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I'm gonna start this off talking about game variants that are popular around here, but first some pickup etiquette/vocabulary. VOCABULARY Checking the Ball:Checking the ball is done on a new possession or when you reset due to a foul. You take the ball to the center of the court at the 3 and from about 5 feet away, bounce pass it to whoever is guarding you. I don't know why people do it but it's tradition, marks a new possession, and lets everyone know that it's time to wake up and play. You don't check if you're playing no-keeps fullcourt, just pass the ball in from out of bounds as usual. Clearing the Ball:Clearing the ball is done when you're playing halfcourt and your team gets the ball from a rebound or steal. You have to take the ball out to the 3 before you can score. This prevents weird situations where the other team shoots, and you grab a rebound and put it back in and your team scores. Keeps vs. No-Keeps: If you're playing keeps the team that scores keeps possession of the ball after scoring. If it's no-keeps the team that just got scored on gets the ball after a basket. Keeps isn't used much if you're playing fullcourt. Don't use keeps if the teams are grossly uneven because the weaker team will rarely get the ball. GAME VARIANTS American 21: Whoever has the ball is on offense, everyone else is on defense. Regular pickup rules for clearing, keeps. First person to X points wins. If you go out-of-bounds or travel, the first other person to grab it gets the ball. Rules you might use: -1 or 2 free throws after making a basket (1 point each) -no outs King's Court: You play 1v1 and the first person to 3 points wins. Winner (aka 'the king') stays on the court and loser rotates with a player waiting. Regular pickup rules for clearing, keeps. Rules you might use: -every time you successfully defend your spot as the king you get 1 point, first player to X points wins the whole thing. Bump: Everyone lines up either at the foul line or at the 3 (depending on skill level), and the first 2 people in line have a ball. You shoot and if you miss, chase the ball down and put it in as fast as you can. If the person behind you gets their ball in before you do, you're out. Keep passing the ball to the people waiting at the front of the line and keep going until there's one person left standing. Here's a video for easier understanding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ez1_DUgTwA Rules you might use: -no interfering with other player's shots -second person in line can't shoot until the first player's ball has hit the rim -first and second place in the last round are first and second in line the next round HORSE: A player has one attempt to get the ball in the basket, and if they make it, other players have to copy it exactly or they receive a letter from the word HORSE. If they miss, the next player has the chance to create a shot everyone has to copy. If you get all 5 letters of HORSE you're out. Usually everyone fucks around and does the most ridiculous things they can think of that would be difficult to copy, such as a between-the-legs layup off an alley-oop you threw to yourself off the backboard, or a granny shot from the 3. Be creative! Here's a video if you don't understand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5VaGpJf07s Rules you might use: -you get 2 or 3 attempts to copy the shot -better players start with a couple of letters as a handicap
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Mar 6, 2012 09:35
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2024 09:35 |
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Crovie posted:I vaguely remember a shooting-only variant of 21 from grade school that went something like this That sounds like how it works around here except the first free throw is only worth 1 so that if you're good/lucky enough you could make another 10 and get to 21 points without a problem. If you don't hit 21 points cleanly your score wraps around and you're back at 1 point (which is great for bragging rights if you can get to 21 twice before the other guy can). I've also never heard of the moving backwards rule, I've always played it as you shoot from where you rebound it and if you're directly under the basket, tough  .
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Mar 6, 2012 10:41
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rscott posted:What do you guys do to avoid jamming your fingers? The first two fingers on both of my hands have permanently swollen knuckles from jamming them literally every day on errant/tipped passes and rebounds. Is this a case of stone hands on my part? I started doing fingertip pushups and haven't jammed my fingers in years. If you can't manage them at first start off doing one hand flat and one hand on your fingertips. e: 'That guy' that I hate the most is the one who calls touch fouls on offense and gets incredulous when you call him out for hacking hard on every loving possession on defense. Don't be 'that guy'.
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Mar 7, 2012 00:53
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Mandrel posted:This is the only basketball move that has ever just completely blown my mind. No matter how many times I see it I can't figure out how it happens. Full-speed, replay, slow-motion, repeated, following the steps, I cannot figure out what the gently caress is going on. It's a dribble into a jump stop. Except the dribble is a crossover beneath the legs, and the jump stop is behind the back. Not to belittle it, that looks hard as hell to do under control while in traffic and he makes it look easy.
