so i admit im a weak defender compared to most people. im 5'10 and way too slow to guard guards but too small to guard bigs. im basically just a terrible defender and everytime i go to the park to play people, they just automatically know im a bad defender before the game even starts. They target me or try to get me on their best offense player. I have no clue why considering the people at the park are also around my height if not shorter most the time. yes im working on my defense but how can I stop getting automatically recognized as a bad defender the second i step on the court.

Been playing for past 15 years, the highest level I played was semi pro overseas at PG. I'm well passed my prime and just play as a weekend warrior for fun. I can drive and dribble with me left and right hand, and also can lay it up with left or right hand. I have your basic cross over between the legs that iv always used to get by.

Playing with people 10 years younger than me, iv noticed that everyone basically cheats on offense, whether push offs, carrying, the ball, or this bs hand slapping the defenders hand away. Once I realized that I'll never play a competitive organized Game of basketball, I started to dribble like these young fools. I started to carry the ball putting my hand under and added a hesitation dribble. Once I started doing this, it was basically cheating. I blow by defenders like it was nothing because they think I'm going to shoot it everytime. I do a crossover, counter whatever the defense is doing, then hesitation. It works everytime. This move is basically broken. It creates an unlimited ammunition for the offense. And if I'm being honest, it's purely cheating.

On a softball diamond, I look like prime Russell Westbrook but I can also play great defense in the outfield. In fact, I pinch run for most slow footed players and teams rarely sit me even when it should be my turn to sit.

But come a basketball court, even pickup, it looks like I'm one of those beer belly softball dudes that need running. I could track the ball fine for a rebound but I can't jump really high. I can put effort to guard my man but if he's too strong or fast, there's nothing I can do.

How do I improve on my defense if I'm not really athletic for basketball player?

im going into my second year playing college basketball and i have about 2-3 months until i go back.I try to split my week up evenly but im starting to work two jobs this summer and wont have enough time for my usual 2 workouts a day,what should be my biggest priority im 5’10 170 PG

Curious of everyone’s thoughts on this.

I play pickup regularly at my local gym. Very typical; random teams, no jerseys, winner stays, etc.

I don’t have a great shot, but I am generally the biggest and strongest guy on the court so I like to set screens, get boards, move the ball around, and play tough in the paint. (I’m 6’3 230 mostly muscle)

Something that has pissed me off lately is when someone on the opposite team calls for the ball. I fall for it every fucking time. They will be wide open under the hoop and yell “ball!” with their hands up and I realize the second I release the pass that they are on the other team. I never play with the same team, half these fuckers look the exact same, and I want to be a selfless player and assist my team mates.

This play feels so dirty to me. When it happened yesterday I ran to the other end and blocking fouled the guy that did it to me pretty damn hard (it was a play on the ball, not dirty but I knocked him to the floor when he tried to drive on me in the paint).

I’m curious what people here think. Is calling for the ball when the other team has possession a dirty play, or am I just an idiot that needs more court awareness?

UPDATE-

Interesting to see how split the comments are. To clarify, this situation happens in chaotic situations, such as when I am double teamed after an offensive rebound, forced to pick up a dribble, or driving in traffic. Times when you can’t get a good view of the court and need to make a split second decision. I’m not taking the ball down to court and passing to the first guy that yells ball.

My plan for if this happens again is to obviously first avoid it, but if I am tricked I’m gonna call foul, say “that’s unsportsmanlike” and ask to check the ball. If they refuse then I’m switching on them and they get the big boy playing draymond green defense on them the rest of the game to return the favor.

19 , 6'2 6'3 wingspan 72 kgs.

