Making your school basketball team may be a serious goal that you have planned on since you first started playing basketball in grade school. You may be one of the better players when you play pick-up games with your friends or when you play organized games. However, if you are going to make the varsity team, you are going to have to survive tryouts. You are going to have to compete hard and demonstrate that you have the ability and desire to be a player who can contribute to the team.
Step 1
Get yourself in the best condition possible. You are going to have to do cardiovascular conditioning and strength training. If you can play 1 1/2 hours of basketball every day, that will satisfy your cardiovascular conditioning. If you don't have that option prior to tryouts, do sprint training at the local high school track. Measure off distances of 100, 90, 80 and 70 yards and sprint them in descending order. take no more than 15 seconds between sprints, and when you are done with all four, take a two-minute break and repeat the set. Lift weights to build strength. Exercises like the bench press, arm curls and leg press will help you develop the strength you need to win the battles for loose balls and rebounds.
Step 2
Work on your shooting prior to tryouts. Start out by taking 50 shots from 4 to 10 feet from the basket. These should be easy, but you will be forced to use good form. Once you take these shots, take five shots each from the right baseline, the right elbow, the top of the key, the left elbow and the left baseline. Do this at the start and finish of your workout.
Step 3
Improve your dribbling skills. Every basketball player must prove that she can handle the ball. Set up five cones four feet apart, starting about 10 feet past the midcourt line. Dribble to the right of the first cone, the left of the second cone, the right of the third cone and continue in this manner until you get past the last cone. Dribble back to midcourt in the same manner. Do this three times during your workout.
Step 4
Work on your defensive stance and skills. Engage two players and play one-on-two. They will have to complete three passes before they can shoot. Your job is to stop them from scoring. Obviously, you are at a disadvantage. But if you can stop three out of 10 scoring attempts, you are working hard and becoming a better defensive players.
Step 5
Compete against the best players you can find. You don't want to come into tryouts having played against good players who are your own age if you are trying to make a high school team. Find older college players who are more talented and stronger. By elevating the competition bar, you will come into tryouts with an aggressive attitude and ready to play your best game.
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