Basketball is a crazy skillful game, with shooting ability, defense, jumping, agility and coordination just some of the skills a player has to master. Whilst you may have a team of naturals, there is nothing more important than developing their skills so that they can take their ability to the next level.

Luckily, modern basketball in Australia has plenty of ways to develop a player’s craft all the way through their game, and there is no better way to do it than with the following training aids…

1. Dribbling goggles

The humble pair of dribbling goggles should never be underestimated. The best players are able to control the ball without looking at it, keeping their heads up as they dribble, maneuver, pass and shoot.

Conversely, a player with their head down has know idea where their opponents are and, more importantly, where their teammates are located on the court. The best way to develop this unbeatable hand-eye coordination? The classic dribbling goggles, of course!

These handy little specs block the player’s vision towards the floor, ensuring they are keeping their eyes focused on what’s ahead of them whilst learning to dribble, pass and shoot without looking down at the ball.

2. Shooting spots

Proper positioning is one of the ultimate skills needed in basketball. Your players need to know where to be when the ball comes down their end so that they are free and open to take an uncontested shot.

Teams used to put witches hats out for position training, but soon realised these did nothing but get in the way (it’s not as if they’re on the court on matchday!). So, top ball labels began producing shooting spots to place on the court to ensure players knew where to go and when to go there.

They can be used for a variety of drills and are one of the most simple yet effective pieces of equipment for teaching the art of positioning.

3. Shooting sleeves

A dedicated baller might find themselves shooting for hours, working on their technique and developing a consistent style. The more consistent the player’s style, the higher their percentage will be, but shooting on repeat can lead to muscle soreness and strain.

This is where the shooting sleeve comes in: it provides the player with a level of compression that warms the arm and reduces the risk of injury during training and matches alike.

4. Shot arc

A player requires at least a 50 degree angle when shooting to have a better chance of sinking the bucket. The better the angle, the greater the shot, and so a shot arc is designed to ensure the player shoots at this desired angle.

How is this achieved? The shot arc is a piece of circular metal (in the shape of the ring) that is attached to the top of the ring with clips. As the circular frame is placed on top of the ring, it forces the player to shoot at at least the 50 degree angle in order to make the shot.

Simple, but genius and highly effective for snapping out of the habit of flat shooting.

5. Tennis balls

Any smaller, bouncing ball can be effective for basketball training, and the humble tennis is no exception. They can be used for dribbling, passing and even shooting, with their smaller size helping to improve the sports game player’s hand-eye coordination for the time they pick up the real ball!