As a point guard, you may often have to dribble the ball in pressured situations and at high speeds. The aim when dribbling is to keep the ball as low as possible (as long as you can remain balanced comfortably) in order to make it as difficult as possible for your opponent to steal the ball.
Shooting – As a point guard, it is not your main priority to score the basketball, however being able to shoot the mid range and long range jumpshots can help you defeat your opponents. Combining good shooting with speed, dribbling and passing will enable you to have many different skills that you can use when faced with a one on one against a defender during a game.
There are several fundamentals in shooting that will increase the chances of being successful. If mastered, the player has a great opportunity to reach their potential and enjoy the game more. The key skills needed to be a good shooter are:
- Balance
- Looking at the basket
- Arching the shot
- Holding the ball correctly
- Timing the release of your shot
Guarding- The aim of defending in basketball is to gain possession from your opponent, deflect shots and passes and to make it as difficult as possible for you opponent to score. There are loads of different defending techniques as in basketball you may not always go man for man with the other team so defensive strategies vary. However, when guarding at all times you must stay in front of your man. The ideal position is with your knees bent and your back almost straight as if you are sat down. You should also have your hands spread so that you are ready to steal the ball or deflect an outgoing or incoming pass. Depending on your opponents skill level and type/moment of the game will determine how far you stand from the player you are guarding.
e.gs
If the player you are guarding is faster than you, you may want to take a step back which will give you a chance to adjust to any quick movements.
If the player you are guarding is a very good shooter you may want to stay very close and try to deny any open shots or try to prevent the player form obtaining the ball in the first place.
Other key skills needed to play point guard are stamina, and speed. Stamina is important as it is a fast paced game and if you do not have good stamina levels you will become tired too quickly. Speed is also a helpful attribute however it has to be controlled otherwise you will find that you make several mistakes.
My ability to perform the skills required by a point guard in basketball
Before starting my six week training program, I need to score myself out of 10 in order for me to identify my strengths and weaknesses so I know what aspects of my game I need to improve on:
Passing – 8/10
Dribbling – 8/10
Speed – 9/10
Stamina – 6/10
Defense
- Steal – 7/10
- Rebound – 6/10
- Awareness – 9/10
- Block – 4/10
Offense
- Drive – 7/10
- Long range shot – 7/10
- Mid range shot – 9/10
- Inside shot – 7/10
Positioning and movement – 5/10
Jumping – 9/10
(Attributes that are strongly related to being a point guard in blue)
My strengths
I think that one of my strongest skills in basketball is my ability to dribble the ball at high speeds while remaining under control. I feel that this is due to my awareness of my surroundings. I feel that this contributes to my other strong point, passing. I am able to make quick direct passes to the right position which allows my teammate to catch the ball easily without it being intercepted. I use a wide variety of different passes however the pass that I use most is the lead pass (passing to a moving player). I use this pass the most as I am often running on a fast break and on offence when a play has been called, I am often the player who makes the final pass. This pass is very useful to use to get a quick score if needed.
Another aspect of my game that I feel is above average is my defensive awareness. Therefore quick reactions and good timing enable me to intercept passes from the opposition in order to stop there build up play and start attacking.
My weaknesses
My biggest weakness by far is my ability to block shots. However due to my size and position this is not a attribute that needs a lot of work as I do not require it during a game. My other weaker points are stamina and movement on offense. As I am a point guard stamina is crucial as I have to cover the most area on the court which means I should have lots of stamina in order to keep me going throughout the match. Near the end of the game I start to tire and run out of breath, which means that I do not have the energy to make as many runs or try to intercept a pass. This enables the opposition to have more of a chance to pass the ball easily and keep it. I need to improve my stamina so I can take advantage of my own marker tiring which will benefit my team. The ability to keep going is very important as it is the difference between winning and losing a match especially in close games.
Although I am quite fast, if I could further improve my speed, I would find it even easier to get away from the defender on offense. If I worked to improve my stamina and overall fitness it should also help improve my speed.
Six Week Training Program For Basketball
The purpose of the six week training program is to help me to improve on my weaknesses in basketball, so that I can perform better and continue developing my other skills in basketball.
The weaknesses that I am trying to improve during the six week training program are:
- My ability to keep performing throughout the match, therefore working on my stamina.
- My speed in order for me to be more efficient with my offense and defense.
- My offensive awareness, moving without the ball.
During the six week program I will continue to work on all aspects of my game as well as focusing heavily on my weaknesses.
After the six week training program the targets I hope to have reached are:
- To see progression in my performance and fitness.
- To have developed and improved my weaknesses in my personal performance.
- To have continued improving and working on other skills needed in basketball.
- To have more understanding about good training methods and which ones to use in order to improve.
Six Week Training Program
I have produced a chart to help me with my training program. It allows me to see what I will be doing each day for the six weeks and helps me to plan how I should progress. It also shows me what days I can rest on.
In my program I have shown that I have basketball and football matches on Saturday and Sunday.
Football – I feel that football improves my agility, endurance and stamina which jumping for the ball, reaching to intercept passes and ability to run faster for longer. It also helps my off-ball movement which I can incorporate into basketball.
Training Sessions
Frequency – The timetabled chart shows that the frequency of my basketball matches and trainings are once a week and that fitness training is scheduled every other week.
Intensity – In the fitness training I will aim to train between 80% - 90% of my maximum heart rate in order to help improve my anaerobic fitness for when I need to sprint for a ball during a game.
Time – Each basketball game and training lasts the same amount of time and fitness training increases by 30mins every time.
