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10 Ways to Improve Your
Hoop Skills If your signature basketball move involves a cubicle and a Nerf hoop, we've got news for you: You ain't got game. But Scott McNeal is here to help. McNeal is a 5 foot 6 inch, 46-year-old native son of Michigan, but you may know him better as Gus Macker — the originator of the 3-on-3 basketball tournament. McNeal, er, Macker (he earned the nickname in high school), is a folk legend in basketball circles and a prime example of good ol' American entrepreneurship. The first Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball tournament was in McNeal's driveway in 1974 as a shootout among friends. Today, more than 70 cities hold tournaments each year, with a portion of proceeds going to local charities. To say Macker knows basketball is like saying Jerry Springer knows trouble. As the perennial short guy on the squad, Macker had to work extra hard to get playing time ("When I checked in the other team usually thought I was the mascot."). Here are his tried-and-true tips for improving your game: 1. Ball handling drills. Adroit ball handling is what separates average players from the greats. "Coaches teach defense, but ball handling is something that you can and should learn on your own. You can guarantee yourself playing time if you can handle the ball." Macker suggests drills that involve quickly dribbling the ball around your body, with both hands, keeping the ball low to the floor, all while crouching in a basketball-ready position. Do this for minutes at a time. 2. Quickness. "Quickness is the key to playing basketball. If you're sluggish or out of shape, you're going to be left behind." This goes for both running and ball handling. So how do you improve your speed? "Through repetition," says Macker. "The more you do something the more natural it becomes. Keep at it. Do drills in reps of 20 or 30. Do them until you've mastered them." 3. Practice your jump shot. Macker suggests setting up three chairs as make-believe defensive players around the key, using them as shooting stations, with one ball for each. "Shoot from behind the first chair, fetch the ball and set it back on the chair, then move to the next chair, really fast. I know guys who take 500 shots a day like this, and they're good." 4. Solo time. Get away from the game itself. "You can only learn so much from an organized situation. Get in plenty of solo practice at a gym or in your driveway. This is where you learn to do the little things right, which can be applied to team situations later on." 5. Weighted and oversized practice balls. One sure way to feel like a champ on the court, says Macker, is to practice shooting and dribbling with a weighted or oversized ball. "When you switch back to a regular ball it feels so easy. You're a hero with every shot." 6. Practice with leg weights. For health reasons you won't want to do this all the time, but wearing leg weights, says Macker, has the same effect as using a weighted ball. "When you take them off, you feel like you can fly." Basketball is, like most sports, a mind game. 7. Skip rope. Sometimes basic exercises are the most effective. "Jumping rope helps develop quickness, endurance, jumping, and coordination. We have a woman on staff [at Gus Macker Basketball] who skips rope adamantly, and she can kick my butt," says Macker. 8. Lay-up drills. Macker credits something called the Mikan drill (named after former Minnesota Laker George Mikan) with his prowess under the hoop. "Stand beneath the basket and turn and shoot off the board with your left hand while rotating on ball of your right foot. Do the opposite on the other side. Do this over and over again for 30 seconds, trying to sink more baskets each time." He notes this drill also is a good way to improve your non-shooting hand. 9. Don't sit still. "Between drills, don't rest. Keep doing things." Macker suggests shooting 10 free throws while you're breathing hard. Eventually your free throw percentage will improve. 10. Devote time every day. "Doing these things every once in a while will help, but doing them every day will make the absolute difference in your game." If Macker can make it, so can you. It just takes practice and dedication. And maybe a little American ingenuity as well. |
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