All the schools across the country are on holidays for the next two weeks which means that students don’t need to come to school. This is an extra opportunity for you as a basketball player to work on your game and make improvements. Here are a couple of important tips that can help you in becoming a better basketball player during the Christmas break.
Many players don’t realize that they can improve in a short period such as Christmas break. When school is open, they have to work for additional 6-7 hours each day. If you want to become good at basketball, you need to utilize every single minute you get to practice just like the great players do.
Work on Your Shots during the Break
The basketball practice at the high school level during the basketball season is mostly focused on team concepts. In other words, players do not get enough time to better their individual skills. Therefore, players should work on their skills during any extra time they get. So, use your Christmas break to work on your individual skills.
It is important that you practice all kinds of shots during this break. Spend some time on free throws, jump shot, finishing at the rim, off of screens and shooting off the dribble. Use this extra time to make the shots perfect. Also, ask a buddy to capture video with the help of a video camera or a smartphone of you shooting a jump shot and a free throw. Take a close look at the video to figure out if everything is working as expected.
Remember To Stay In Shape
There is a reason that some teams have double days during Christmas holidays. There can be other reasons, but some of the coaches are worried that the players won’t stay in shape and may lose their focus during the break.
So, you shouldn’t waste this extra time on sleeping for four extra hours. In fact, it is the perfect time to get in better shape and get running. Go to the weight room and work on your athleticism and flexibility. Use this extra time to rehabilitate any injury and get healthy. Ultimately, the goal is to do something instead of spending those extra hours on sleeping or doing nothing.
Enhance Your Basketball IQ
Coaches all over the world recommend a great solution for increasing your basketball IQ. They say that watching college players at games can be very helpful. If you can attend a college game in person, it’s even better.
You should take a close look at their preparations before the game. You should closely observe the things they do when they miss a shot and their reaction after a bad call. Study the reaction and decide how you are going to handle such situations. Also, see if the players are taking play offs or competing on every play. Find out if they work with their coach and other teammates to make their game better.
You can learn a lot by studying players who are playing at a higher level to get an idea of how to improve your game.
Set Goals!
As this year is coming to a close, you should take some time to see how the year went by for you. However, there is still half a season remaining even though it’s the end of the year. So, you are still in control of your performance during the whole season.
It is time to ask some tough questions. Are you working hard enough or is there room for improvement? Are you shooting good enough? Think about all the things that need to be improved and start working on those improvements right now.
You may have achieved something notable in the year gone by but do not forget that the next year should be even better and you need to work on making it better.
Conclusion
There are some reasons that make Christmas break great. While you will eat some great food, hang out with friends and see more family, it is also the time for great basketball players to take advantage of the extra time to become an even better player.