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Mar 7, 2012 05:30
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For anyone just starting out or just getting back into playing pickup, the best thing you can do is work on your stamina. When you're tired you react slower, move slower, make more stupid mistakes, and your technique sucks. If you have better endurance, you can run around constantly, push the pace, and force the other team to keep up with you. If they get tired then they start making dumb mistakes, they react slower etc etc etc.
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Mar 10, 2012 03:58
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kingcobweb posted:Looking to play some pickup basketball for the first time once the weather stays warm. My question is this: what should I work on to be an effective pickup player? I'm 6'4" and ~140lb, so basically a mini-Manut Bol in terms of build. Assume I'm starting with absolutely no basketball skills at the moment. Work on your inside shot. If you can make all your shots from within 5 feet of the hoop you'll be a huge pain for anyone that isn't near your height to deal with. Make all the easy shots from getting passes in the post and grabbing rebounds. Keep the ball high all the time (head height or higher), big guys get stripped constantly if they have the bad habit of bringing it down where us non-giants live. Learn to do a simple in-turn after catching a pass/rebound. Rebound with two hands every time.
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Mar 11, 2012 03:06
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Mandrel posted:*Kwame hands* Sup tiny hands buddy  , my hands are smaller than guys I know who are a full 6 inches shorter than I am. It is so weird for me to read about guys who are 6'0 being the smallest guy on the court. I feel so small.Does anyone have any tips for going for steals? I know the basic 'wait for their crossover with your hand out', and just being low and ready will let you get a few off of mistakes but is there more to it? I've seen guys do this reach around steal as someone is driving by them and I don't know how to replicate it.
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Mar 11, 2012 06:17
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Can someone write some words in injury prevention and treatment? I'm thinking specifically of the more common ones like jammed fingers, rolled ankles, cramps, sprains, busted knees, ACL fuckery, broken bones and concussions. To contribute, the two most common pickup injuries are probably jammed fingers and rolled ankles. Jammed fingers is when your finger is bent backwards suddenly, past what's comfortable. It usually happens when either catching a pass badly or reaching for a steal. Treatment: RICE. That's Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Take it easy, ice it for 15 minutes every hour or so for the first day or two, keep pressure on it if you can (snug bandage), and keep it above your heart level. The purpose of RICE is to reduce swelling and increase recovery speed. Rolling your ankle is when you hyperextend your ankle by rolling it towards the inside or outside. Outside is more common and less serious. It usually happens when you accidentally step on another players foot or when you lose your footing unexpectedly. Treatment: RICE again. A snug sock and lying down while keeping your foot on a cushion helps a lot. Even when you think you're fine and it feels good you might want to stay away from playing until the swelling is completely gone. I managed to roll the same ankle twice in a week and got a fracture for my trouble.
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Mar 11, 2012 21:53
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spamman posted:A thing with using screens in general is that you want to go really close to the screener yourself, to the point where you are just grazing them. If the defender doesn't know the pick is coming, or you've guided him in well, they will go right into the middle of your screener and you'll get a stack of space. This. Bump shoulders with the person who sets the screen for you. It's annoying to set screens for someone who takes the screen so wide that the defender can follow them anyway. Take what the defense gives you and work with it. Don't decide ahead of time what you're doing after the P&R and force it no matter what. If you know your options, and when to use them it'll be much scarier.
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Mar 14, 2012 17:42
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nifty1 posted:Thanks for the pick and roll tips. Sometimes when using picks in the past I think I wasn't getting close enough to the pick setter. Also in my experience most people aren't very good at rolling to the hoop and being open after setting a pick so I usually end up driving/shooting. I think when I start running it with a friend I can pass it off more. I'm going to try it tomorrow when I play. For people who don't know how to roll after a screen I just tell them "when I hit your screen, open up like a door and cut to the basket with a hand up". Works for me. Shoe Talk: I've only been playing indoors and I've been wearing Nike Hyperdunks and they've been pretty great apart from forcing me to wear high socks or else I end up chafing my ankles raw after an hour.