Type – in the basketball training I will work on the skill related aspects of the game using drills and training methods and then practice them during the games. In fitness training I will focus on the fitness aspects of my game and try to improve my stamina using endurance sessions and circuit training.
Training sessions and methods for the six week training program
Basketball training – 2hr
Warm up – 10 minutes stretching – pay attention to areas of the body which have the most demands from basketball – arms, legs, ankles and wrists. Jog steadily round the basketball court 5 times
Skill development – A series of drills and exercises depending on what skill aspect is being worked on that week – shown below
Practice match – A chance to use your developed skills without the pressure of a real match situation
Cool down – 5 minutes, gentle jog 2 times round the court. Put sweatshirt on after practice so body does not cool off too quickly.
Basketball Practice
Week 1 – Defense – Blocking, stealing, deflecting passes
Week 2 – Fast Break – Sprinting, dribbling
Week 3 – Shooting
Week 4 – Passing, jumping, layups
Week 5 – Rebounding
Week 6 – Team play routines
Fitness training
Week 1
Few minutes stretching, warming up
Fitness work – Practice fast leg and arm movements when running on the spot. Practice short sprints (fartlek).
Cool Down
Week 3
Few minutes stretching
Fitness work - Do bleep test. Short break then run on treadmill for 30mins
Cool Down
Week 5
Few minutes stretching
Fitness work – Circuit training – 50 sit-ups – 5 sets of 20 press –ups
Cool Down
Factors Affecting Performance
Negative Factors
There are many factors which can be a hindrance to ones performance in basketball and many other sports. Smoking is definite factor that would affect a point guard’s performance in basketball. Smoking damages the lungs and decreases lung capacity which causes shortness of breathe and as a point guard you need to be able to cover most of the court quickly. The carbon monoxide in tobacco stops haemoglobin carrying as much oxygen which decreases the body’s ability to carry oxygen to all the muscles needed during sport. This means that stamina is affected heavily, which would mean the player would not be able to maintain a high level of energy throughout the whole match. It can cause diseases and other illnesses like emphysema, bronchitis, lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes and also the tar in tobacco covers the cilia which prevents them from getting bacteria out of your lungs. Any of the illnesses above would affect a point guard’s performance while playing basketball. Alcohol can also affect performance. It causes dizziness and lack of co-ordination and would affect a player’s concentration, awareness, reactions and balance. This would affect almost all the key aspects of basketball but especially a players’ footwork, passing and catching skills.
Age can be a negative and a positive factor. If a person who plays basketball is too old then stamina and flexibility would affect their performance. Loss of speed would make playing point guard in basketball a lot harder as it is a crucial skill needed. An older person could swap to a different position that has less dependence on speed. Youth, however can also be negative factor as muscles and bones take time to develop so a younger player may find it difficult to play against older, stronger opponents. Weight can also be a negative factor for a point guard as they need to be agile, fast and should have good flexibility. Being overweight would make the player unable to jump high and this is crucial as the point guard is often the smallest player on the court.
Illness or injury may also have a negative influence on a players’ performance and can cause reversibility in their overall fitness and performance. If they are unable to practice and train it will prevent the player to improve their skills.
Positive Factors
There are a few positive factors that can help a player perform to the best of their ability. A very important factor for an athlete is a balanced diet. It can improve almost all aspects of a basketball players’ performance and contributes most influentially to a players fitness. This is extremely important for a point guard in basketball. There are seven components to a balanced diet:
Proteins – For growth of cells and to repair damaged cells.
Carbohydrates – For energy.
Fats – Used as an energy store, when the body is short on energy, fat is used.
Vitamins and Minerals – Many different varieties, mainly help to fight diseases and illnesses.
Water – Makes up two-thirds of your body weight. Essential for life.
Fibre – Helps to digest food.
All the different types of food can help a basketball player to perform at their highest level.
Motivation can have a great affect on a point guards’ performance in basketball. It determines how much effort is put in and the more effort that is put in the greater chance that the player has to improve their performance. Enjoyment is critical when playing basketball as the more a player enjoys the sport means that they will have a greater desire to improve their performance.
The amount of training will have an affect on a basketball players’ performance, as they have more skill, experience and ability which means that they will be comfortable in a match situation and can transfer new skills that are learnt to real matches. Training more often will also help their fitness which will help the player to maintain a high level of performance throughout the game.
Assessing Improvement Made After Six Week Training Program
In order to assess the improvement made after completing the six week training program in basketball I will see how many of my targets have been met and how I have improved on my weaknesses.
I definitely saw progression in my overall fitness, as I found that my stamina had improved so I can now last the duration of a match. I also found that the time it took me to recover after exercise has got shorter which suggests that I have got fitter. The improvement in my fitness meant that there was an improvement in my performance in games. I found that I have become slightly faster and I can now get to loose balls a lot quicker than I used to. I have also noticed that I can now jump higher than before. I found that practicing jumping has built up my calf muscles which has improved my rebounding and jumpshot. Blocking is still my biggest weakness but that is more to do with my size than skill. As my personal performance has improved, my contribution to my team has become greater, helping the team to progress.
I feel that as a result of this training program I have more knowledge and understanding of what I need to practice to be a successful point guard in basketball. This training program has also enabled me to have an increased understanding to what training methods will benefit my position in basketball the most. I can continue to improve my skills in basketball if I carry on with the training methods that I found were successful.
Overall the six week training program has really helped to improve my performance and health and fitness in basketball. A lot of improvement has been made in most of my weaknesses and I have been able to develop new and existing skills. If I continue with the program I am sure I will see much more improvement in all aspects of playing point guard in basketball.
