I lied.
I don’t know whether they want you to know the secret or not of how they became elite. It doesn’t matter though, because I doubt this is a new secret to how they became so successful and was able to enter the NBA.
The reality is that most people don’t realize the effort that these guys went through to get to where they are now. And what most people don’t realize, is exactly the secret that all the NBA Greats share.
That secret is…
Practice, Practice, Practice
Gilbert Arenas. Arguably one of the top NBA point guards in today’s game. He is in the gym practicing 13 hours a day, just shooting shots. He even has a cot in the gym where he sleeps so he doesn’t waste any time.
Steve Nash. The world’s greatest point guard. At the age of , he slept with his basketball. He dribbled to the grocery store when his mom asked him to run errands, and never was without a basketball. Practiced 8,9 hours a day, just practicing his ball-handling, shooting, and dribbling.
Pistol Pete Maravich. The best player college basketball has seen all time. He has the most beautiful handles, the most show-stopping behind the back passes, the most ‘pistol’ deadly shots. How he got there? He worked on just passing to himself for 9 hours a day.
As you see, becoming an NBA point guard is not impossible. With the same commitment, and want to be there, you can become an elite player.
What will separate you from the rest of the pack is your willingness and time spent practicing. The more time you put into it, the better you’ll be.
The rest of this site will soon have many drills, workouts which I used to help me become a starting point guard on my high school team. I became zero to hero in less than a 1 year span, from practicing for over 3-4 hours a day.
I worked on dribbling, shooting, passing, and even improving my vertical jump. Now I’m a decent basketball player, who can run the floor whether it be pickup ball or even a full court game. Our team won our division finals last year, and we’re looking to have a repeat performance.
15 comments ↓
Hey Good website.
I was wondering - I can shoot alright But I also Have to play point guard - are they’re any certain drills that I should practise.
Thanks
GREAT im too overjoyed to find a website like this but im already in highschool……..i dont know if i still have tim to practise cause……….i didnt start basketball at young age u know………..
@ Michael:
Playing point guard, on top of practicing shooting, practice dribbling drills everyday, and drills to make you quicker on your feet. You know how high school coaches make you run suicides? Those things actually do wonders for your first step explosion.
@ Sagar:
It’s never too late. I was talking to a friend and I heard that Jordan himself was cut from the high school basketball team… and look at where he got. Even so, I started in University, practiced 2 years straight and now am the starting point guard.
It’s all about how badly you want it, and how much time you’re willing to invest into it. I walked, ate, and dreamed basketball in those two years. And there’s times you’ll want to give up, but if you keep pushing yourself, eventually you’ll see the rewards.
Good luck!
I’m a pg for my high school sqaud, and I was wonderin some things I could work on to strengthen my off hand handle(right) and all also some drill to further my range as a shooter? Thanks in advance.
Hi whomever, im 14 years old , come from Australia. I have heeps of basketball drill tapes, i watch my fav stars in the NBa and study there game and i practice when i can…. i go 2 a skool thats big on rugby union (Australian version of NFL.. sort of) and i really want 2 b the best basketball player i can b, as im guessing anybody that is serious bout bball but i hav trouble finding time 2 practice basketball, my week is filled up with rugby or ball games but not enough time for me 2 actually get up shots. im committed 2 playing basketball but in the skool time its hard finding time 2 play basketball and in the summer im up at my local courts 4-6 hours a day and in any holiday im spending hours up my local courts, sorry for all the talking but im just wondering wat should i do 2 b the best bball i can b in a limited time? i train when i can and I play with the top talent in Australia, where not bad, and i really want it bad, wats ur perspective on this? btw im starting skipping and weight sessions as of now which is 1/7/08 Cheers
nice
Hi. I’m McKenzie and last year I was the starting point guard on my basketball team. I’m in 8th Grade. This year my coach always puts me with the 2nd team during practice and they never move and i can’t make a good pass so it makes me look bad. And I didn’t start at our first game and i was very upset. Any advice?