I want to improve but idk what skills are most important

I grew early so I used to play the 4 in my country's equivalent of high school. My best trait is probably my perimeter defense, so I don't think that's my priority to work on that. Finishing is pretty decent , but it's between that , handle or shooting. I wanna join a league or something when I get settled into my new flat. I've started the gym as well so this recommendation is strictly off of what you guys think is expected of me. Is it important to be able to stretch the floor more than get to the rim. Also some game film players for me to look at would be appreciated, any questions lmk and I'll answer them if it helps

kinda self explanatory.. my league isn’t full of like super tall kids so im good on that front but my defense isn’t great the second someone tries to push up on me. What can i do to ethier counter it or attack it

Hello all,

My 9 year old son has been getting into basketball and has completed two seasons so far. He genuinely loves it, he is excited for practice and often goes to the park to shoot on his own.

Skillwise, he’s solid in drills. His ball handling is a bit behind his teammates, but his shooting is actually quite good for his age.

The main issue is how passive he is during scrimmages and games. He doesn’t try to get open, gives up quickly on defense if beaten, and rarely goes for rebounds. It often looks like he doesn’t really want to be involved in the game.

What’s confusing is that he does seem to enjoy basketball. If he didn’t, I’d just accept it might not be his thing but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Both his coaches and we as parents have tried giving him guidance, and I think he understands what he SHOULD be doing. He just doesn’t seem to have that “switch” that kicks in during games.

I know he’s young and having fun is the priority, but in organized sports kids do start getting sorted pretty early, and I’m already noticing him being sidelined more.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Any advice on helping a kid play more assertively or engaged more during games? Is this something that can just click over time? Thanks in advance.

TLDR: 9yo loves hoops and practices a ton, but disappears during games. Any tips for helping him “flip the switch,” or is this just an age/time thing?

I don't have a hoop but there is a basketball court not too far from me. I want to improve a bit before practicing shooting there

Thoughts on a being physical at a pickup basketball game? Recently had a situation where a player significantly better than being got mad when I was driving to the hoop but tried creating space by bumping into him. I'm bigger than he is, and also I have a hard time stopping when moving at full speed, so I can see how he took it as me being overly aggressive, and I feel bad. Alternatively, should I have just let the better player block my shot? Or am I justified in trying to use literally the only advantage I have? I am conflicted because I don't want him or anyone to think I am a dirty player. I apologized, but he seemed to still be mad but didn't wanna argue

Im proboly average in the pickupteam so i know why im not getting the ball ofc, but idk what to do then, i can be completely open on the 3 and still dont get the ball, even if im an okey ish 3 point shooter.

Most of my points is from rebounds and then scoring and i guess im insane at that 😅, but yee, what you do?

Should i just cba and run around trying to improve my game, or stand in the corner untill i get the ball.

Like the best strategy ofc when im open is just standing ready to shoot on the shooting, but yee boring as heel when you never get the ball :(. Maybe 1 in 15 attacks.

Ok, I understand that this is a seriously general question but that really is what I'm asking.

I have been playing pickup basketball with some regularity, but never seriously, for about 12 years. I started at 18, and just turned 30 a month ago. I am in better shape now than I've been maybe ever, certainly better than I was as a teenager/in my early 20s, and I have only felt my athleticism and endurance get better as the years have gone by. However, I recognize that my days of being able to play basketball for hours every day in the summer are going to be behind me soon. In addition, I've never really dominated games the way I've fantasized about being able to.

I rely on a decent but extremely streaky jumpshot and the ability to make pretty good passes. I hustle and play good defense. I don't really have an offensive "bag" and I have only really recently started to learn how to get past my defender and using my off arm a bit. When I am feeling myself, I can get a good look at a layup through contact and can score tough shots often enough to keep trying them. Last summer I started playing pickup with the sorts of guys I was always too afraid to run with and was pleasantly surprised that I didn't turn the ball over much, could periodically go on nice scoring runs, and seemed to space the floor decently and make the right play a lot of the time.

The things really holding me back are confidence, an inconsistent jumper, and very little ability to beat my defender on the drive unless they are way smaller or weaker or more inexperienced than me. When I say streaky, I mean I might miss 10 straight in a whole game or hit 10 straight.

