How to Improve

Crossover and Shooting Skills For Girl Basketball

 In   this   booklet,   you   will  see   two   important   skills  of   basketball,   crossover  and  shooting  skill.  In  term  of   crossover,   there   are  basic   crossover   and  advanced   crossover.  Every   movement   is  clearly   described   in   both  words   and   pictures.   No  matter   you   are   beginners  or   advanced   players.   This  booklet   will   be   a   perfect  

 

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Basic Crossover ---------------------------------------------3-5

Advanced Crossover ---------------------------------------- 6-8

Shooting Skills ---------------------------------------------- 9-13    

 

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Introduction Crossover   is   an   essential   basketball   skill   to   any   basketball   player,  especially  point  guards.  This  skill  will  help  you  persuade  the  defenders  go   to   the   way   you   want   him   to   go   and   then   you   will   have   the  opportunity  to  either  score  or  pass  the  ball.  Crossover  is  also  known  as  “anklebreake”.  A  perfect  and  killing  crossover  required  a  good  level  of  balance,  fitness  and  practice.    If  you  are  a  beginner,   the  basic  crossover  will  be  a  start   for  you.  Keep  practicing,  and  one  day  you  will  be  able  to  use  it  perfectly  in  the  games.    

Step  1      Stand  with  the  legs  apart.    Dribble   the   ball   as   high   as   your  shoulder.  Your  hand  should  be  on  the   side   of   the   ball   in   order   to  prevent   it   from   going   away.   The  other   hand   should   be   on   the  other  side  of  your  body.  It  doesn’t  need   to   be   rising   in   the   air   but   I  have   to   be   ready   to   receive   the  ball.    

 

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Step  2      Push  the  ball  with  your  arm  to  the  other  hand;  make  sure  that  the  ball   bounce   between   your   legs.   Also,   the   body   should   tilt   to   the  other  side  as  well.  This  body  position  will  help  you  to  push  the  ball  and   change   direction.   The   free   hand   should   be   always   ready   to  receive  the  ball  again.        

 Step  3      Push   the   ball   with   your   arm   to   the  other  hand.  This  time,  the  other  hand  receives   the   ball   in   a   much   lower  position,  which  means   that   you   need  to  bend  your  knees.  Once  the  ball  gets  lower,  the  speed  of  the  ball  travel  will  increase.  Therefore,  it  required  you  to  have  a  good  control  of  the  ball.  Yours  hands   should  not  be   limp.  They  have  to   be   ready   to   complete   “push   and  receive”  in  a  short  time  period.      

 

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Step  4    Push   it   to   the   other   hand   again.   The   ball   and   body   positions   should  always   be   lower   than   the   last   one.   The   lower   the   ball   position   is,   the  higher   the  muscle   strength  of   the   arms   is   required.  Once   the   speed  of  the  ball  gets  really  fast,  instead  of  using  the  whole  hand  to  hold  the  ball,  you  can  use  fingers.  It  makes  much  easier  for  you  to  push  the  ball  faster.            

The  ball  position  should  be  high——  low  ——  high.    

The  higher  the  ball  position  is,  the  better  you  need  to  control  the  ball.  The  lower  the  ball  position  is,   the  faster  you  need  to  dribble,  the  more  muscle  strength  is  required.    

 

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If  you  are  an  advanced  basketball  player,  this  section  will  help  you  do  a  perfect  crossover  in  the  game.    Step  1    You   need   to   step   one   big   step   forward.   If   you   are   right   handed,   then  your  right  leg  should  be  in  front.  The  ball  should  be  as  high  as  shoulder  and   the   body  weight   should   be   at   the   right   side   in  order   to  make   the  defender  think  that  you  are  going  to  the  right  side.    This  movement  requires  a  good  control  of  the  ball  because  you  have  to  be  able  to  move  the  ball  from  the  shoulder  height  to  the  low  position.      

Step  2    If  the  defender  starts  moving  to  the  right  side,  you  can  take  the  ball  down  and  do  a  crossover  in  order  to  change  direction.    Your  hand  should  be   splayed  completely  in   order   to   prevent   the   ball   from   going  away.   The  whole  body  weight   should   be  at   the   left   side.   The   left   leg   should   start  moving  forward  and  the  left  hand  should  be  ready  to  receive  the  ball.    

