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We get it: learning basketball fundamentals is boring. You want to skip the basics and get straight to the gameplay. You want to bypass all those important drills and get to an inter-team matchup or three-point shootout. Learning to dribble with your left hand? Come on! When will you ever need to do that?
To be an ultimate player you will need to dribble left-handed, just as you will have to learn the other essentials of becoming a total player. Sure, learning the fundamentals can be as boring in ball as in any other skill. However, they will ensure that you become an ultimate player, and an ultimate player is one who enjoys the game much more and appreciates its finer skills!
With this in mind, here are five reasons why you have to master the fundamentals:
They build a solid foundation
Grab some top quality basketball gear and head down to your local court – you’re about to learn the building blocks of advanced skills. That’s right, learning the fundamentals provides the building blocks for the more advanced skills you will learn down the track. For example, learning to crossover dribble now provides the building blocks for learning to dribble with your weaker hand.
What’s more, you will immediately gain a greater understanding of how to handle the ball and use it in a match situation. Even just a basic knowledge of the fundamentals sets you apart from players who never took the time to learn them and this, ultimately, makes the game more enjoyable!
It allows you to develop your own personal game
Do you think Shaq could do the Monster Slam without learning to slam dunk in the first place? Of course not! He had to learn the basics of slam dunking before he could power past his opponents with that powerful dunk. Learning the fundamentals allows you to develop your own personal playing style.
Whether you’re a slick dribbler, a perfect passer or can hit threes from the sidelines, you have to master the fundamentals before you can add your own personal flare to your game.
It makes learning new skills easier
How can you expect to complete an ankle-breaking crossover if you can’t dribble to your non-preferred hand? That’s right, learning the fundamentals makes learning all other imperative skills easy. For example, you may practise shooting free-throws for hours on end.
One day, you decide to take a few steps back and turn those free-throws into three-pointers. You will likely hit more three-pointers having already learned the fundamentals of shooting from a shorter distance.
You become more reliable
A player with fundamentals is a reliable player. A reliable player is one who always gets game time. Your coach wants to see that you have the mentality to learn the fundamentals and become a total player. What they don’t want to see is someone who attempts three-pointers and drives to the net without having taken the time to learn the building blocks of such skills.
It builds confidence
Players who never learn the fundamentals are noticeably timid players. The last thing they want is to put themselves into a difficult position because they don’t have the confidence to pull off that match-winning three or make a tough pass to set up a point-scoring situation. But players who have practised the basics will have the game skills to complete such difficult tasks.
After all, who doesn’t want to be a player that their teammates can rely on in the toughest moments? You gotta know the basics to be that player.
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