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Mar 16, 2012 08:53
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Omnikin posted:Thanks to this thread I've gone out five of the last six nights and tried to learn how to actually shoot a jumper. My situational awareness and ridiculous competitive streak have kept me alive in the three pick-up games I've played, but I have almost no athletic skills currently. I have a bit of a stupid question- when you guys are going up for layups, are you jumping as high as you can? A guy last night was calling me a tryhard for going up "hard". He was 6'3" to my 5'10" though, so I don't know if he was just trying to psych me out That's stupid. That's like calling someone a tryhard for boxing out (has happened to me). I don't jump all out on layups but I guess it could be an advantage since you're releasing at a higher point so there's less space to contest it in. If it feels weird scale it back. CrazyLikeAMadDog posted:[Rec specs] The first time I saw rec specs I thought it stood for Recording Spectacles and I thought they were  . Then I found out what they really were and they were still cool.
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Mar 23, 2012 02:33
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Boosh! posted:You should film him. People think they look great playing but 95% of the people look awkward, myself included, and not the smooth Wade euro stepping vision they had of himself. There's a guy in my league who is like your guy. No idea how awful he is, I'm talking about taking off at the 3 pt line for a runner kind of stuff. "drat, just missed it..." My rear end I remember the first time I watched video of my friends and I playing I thought "drat we spend a lot of time standing around staring at whoever has the ball.". After that I started trying to remember to always be doing something, instead of standing around and hoping whoever has the ball is going to score. Recording yourself is useful!
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Mar 30, 2012 02:25
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Doltos posted:So I'm starting to realize that everyone is really terrible at reliably getting the ball to go in unless it's on an open drive through the lane. Because of this I've started intentionally fouling everyone who blows by their guy and just resetting the possession instead of giving up the basket. Fouls just reset possession, so if you take your strategy to the the extreme there's no rule stopping you from hacking the poo poo out of the other team every time they pass off top without turning it over. In practice it's a stupid terrible way to play, and would get you kicked off the court. In my mind, intentional fouls are acceptable on a fast break or on game point, and you should wrap them up and not just attack them on the shot. If you're fouling everyone entering the key it's like you can't/won't play defence. cisneros posted:I'm currently going to some court where people play mostly 3 on 3, it has some good players, but I'm a new guy, so I often get paired with the worse ones, and I'm being a dick to those poor guys. Last weekend I straight told one of my teammates "look, I just need you to make one shot, can you do that?" He did go like 0-10 on open shots, but still, the guy just went away to shoot to another hoop That sounds like a good way to make someone play worse. Why not be the guy to elevate your team instead of putting them down?
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Jun 5, 2012 04:52
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I want to take it easy, but I have to win to play enough games, and in the end I'm still a roleplayer at heart and can't deal with it. I will keep trying, though, basketball should be about good times.
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cisneros posted:Eh, I don't really know how to do that, I basically get tunnel vision when driving to the basket. I think I'll just concentrate on not being a dick, which is the most important skill to have. Acknowledge when they do something right with "Nice block/pass/shot/D.". Learn their names so you can call for passes or when passing to them. If they're doing something dumb, explain it to them without accusing them or putting them down, just straight explanation. You said you were better than them right? So if, for example, your teammate is giving up a ton of points because he's sagging on D and is getting shot over, tell him "Play him tight on D, his shooting is killing us. Don't give him any easy shots. If he gets by you I'll come help on D."
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Jun 6, 2012 17:50
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net work error posted:Well yeah I don't do anything illegal and generally don't foul but I stick to my guy pretty close but in an aggressive manner if that makes sense. Just want to know what other peoples opinions are as far as strong defense in a pickup game. I respect it. Playing good defense takes a ton of energy. People might get frustrated playing against it but that's kind of the point, and I've gotten props for playing hard defense instead of the lazy D you see a lot in pickup.