McKenzie,
On a team where the other players aren’t moving - there’s three things you can do.
1. Be vocal with these guys. Use your hands, use your voice - tell them to move, ask them to set a pick, make a cut. Once they have moved, evaluate the defense, and look for openings. There will be more angles to pass to.
2. Get moving yourself. If you stand still - your players will stand still. Don’t get trapped by defenders, but you can always shift to the left of the key or the right. By doing this, you will change your view and perhaps spot some passing angles you didn’t see before.
3. You can drive into the lane to draw defenders out. Drawing defenders will free open your teammates. But to do this - you need solid dribbling skills and to always have your head up. Look at where your teammates are, then drive, then watch for who will come to block you, and then find that open teammate.
But be warned: never drive before checking the positions of all your teammates. If you do, you won’t know where your teammates are and will end up turning over the ball.
Also - I understand that it can be demotivating to be on the 2nd team. I was on the 2nd team before I was a starter.
If you want to get on the 1st team - practice, practice, practice. Get to the gym first, leave last. Don’t fool around in practice. Get in there, work on your shot, work on your dribbles, work on your speed. Play your hardest in practice. Also - learn all the theory. Read as many tips as you can.
Thanks for the question McKenzie - I might even turn this into a post!
My coach puts me in games as the point guard, but I ALWAYS get turnovers and make bad passes. So how do you do practice dribbling and passing on your own?
For Tay1 and anyone else who needs some drills.
To improve your off hand dribbling you need to put in the effort. At first it will be ridiculously frustrating, youll have the ball bouncing off your feet, missing your hand, rolling away and just messing up in everyway possible. Your going to want to switch to your strong hand and practice there but you need to remember that the best point guards don’t have a strong hand, they’ve worked hard on the offhands so that they can use both equally.
A few drills you can do just on a flat peice of ground could be;
1. V dribbling; its just a crossover basically but with one hand. You push the ball forward and push it back again with the same hand. Do these on the side and infront of you.
2.Machine gun; dribble as fast as you can with your off hand. Eventually, you will do it around each legs both ways and in a figure 8 both ways.
3.Power dribbling; just dribble the ball as hard as you can so that it seems almost out of control. If you can do this well, once you tone it down you will be unstoppable
4.Everything in a circle; just try every move you have while going back and forth as if your in an invisible circle. Try everything possible with your left hand like the spin move, behind the back, crossover, speed dribble, hesitation dribble etc.
To increase your range, make sure you use lots of leg power and your using it well. Its easy to mess up the timing by jumping then shooting while your out of power. Remember, the ball should be leaving your hands when your feet are leaving the floor. This way you’ll get optimum power. More importantly than that is to start inside and slowly make your way out. Don’t get carried away by going into the gym and droppin threes while using a short cut way of getting it there. You should find a site or dvd that shows you the fundamentals and practice those. Range will come with practicing inside.
I Practice about 5-6 hours a day and ive only been playing ball for about 2 years and are a starting PG for my HS.
-anyway HOW could Gil and Nashet Practice about 9-13 hours everyday???
-when they got school and properbly were done at about 3.. YOU DO THE MATH
then they would be out to like 2 in the morning
Hey, I am 16 and I am playing basketball in Singapore. I am always in bench often though I am in the team. I guess it’s because of my lack of dribbling skills and I make turnovers often even during practice. Moreover I am now in my final year of secondary school and have very little time to practice my dribbling skills. Do u have tips on how I can improve like this?
Well thanks for the tips on keep on practicing it helped alot. I really admired the tips. I practice every day for about three ours with my bro L.a. He’s the same age and in the same grade he,s really good. Well thanks I got to go bye.
I wanna be a great point guard but i feel like i always make the wrong decisions. I always end up taking the wrong shot or making the wrong pass. Im wondering if theres any kind of drill or play that can help my decision making on the court.
I would recommend just play more being under pressure and doubled teamed. The more you play in games the better you will get and you will learn to make the correct decisions when you are out there
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