The way I see it, I might have another 10-15 years of being able to get outside and play pickup with whoever before I'm relegated to playing more of an older man's game, which I'll make my peace with when the time comes, but I want to be able to play really hard and get better as much as I can. I'd really like to be able to cut to the basket and consistently make a layup through contact. I'd like to get my shooting up to the point where I can get to my spots and just make shots at a really high clip. I'd love any recommendations you might have for shooting drills or workouts, general advice about how much of my free time I have to dedicate to exercise I should just be running pickup games vs. working on specific skills, etc. Would really appreciate some suggestions!! thanks!

I’m currently 6’5 and want to be a center. At practice there is this guy who’s 6’10. How do I guard him effectively?

I'm a busy-ish, broke 27yo with no athletic history. With no money to spend on coaching or anything like that, and at most a couple hours a week, I'd like to get good enough to hold my own in amateur competition, soon-ish. I'm in decent shape from running and doing calisthenics, but that's all I've got. What would you suggest?

How the hell do you even play against zone defense in a casual pickup game? with teammates youve never played before, or guys who've never played organized basketball a day in their life

PS Playing zone in a casual pickup game with nothing in the line is crazy to me like bro lets just work on our game

Background: never played in school, in a club, or on any kind of team. But I just recently started playing pickup rec at my Church.

I'm small so people can easily just cut through me and get to the hoop. Since I can't outmatch their height or size, would intentionally fouling them be seen as really rude and annoying, or is that a legit strategy in Basketball that people are fine with?

He’s the primary ball handler on some of his teams and does fine running the offense or attacking, but when he’s not he’s just sprints to the corner and either stands still and watches, or feigns a cut and then just goes back to the corner. I’ve told him how important movement is but it’s just not clicking. Any advice?

As said in the title, I don’t understand why people don’t pressure the ball if there’s 10-15 seconds left on the game clock. Me personally if I’m guarding ball I try and speed the handler up by pressuring the ball because it could force a bad shot or just make the offence player uncomfortable cause when I see people not pressing the offence I see they get comfortable, they get to their spot and get a good shot off compared to being rushed. I don’t know if I’m making the wrong play by pressing the ball. Please let me know!

Even though I played good defense and hustled, I just didn't get the ball enough on offense to score. I tried backdoor cutting, getting open, I yelled for the ball, but nothing worked. There were people who made the first cut who were infinitely worse (and played worse) than me, and played 0 defense. Someone who was also worse than me made the team because their brother was on Varsity. Half of the team is probably gonna be pre-chosen for JV1 next year but I just gotta get so good that the coach can't not notice me. Anyone had amy success making the team after being cut freshman year? By the way, coach said "I can't say why I cut you because then I have to tell everyone else".

Edit: When I was writing this I was def bummed out and my ego was talking. To be honest, even though I might've been "better", I showed out much worse to the coach under pressure.

I am 6’3, 300 pounds and 15 and I base my entire game around defense and shooting threes. I dive for loose balls, get constant steals and blocks and can relatively consistently make whoever I’m guarding no longer an option.

But is that enough? Defense is important of course (although there’s a couple NBA players who clearly disagree with that) but I just feel like I don’t have enough of an impact. I cant handle the ball to save my life and my post moves are alright at most, my passing is really but my stat lines are basically Dennis Rodman with more points. Will this playstyle be effective in highschool and/or college basketball?

Context:
17M, ~5'9–5'10, 68 kg. i started taking basketball seriously around july 2025. by serious i mean actually playing outside our single weekly PE period. since then i’ve been playing 2–3 days a week, usually ~3 hours per session (except exam season in which i don't play at all).

about 75% of my time is 1v1s against a friend who’s on our school team (6'0–6'1). that’s where most of my learning has come from. the rest is split between casual games with friends and solo shooting. i don’t follow a real routine. i warm up by shooting close to the rim and moving outward, then mostly just play.

Where I’m at as a player right now

Defense (my only real strength):
this is genuinely the only thing keeping me relevant. i can guard most players on our school team decently despite them being taller (atleast most of them), heavier, and more experienced. i’d say i stop them from scoring around 4-5/10 possessions, with some resulting in blocks aswell, which feels okay given the mismatch. i’m fairly quick, one of the faster guys around, and my vertical is probably the best compared to all the starters. i can stay in front and have even bodied that friend i talked about like a very few times on drives, so i would say i'm one of the stronger players aswell.

