Technical Basketball Skills

Technical Basketball Skills is the name for the individual fundamental skills involved in basketball. In general, the technical basketball skills are best thought of as everything that a player does in a one on one situation. Everything else such as 2 v 1, 2 v 2 or any other situation with multiple players involved is bundled into the category of tactical basketball skills. The technical basketball skills are often the focus of much time and effort when junior players are developing and then later linked and refined as the player matures.

Technical basketball skills can be broken down further into a number of different areas. Only some technical basketball skills will be highlighted in each area. These areas include:

Body Movement Fundamental Skills; this range of technical basketball skills covers movements such as a Drop Step, Swing Step, Stride Stop or Jump Stop. Further to these areas more simple techniques like Running and Changing Direction while running are included. By having these skills practiced players even at the youngest levels develop “base skills” which are used across a number of sports and life in general.

Passing and Receiving Fundamental Skills; the skills within this area cover passing variations found in basketball such as the Bounce Pass, Push Pass, Chest Pass and Overhead Pass. Once the fundamental skills are introduced and perfected these then need to be practiced within specific situations like full court, perimeter, interior passing and passing into the post. Blended into this mix is the skill of Receiving a Pass that is always one of the most underrated and poorly performed basketball skills.

Dribbling Fundamental Skills; these skills are only associated with basketball. Bouncing the ball to the new to basketball and a mandatory skill for the perimeter players. The technical basketball skills involved in dribbling include the Crossover Dribble, Retreat Dribble, Hesitation Dribble, and Spin Dribble. Any player once mastering the technique most move onto performing the skill under pressure and being economical with use of each dribble of the basketball.

Shooting Fundamental Skills; the technical basketball skills involved in shooting are some of the more desired by most players of any skill. Go to any basketball court and you can see the majority of players practicing this skill more than any other when self-directed. The technical basketball skills of shooting involve the Lay-up, Form Shooting, Jump Shot, or Hook Shot just to name a few. Once the basics have been practiced, these skills need to be performed under pressure with players learning to ignore the defensive challenge and make their shot consistently.

Rebounding Technical Skills; cover the one and only skill that is famed with winning championships. This covers both Offensive and Defensive Rebounding fundamentals such as the Block Out and Avoiding being Pinned. Again, this skill needs to be practiced in different situations. Free Throws, close range shots and long-range shots will all have some specific rebounding outcomes and must be practiced for the desired effect of rebounding proficiency.

Offensive Technical Skills; are the basketball skills used in one on one situations such as Jab Step, Shot Fake, Jab and Go or Post Moves like Drop Step Baseline Power Lay-up. There are many more skills in this area and all need to be constantly practiced and refined to meet the demands of the level of competition. It is important to remember that in practicing these skills that the better the defence, the more the offense will be pushed to improve.

Defensive Technical Skills; cover the fundaments such as Defensive Stance, Hedge and Recover, Shot Blocking and Run, Slide Run. The development of these technical basketball skills mirror the development of the offensive skills. Therefore, these skills are best practiced against well-refined offensive skills.

With all fundamental skills, they need to be introduced in full. That means none of the technical basketball skills should be missed in being practiced by juniors, or taught by coaches. Players as they mature will master specific skills, but this should not be the choice of the coach to decide on what skills to miss initially in a players formative junior years.

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