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Jun 11, 2012 03:40
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Beginner's Guide to Man-to-Man Defense STANCE Feet should be something like 1.5-2x shoulder width apart and keep your hips low. Your hips should be lower than the guys you're guarding, but far enough above being in-line with your knees that it's comfortable. Feet can do whatever feels natural, but don't point them both straight forward or straight out to the side. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet, not your heels at all times. Lean forward a bit from your waist so that your shoulders are just forward from your hips. Keep your hands up in front of your chest if you have nothing better to do with them at the time. MOVEMENT Avoid having your feet leave the ground much when you're moving on defense. Use short, choppy shuffle steps to move around unless you get beat badly enough that you need to stand up and book it to get back in front of your guy. Don't cross your feet when shuffling unless you want to trip yourself up. If your feet are in contact with the ground and you're not committing to large lunging steps you can react and change direction more quickly. Maintain a small distance between you and the guy you're guarding, close enough that you could reach out and touch their body. Closer if you can pull it off. It's like a dance. Stay between your man and the basket. Specifically, keep your body between his body and the basket. Stay balanced and centered and don't over-commit to any motions. If you need to get somewhere, move your feet instead of lunging and reaching. Learning how much to commit is a trial and error thing, so if you get beat on a play ask yourself if you could have done something differently and adjust for next time. THE REST If your opponent is better than you, watch their body, not their hands or the ball. The ball and their hand and legs can go all over the place and throw all kinds of feints, the body doesn't lie and will show you where they're going. If you can't read their crossovers, take a small step back when you see them start getting fancy with their dribble so you have more space to react to whichever direction they take it. If their shooting is weak, play defense farther away until they get close enough to the basket to be a threat. Playing them tight gives them a better chance to get past you entirely. If they're not a threat on the drive because they're slow, short, or your team has strong help on defense, then play defense tight to deny them easy shots and put pressure on their passing and dribbling. Don't constantly swipe at the ball for steals when they're dribbling. Position your hands so that a crossover would bring it into the path of your hand when they try. For example, if your opponent is facing you and trying to cross over from his right to left hand, keep your right hand extended low and in the path of where his crossover would go. If he tries, awesome, you have a good chance at a steal. If he doesn't, awesome, you're controlling his movement. Figure out which hand is your opponent's dominant hand, and try to force him to use his other one. For example, if your opponent is right-handed, shift your defense towards his right side so using that hand would be dangerous. Keep your left hand low and ready to steal if he tries to switch back to his right hand and force him to his weaker side. Related to forcing your opponent to one side, you can also force your opponent towards the baseline and trap him so that he's forced to pick up his dribble. BOX OUT. This means whenever a shot goes up, take a wide, low stance and put your back against your opponent to prevent them from getting the rebound. Leaning against them is fine, but keep your balance so you don't fall over if they suddenly move away. Boxing out is fundamental to good defense because it prevents them from rebounding and gaining possession of the ball after a shot. Don't jump for blocks unless you know you can make it. You don't need to block every shot. It's overall very effective if you just make every shot they take more difficult by crowding them and having your hand close enough that they have to adjust when they shoot. Jumping for blocks opens you up to being burned by a good fake and looking like a chump while they cruise past you while you're flying the wrong direction. Playing good defense is tiring, but stick with it. It's also tiring to play against and you can wear out your opponent on offense by making him work for every shot and every rebound. If your opponent is getting tired, sweaty and frustrated you are doing it right (assuming you're not fouling or playing dirty somehow).
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Jun 27, 2012 07:09
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BIZORT posted:It's common sense but so many people don't realize it while playing. You don't try to block shots or really even try to 'stop' them. You try to force them to go where YOU want and try to make them take the most awkward, difficult shot possible, as opposed to anything they feel comfortable with. Did that last shot he made feel like it was kind of lucky? It probably was. Keep doing what you're doing. Even if that awkward fadeaway is 'his shot,' its a stupid shot so you're winning. Play intelligently, because chances are the retard in front of you isn't. Basketball is great that way. Each team will score a whole bunch of times over the course of a game so you can afford to play the averages, and can also afford to take risks since a failed risk isn't the end of the world. Some sports have such low scoring games that one lucky point can decide it.
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Jun 27, 2012 08:00
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mastershakeman posted:What about for jump shooting, anything beyond taking a shitload of jump shots? I'm giving up on ever being effective down low, since I'd need a full fledged Barkley style game to score over my friends who are all 6+ inches taller than me. When you're raising the ball to take the shot, keep it tight to your body and bring it up in a straight line to where you shoot from. The less distance the ball has to travel the faster your pullup is going to be. You could also try to release quickly, so you release while you're still rising on the jump. The more efficient and quick your shot is the harder it will be to block, and if you're playing with a group 6+ inches taller than you, taking your time is goin to get you blocked.
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Jun 30, 2012 03:34
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It would be great if someone could do a write-up on how to move off the ball. I feel like I spend a lot of time standing around and waiting for people to feel like passing to me. Also, any words on how to get the ball in the post would be cool too. I pretty much know how to move once I have the ball there, but getting to that point can be difficult if my defender isn't a lazy jerk.
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Jul 12, 2012 00:42
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