
Training to Be Hard to Guard
What player doesn’t want to be a better scorer or add more value to their team on the offensive end of the floor? However, this doesn’t just happen because a player wants it. If a player wants to become a better scorer and harder to guard, they must be willing to not only put in the hard work basketball training but spend time working on the right things when they do.
At Tampa Basketball Training, our players will work on all of the different offensive areas that they need to be successful. We will focus on more than just scoring as well though. Because a big part of being hard to guard is not just scoring, but also being able to set up teammates.
So here are some different areas that Tampa Basketball Training players will focus on in our workouts.
Train to Play at Different Speeds
This is a big key, especially when handling the basketball. Too many times, players think that they need to be fast, faster, and fastest, but really, they need to work on being able to quickly accelerate and decelerate. The better a player is able to change up their speeds, the more the defender will be off-balance and not able to anticipate a player’s moves. At Tampa Basketball Training we spend a ton of time working on changing pace and being able to pause the defense before blowing by them. Outside of ball handling, this is also key when cutting, sprinting to set screens, using screens, etc.
Train to be a Multi-Dimensional Player
The more a player is able to be well-rounded, the harder they will be to guard. For example, if a player is able to shoot it well and also drive well, they put the defense in a very tough situation. On the flip side, if an offensive player struggles with certain areas of their game, the defense will do their best to force them to that weakness. That is why we focus on developing complete players at TBT. We understand that players have specific roles and need to spend more time working on specific skills, but it is also important that a player doesn’t have glaring weaknesses.
Train and Learn How to Read the Defense
As an offensive player, it is vital that you are able to read the defense before making a move. If you don’t read the defense, you are asking for trouble and most likely will not have any space to execute your move. Whether it is a cut, dribble move, shot, etc. it is going to be important to read the defense and how they are guarding you. This comes with practice, but it is also something that needs to be explained and emphasized. At Tampa Basketball Training we spend the needed time breaking down when, where, and how to use different moves based on what the defense is doing. This is going to allow players a better understanding of each move and how to maximize that move.
Look to Score Within the Offense
When you look at the highest percentage shots, you will see that most of them come within the offense. They happen off of hard cuts, spacing the floor, off of a quick reversal, etc. So the better a player can learn to score within the offense, the harder they will be to guard. That is why when we work with Tampa basketball players, we spend so much time working on game-specific moves. We teach players how to score within the offense and how to maximize high percentage scoring opportunities.
Tampa Basketball Training – Hard to Guard Conclusion
As you can see from this article, it is not just one thing that makes a player hard to guard. It is a combination of different factors that must come together if a player wants to be a multi-faceted threat on the offensive side of the floor. If you would like to develop all of the different areas of your game and turn yourself into a player that is hard to guard, please make sure to set up a training session with us.