Basketball is a widely played sport, whether it be from high school or college to pro basketball. Some of the basketball players seen on the court make the smoothest moves to make a basket in a game. Those moves that are made, however, come from lots of practice and a simple thing called skill. Basketball players need many skills to excel at what they love to do. Below are some skills needed by all basketball players.

Dribbling

Dribbling is the term used to describe how the ball is moved around the court. There are a few rules that must be followed when dribbling. For example, the ball must stay in bounds and only one hand is allowed to be used on the ball. With following these rules and mastering dribbling techniques, like crossover or behind-the-back, it’s easy to keep the ball away from the opposing team and in the net.

Shooting

When the net is seen on the court, it becomes clear that basketball is a game that depends on shooting skills. A team has a very low chance of winning a game if their shooting skills are not mastered, even if the other skill areas are superior to the opposing team. Good shots are mostly made when players can make quick movements to avoid other players trying to steal the ball. 

Foot Movement

Quick foot movement is a must-have skill in basketball. Having swift movement helps the player to move faster across the court, as well as easily keep away from other players on the other team. A lot of these quick motions involve running in horizontal motions. Along with foot movement, another key skill is being able to jump. The average basketball rim stands about 10 feet from the ground, so exercises in jumping are a much-needed skill.

Rebounding and Defending

A couple of other needed skills are rebounding and defending. Rebounding is a strong talent in basketball so the player can keep the ball up near the backboard when shooting just enough to make the basket. Defense is about making fast hand movements with the ball in hand so that a player from the other team won’t have it.