If you’ve ever felt like your game is stuck or opponents are predicting your every move, you might be making one of these common mistakes. The good news? Each mistake has a fix. We’ll break down the top 3 mistakes basketball players make and give you practical tips to correct them.
1. Relying Too Much on Your Dominant Hand
How it Shows Up
Think about the last pickup game you played. Was there a player who always dribbled or drove to the same side? If you’re right-handed, you might catch yourself dribbling, passing, and finishing almost exclusively with your right hand. Defenders love this – once they realize you won’t use your weak hand, you become predictable. They’ll overplay your strong side and force you into an awkward move with your off hand.
Why it’s a Problem
Relying on one hand caps your skill ceiling. Basketball is a two-handed game, and limiting yourself to your dominant hand makes you easier to guard and reduces your effectiveness. Opponents can shade you to one side, knowing you’re uncomfortable going the other way.
How to Fix It
The solution is simple (though not always easy): develop your off hand until it’s nearly as trusty as your strong hand. Here are a few tips and drills:
- Weak-Hand Only Drills: Dedicate part of every practice to dribbling and finishing with only your weaker hand. Do ball-handling drills and do entire layup lines with your weak hand and practice weak-hand floaters off the glass.
- Everyday Ambidexterity: Make weak-hand training part of your daily life. Brush your teeth with your off hand, open doors with it, toss a tennis ball around with that hand. These small actions build neural connections. On the court, something as simple as warm-up two-ball dribbling, with one ball in each hand, helps – it forces your weaker hand to keep up with the stronger.
2. Poor Shooting Mechanics
How it Shows Up
Ever have those days where your shot just won’t fall? You might hit the front rim on every three, or the ball lasers off the back rim with no touch. In games, poor shooting mechanics reveal themselves as inconsistent, flat shots and lots of misses. Common signs of poor shooting mechanics include: a flared elbow, no arc on the ball, fading or off-balance finishes, or sidespin on your shots.
Why it’s a Problem
In basketball, shooting is an equalizer – a great shot can make up for lack of size or speed. Conversely, bad shooting form is a straight-up limiter. If your mechanics are off, you’ll struggle to score from the outside and even mid-range. Poor form also means inconsistency – you might make a few in a row when everything accidentally clicks, but under defensive pressure or fatigue, bad habits take over and your percentage plummets.
How to Fix It
The key to fixing a broken shot is to go back to basics. Focus on core shooting principles and practice them religiously:
- Remember “BEEF”: Balance, Eyes, Elbow, Follow-through. It’s a classic acronym because it works. Check your stance – are your feet shoulder-width and balanced? Square up or slightly stagger if that’s more comfortable, but make sure you’re not off-balance when rising to shoot. Keep your eyes on the target. Now the big one: Elbow. If your elbow tends to flare out, train it to come in line under the ball. A good checkpoint: at your set point (just before you release), your shooting hand should be under the ball and the elbow pointed toward the rim, not out to the side. This helps the ball go straight. Finally, Follow-through: snap your wrist and imagine you’re reaching into a cookie jar above the rim. Hold that follow-through pose briefly; it improves your touch.
- High-Arc Form Shooting: If your shots are flat, start practicing with an exaggerated arc. Stand a few feet from the hoop and shoot straight up, letting the ball drop through the net. This “rainbow shooting” drill trains you to get comfortable with a higher trajectory. You’ll notice the ball softly dropping in rather than clanging out. Over time, move back and maintain that arc.
- Video and Feedback: Sometimes you need to see your shot to fix it. Have a friend record your shooting form or set up your phone. Analyze it (or better yet, show a coach). You might catch that you’re thumb-flicking with your guide hand or not bending your knees enough.
3. Over-Dribbling
How it Shows Up
We all know that player – the one who treats the basketball like a yo-yo on a string. In games, over-dribbling manifests as pounding the ball without making progress. Maybe you catch yourself taking 10 dribbles in one spot trying to shake your man, while your teammates stand around watching. Over-dribblers often miss open players, kill the flow of fast breaks, and end up in turnovers.
Why it’s a Problem
Over-dribbling is often called a coach’s nightmare, and for good reason. It stalls your offense and often leads to fewer points and more turnovers. While you’re busy dribbling, the defense is catching its breath and setting up. This also tends to result in forced shots or telegraphed passes. In transition, excessive dribbling can ruin fast breaks by allowing defenders to recover.
How to Fix It
The fix is to dribble with intention – or not at all. Here’s how you can rein in the habit:
- Dribble with a Purpose: Adopt the mindset Coach Don Kelbick famously teaches: “Think layup when you dribble.” In other words, dribble to attack the basket or to create a shot for someone. If you’re not accomplishing something with the dribble, don’t use it. Good reasons to put the ball on the floor include: driving to score, escaping a five-second closely guarded count, improving a passing angle, or advancing the ball upcourt.
- Practice Constraints: Build new habits in practice by using drills that limit dribbling. For example, play scrimmages where each player is only allowed 2 dribbles max before they must shoot or pass. You’ll be amazed how quickly players start cutting, screening, and passing when the option to pound the ball is off the table.
- Head Up, Team First: Often, over-dribbling happens when players put their head down. Simply keeping your eyes up can reduce unnecessary dribbles – you’ll notice open teammates sooner and kick the ball out. Start every possession by scanning the floor. Remind yourself that a good pass can beat ten dribbles any day.
Quick Reference Summary
- Dominant Hand Overuse: Always favoring one hand makes you predictable and limits your game. Fix: Work on your weak hand through targeted drills (one-hand dribbling, off-hand layups) and challenge yourself to use it in games. The more ambidextrous you are, the harder you are to guard.
- Flawed Shooting Form: Elbow flying out or a flat shot causing lots of misses. Fix: Rebuild your form with basics – keep your elbow under the ball (no chicken wing!) so your shot stays straight, and give the ball a good arc for a soft touch. Practice close-in form shooting, use the BEEF cues (Balance, Eyes, Elbow, Follow-through), and get lots of repetitions to make good mechanics second nature.
- Over-Dribbling: Dribbling the air out of the ball while the offense stalls. Fix: Dribble with purpose or not at all. Emphasize quick ball movement – use your dribble to attack or improve a situation, not just to showcase moves. In practice, try limiting yourself to 2 dribbles or play drills where unnecessary dribbles count as turnovers to build that habit. Keep your eyes up and trust teammates; sometimes the best play is the simple pass.
With these pointers, you can self-diagnose during games. The moment you catch yourself defaulting to your strong hand, hoisting an off-balance jumper, or aimlessly bouncing away, you’ll know how to adjust on the fly.
Elevate Your Game
Improving in basketball is a journey – even the best players are constantly refining their skills. The mistakes above are common, but with dedicated practice, you will see progress. If you’re serious about taking your game to the next level, sometimes the fastest way is to get personalized guidance. TeachMe.To connects you with experienced basketball coaches who can work with you one-on-one on exactly these issues. Imagine drilling weak-hand finishes with a coach rebounding for you, or getting instant feedback on your shooting form from a trained eye. It’s like having a personal trainer, but for your hoops skills.
Ready to level up? Don’t let old habits hold you back from being the player you know you can be. Check out TeachMe.To for a coach who can help you apply these fixes in real time. With practice and perhaps a little expert help, you’ll be blowing by defenders with either hand, knocking down jumpers with confidence, and running an offense that hums – no over-dribbling needed. Your future basketball self will thank you!
