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The game of basketball is played in a confined area less than 100 feet by 50 feet. Unlike a soccer field, the hardwood game gives priority to explosiveness. In this article, you will learn the key areas of the game that can be drastically improved through specific exercises.

Explosiveness deals with an area of ​​the game apart from the traditional athletic skills attributed to basketball. Quickness, speed, physical strength, and jumping are the athletic gifts most often associated with basketball players. So where does explosiveness come in and what are its benefits? In my experience, I have seen average and below average athletes excel on the floor. The two reasons for this are having a high basketball IQ and the ability to explode at specific times and places on the court.

Using explosive moves at specific times and places is what makes him so effective and makes a player very difficult to guard. The following five areas describe opportunities where being explosive can make a big difference.

1. Dribbling on the open track—I like to tell players and coaches about the athletic deficit Steve Kerr faces at the University of Arizona and in the NBA. Steve enjoyed a great career, winning world championships with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. Kerr is a perfect example of using his intelligence and explosive bursts from him to play against the best players in the world. He has faced all the great guards in the game and he has done very well. When Steve got the ball up against the pressure, he tore his way down the court in bursts of speed. It wasn’t a top speed that he used, but rather a sporadic combination of speeds. He showed me that any player can execute when he brings the ball up the court if he uses some of these tips that I learned from Steve.

2. Go on offense—This is the most basic skill needed for offensive basketball. If a player can’t open, he can’t play! The combination of cunning, angles and explosive bursts will allow a separation of the defense that will allow the entrance pass. This is a skill that needs to be honed without the use of screens, and it’s a good foundational skill that all young players should possess. The explosion occurs at the point of the change of direction. As the player brings his defender into the paint, he pushes his inside foot to the ground and explodes at a different angle to the wing to be open for the pass. Once the pass is caught, the triple threat position is assumed. What seems like an elementary part of the game is a skill that all players must master.

3. rebound—Contrary to what the average fan thinks, rebounding is an art that requires much more than jumping. Factors to consider are positioning, leverage, balance, readiness to jump, and the use of two hands. Explosion allows smaller, less athletic players to outrebound taller, more talented players. On cue, the player should explode with both hands on the ball. Watch any high school, college, or NBA game and you’ll see plenty of players getting rebounds that will leave you scratching your head. The answer to this is what this article is about.

4. Keep the dribbler in front of you—The hardest thing to do on the defensive end of the court is to keep the ball in front of you. If your opponent has the ball, your goal is to keep it in front of you, without letting it dribble past you. When this happens, the entire defense is in jeopardy and adjustments must be made. Usually this ends up being favorable to the offense and they will fill up or score a goal. Using proper and explosive footwork will allow a player to protect the ball very successfully. The key is that one foot should remain grounded to the ground while the other foot is lifted and pushed off forcefully by the planted foot. If this is done in the direction of the dribbler’s movement, it will not pass him. Keeping the ball in front of you is a game of inches and anticipation.

5. Using screens to cut the ball—When an offensive player knows he’s going to get a screen, his setup can be anything from a walk to a half-speed slash. It is necessary to configure the defender to open using screens. The key is to use an explosive cut at the tip of the screen. (When you’re shoulder to shoulder with your teammate who’s blocking for you. As the player explodes, they should be low, narrow, and throw their hands toward the ball. This hand motion will serve as momentum to carry you across the screen and onto the ball. If done correctly, the defender doesn’t have much of a chance and the cut is successful most of the time.

Playing correctly is much more than just “playing hard” or being a competitor. The art of exploding at certain times on the ground is a very important aspect of the game. Use the five blast areas in this article to help your players become more efficient and difficult to defend on the pitch!

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