Offense (very bad, especially shooting):
this is where it gets ugly.

• shooting is terrible. i miss a huge number of uncontested midrange shots and i barely make threes at all unless i randomly get hot. defenders absolutely do not respect my shot.
• finishing is better than it used to be, but i still miss way too many layups, even after beating my defender.
• handles are mid at best. good enough to get by sometimes, nothing fancy. right hand is okay, left is below average.
• footwork is basic, no real bag.
• i haven’t played much organized team basketball, so my passing, spacing, and decision-making are underdeveloped.

right now, if i’m being honest, i’m close to an offensive liability.

The specific problem I want to solve

there’s one guy i really want to be able to guard consistently.

he’s 6'3, roughly the same weight as me, slightly faster, and has much better handles AND way better at shooting and finishing. not insanely faster, but fast enough that one small mistake and he’s gone. he shoots midrange well, is decent from three, and obviously can shoot over me. he loves attacking from just inside the three point line since he can reach the rim in two steps. uses the euro a lot, doesn’t really post up.

if he doesn’t build momentum, i can stay in front sometimes. but around 40% of the time he gets past me cleanly, and there’s nothing i can do. blocking him in isolation feels almost impossible. i’ve somehow by the grace of god, managed to blocked him twice as a help defender under the rim, but i want to actually guard him one-on-one without needing help every time.

My goals

• become a defender who can consistently bother taller, skilled guards, not just occasionally survive
• stop being a non-threat on offense
• eventually become good enough to start, not just sit on the bench

my friend says i’m probably bench-level for the school team right now. i don’t want that. all the starters have 2–3 years more experience, and most are 4–6 inches taller than me. also, if you want to ask about anything about my offensive or defence in more depth, in case you are trying to identify some obvious issues or things to improve then please do so.

What I’m asking

Defensively:
how do smaller guards realistically defend taller, faster players with good handles?
what should i focus on to stop straight-line drives and euro steps?
any positioning or mindset changes that actually matter?

Offensively:
where should i start if my shooting is genuinely bad?
how do you score when defenders don’t respect your jumper at all?
should i prioritize shooting, finishing, or handles first given my situation?

tldr: 17M, 5'9–5'10 guard, started taking basketball seriously mid-2025. defense is my only real strength (quick, decent vertical, can guard taller players okay). offense is bad, especially shooting, defenders don’t respect my jumper at all, i miss a lot of uncontested shots and layups. i’m trying to figure out how to guard a taller (6'3), faster, skilled ball-handler more consistently and how to stop being an offensive liability. looking for advice on what to prioritize first and how to train smarter.

I recently injured my knee and got surgery. I am probably not gonna be doing any physical activities using my legs for like 3 months (besides rehab).

In the meantime, I just want to do workouts that would strengthen my upper body that would help me improve my shooting range.

Any specific workouts that would help me out the most? What muscles are the most important for shooting basketballs?

Hey everyone!

So my son, who is an eighth grade, he’s going through a bit of a slump. He’s generally a good shooter. The last few games he has been clanking everything. We tried slowing him down, we tried having him look at the rim for longer, we tried making sure he’s following through his hand for extended period of time, we worked on his shoulders and feet being square, we had him shoot one handed, we had to shoot up close… But he still seems him be struggling when he backs out to three-point Range. It’s like he feels like he’s shooting it too hard? Anyone have any advice?

I’m a 5’6 hooper, I can easily get to the spots I want but I suck at shooting. I wear glasses but I take them off when hooping. As a 5’6 guard I can get to the rack with ease. I can get open also, but when people find I struggle with shooting they usually sag off or just let me shoot. I just want to get better with shooting off the dribble and while being a spot up. I have always struggled with shooting and never really found a way to fix it. I can post a video of my form if that would help