 

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Step  3    Before   the  ball  gets   to   the   floor,   your   left   leg   should  already  be  at   the  front   and   you   whole   body   weight   is   at   the   left   side.   Your   left   hand  should  be  ready  to  receive  the  ball.    

Step  4    Once  your  left  hand  receives  the  ball,  you  right   leg  should  push  your  whole  body  to  the  left  front.    This  movement  required  a  good  control  of  the  ball  with  you  left  hand.  And  you  have  to   do   this   movement   fast   enough   so   the  defender  will  not  able  to  react  before  you  pass  her.    

 

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Step5      Once   you   have   a   good   control   on   the   ball,   your   right   leg   should   take  one-­‐step  front  and  run.  Your  left  hand  should  control  the  ball  well.      If   you   see   the   defender   follows   you,   you   can   quickly   do   a   crossover  again.   If   she   pushes   you   either   when   you   are   changing   direction   or  driving  to  the  basket,  it's  a  foul  on  her.    You  have  to  complete  the  whole  crossover  with  both  speed  and  control.  Feet  and  hands  should  be  both  fast  otherwise  you  might  travel.        

Before  you  use  this  skill   in  the  games,  you  have  to  practice  first.  Make  sure  all   the  movements  are  smooth  enough  otherwise  the  defender  can  easily  follow  you.    

 

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Introduction    As   you   no   doubt   know,   among   the   factors   that   make   the   most  difference  in  the  game  of  basketball,  shooting  percentage  has  to  be  at,  or  very  near,  the  top  of  the  list.  Lay  up  is  also  a  very  important  skill  but   if   you   can   shoot,   3   pointers,   free   throw   and   short   distance  shooting   will   be   easy   for   you   and   those   will   lead   to   a   winning.   In  order  to  do  this,  having  a  good  and  correct  shooting  position  is  very  important.        

 

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Step  1      Let’s  look  free  throw  as  an  example.    When   you   are   getting   ready   to   shoot,   you   should   hold   the   ball   in  front  of  your  body  (your  shooting  hand  should  be  on  the  bottom  of  the  ball  and  the  other  hand  on  the  side  of  the  ball)  As   figure  2   shows,   your   arm  should  be   close   to   your  body  and   the  middle  of  your  hand  should  not  be  touching  the  ball.  The  hand  that  is  on  the  side  should  not  be  affecting  the  ball,  its  just  there  to  prevent  the   ball   from   falling   off   your   hand.   And   also,   you   knee   should   be  bended  in  order  to  store  energy  for  your  shooting.      

Figure  1     Figure  2  

 

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Step  2      Rising  the  ball  and  arms  up,  the  upper  arm  and  lower  arm  should  be  at  90  degree  the  best.  The  other  hand  should  still  be  at  the  side  of  the  ball.    Your  eyes  should  be  able  to  see  the  basket,  which  means  that  the  ball  should  not  blocking  the  your  face.  

Figure  3   Figure  4  

 

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Step  3    Pull  the  lower  arm  back  and  raise  the  elbow  a  little  bit.    Your  knees  have  to  be  bended  down  even  lower.    As   figure   6   shows,   your   upper   arm   and   lower   arms   should   be   on   a  straight   line.   This   will   make   your   shot   go   straight.   When   you   are  shooting  the  ball,  the  hand  that  is  on  the  side  should  not  affect  the  ball  otherwise  the  ball  will  “fly  away”.    

Figure  5   Figure  6  

 

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Step  4      The  finish  position  should  be  two  arms  up  and  the  shooting  arm  should  be   close   to   the   ear.  The  wrist   should  be   facing  downward   in  order   to  add   backspin   on   the   ball.   Backspin   can   help   the   ball   goes   in   to   the  basket  if  the  ball  hit  the  basket  first.        

Shooting   skill   can   only   be   improved   if   you   keep   practicing.   The  more  you  practice  the  more  shots  you  will  make  in.    

Figure  7   Figure  8  

 

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Mwballers TV. (2012). Gabby Green-Midwest Ballers Recruit Workout Mixtape-Pius Xi High School-Class of 2015. Retrieved from Rhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d73bcBuKOIA  Patosha.J. (n.d.). 5 Ways to Improve Girls Basketball Shooting. Retrieved from http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/5_Ways_to_Improve_Girls_Basketball_Shooting.html      

 

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I hope you have learnt something useful from this

booklet.

Basketball never stops.

Done  by  Jing  CHENG