a book on basketball fundamentals (overall) or just on shooting fundamentals.\nMy next tip would be to tape a NBA game featuring some of the best shooters and watch them at a slow speed to watch thier mechanics. Also work with a coach to learn these mechanics, maybe going so far as to taping yourself so you can compare.\nNext get a ball and shoot shoot shoot.\nGood luck.
687995
focus on executing simple fundamentals - these are the only things you can consistently control in a game.  See yourself in the flow of the game starting from \n1. rebounding or stealing the ball to gain possession - anticipate and screen out. \n2. offense - ball handling, passing, shooting\n3. defense - moving your feet, seeing man and ball, communicate, anticipate, help and recover. \n\nthe cycle repeats over and over so see yourself doing it like an olympic skier sees the course before skiing down it.
559850
Offensively, you need to pass the ball a lot.  Mostly use isolation plays with the player who is best at ball-handling.  Sometimes you should have the biggest player come to the perimeter to set a screen for your best shooter.  And sometimes you just need to feed the big man and let him work the lane.  The key is to have a lot of ball movement.  Everyone needs to keep running and moving.\nDefensively, you should play a 2-1 zone.  You should have two smaller players on the perimeter and stick on those sides until you get down low.  The big-man will be down low to stop any drives and get any rebounds.  The big key here is all players must converge to the ball.  When the ball is on the right side of the court, all players need to be on the right side of their zones.  This zone takes practice to master.  If the opponents find holes in your zone multiple times, match up man-to-man with them by size.\n\nThese should give you a start and using those bases you should be able to branch off from there.
737958
Basketball can be played by as few as two players. However, organized basketball games include two teams comprised of five players per team. Each team can have more than five players, but only five players per team are allowed on the court at one time.\n\nThe team's head coach determines when players go in and come out of the game. Reserve players enter the game through a process called substitution. Substitutions can only occur when play stops, such as during a timeout or when the referee calls a violation.\n\nEach player on a team is categorized by position. There are five positions on a traditional basketball team: \n    * Point guard - This player is typically the best dribbler and passer on the team. The point guard is sometimes called the floor general, which indicates the key role that the point guard plays.\n\n    * Shooting guard - The shooting guard, also called the two guard, is typically a team's best outside shooter on the team. This player flanks the point guard and moves around the court to try to create some space to take a shot that is uncontested by the opposition.\n\n    * Power forward - The power forward is usually near the basket and moves from one side of the basket to the other to try to get free from the opposition player that is guarding him. Power forwards also are skilled rebounders.\n\n    * Small forward - The small forward is typically a better outside shooter than a power forward and is usually smaller than a power forward.\n\n    * Center - Traditionally, the center is the tallest player on the team. The center's role is to establish a position near the basket to allow him/herself an easy jump shot. On defense, the center attempts to block shots and grab rebounds.
1090871
If you're going out for the bball team, you'll want to have some speed/agility.  Basically, focus on some exercises that will build explosiveness in your legs, calves.  More importantly though, work on your ball-handling skills, shooting and footwork.  You'll find the best bball players are those who have spent countless hours in the gym (court), or on the playground, honing their skills.\n\nExplosive exercises such as cleans and snatches will help.  Also try squat jumps, various medicine ball routines.  Step ups on a lowly set bench, with light dumbbells are a good one as well.  You can reference the below website for more info.
571507
The key to success in basketball is stamina.  Even if you can't shoot you need to be able to run up and down the court for 45 minutes.
1034009
try out for an aba team, they have open tryouts and a lot easier to make. check them out abalive dot com . a lot of nba scouts go to some of their games. that or either buy live 06 and create a player.
229476
Shoot hoops, I'm better at it ;-)
654429
First of all, it's great that you're out there playing every day after school... you'll never get better by sitting at home playing NBA 2K6 or whatever the latest version is.\n\nThis might not be easy (but few things that are worthwhile ARE), but ask the coach to show you some drills you can practice to improve the weaker aspects of your game... \n\nBelieve me, it is in the coach's best interest to help you improve, since you'll eventually be playing for him (we hope!).\n\nIf you're an exceptional rebounder, that's great! There are way too many players out there who don't play a good all around game because shooting is THEIR only skill. And they're a dime-a-dozen. \n\nCoaches consider good rebounders to be worth their weight in GOLD!  Forget Dennis Rodman, ever hear of a guy named Bill Russell?\n\nIf shooting is the weakest part of your game, then practice your shooting...\n\nBut don't worry about practicing 20 foot shots... if you're going to be a center, you need to be a proficient offensive player around the basket. Ask the coach to show you the proper way to shoot turn around jump shots in the low post position. \n\nAlso, work on being able to shoot with EITHER hand. If you can shoot with either hand while you're in close to the basket, it'll be a HUGE advantage for you in game situations. This way, you'll be able to shoot no matter where you are in relation to the basket (sometimes, you'll find that the only way to get a shot off is by shooting with your "off" hand, especially under the basket, in traffic). This will also enable you to get a lot of shots off without having them blocked.\n\nBut as I said, don't worry about outside shots, you can practice those once you get proficient around the basket (and they'll come easier once you develop a bit of a touch).\nBut DO practice free throw shooting. If you become a good offensive player around the basket, you'll find yourself at the free throw line more than you think. Especially if you're a good offensive rebounder!\n\nAsk the JV coach to work out with you one time after school...he'll be able to tell what your strong and weak points are, and then give you some exercises to improve your weak points. \n\nThe earlier post was also correct about upper-body strength. You will NEED this big time as a center.... the coach can put you on a weight workout routine (probably every OTHER day, not every day), but make sure you stick to what he tells you, and don't cheat, because you'll (all together now, kids) ONLY BE HURTING YOURSELF .... very good, kids.\n\nAlso, DO run a lot... but rather than running a mile every day (not that there's anything wrong with that), work on sprints.  \n\nBasketball is not a marathon, it's a game of starting and stopping. And it's the starting and stopping that tends to wear you out, especially if you're a big guy. \n\nIn practice, basketball teams run what they call 'suicide' drills... in this drill, which is a running drill, the players line up along one of the end lines... they then do the following:\n\n1) run and touch the nearest foul line (or a spot on the floor even with the foul line, this way the players can be spread out more)\n\n2) Run back and touch the starting line (end line)\n\n3) Run and touch the mid-court line\n\n4) Run back and touch the starting line\n\n5) Run and touch the foul line at the other half of the court\n\n6) Run back to and touch the starting line\n\n7) Run to the far baseline on the other end of the court\n\n8) Run back and cross the starting line.\n\nIf you don't have an actual court available, you can do this in your yard, or in the street (make sure there's not too much traffic of course!).\n\nThe distances to these points are: 15 feet to the nearest foul line, 47 feet to the mid-court line, 79 feet to the foul line furthest from the starting line, and 94 feet to the other end line.  And if
970679
It's tough to tell you specifically what you need to do other than play as much as possible. To help your physical shape and jumping ability, you should try plyometric exercises. You can look them up online for specific exercises. They are excellent for explosive power which you need for basketball. As far as shooting better, the key is repitition. You don't necessarily need picture-perfect form, but you do need to perfect your form. Not every good shooter in the NBA has textbook form. In your spare time, shoot about 100 jumpshots a day. Also work on ballhandling and layups with BOTH hands. The more you do it, the more comfortable it will become to you. And a small, but important tip - watch plenty of COLLEGE basketball. They are more fundamental than the pros. Pay attention to how they dribble, pass, and defend. And I know you don't want to hear practice, but that really is the key. The more you play, the faster you will improve. Repitition is the key to success in basketball.