Helena Frye
To palm a basketball, you need to have big hands and strong fingers with a lot of grip strength. Athletes with the best grip strength are climbers, and they use a simple hangboard to improve their grip. If you want to improve your grip strength, you can do exercises such as pull-ups, fingertip push-ups, and finger stretches. You can also practice squeezing a basketball, starting with a rubber women's basketball and working your way up to a men's leather basketball.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Hand size | Large |
| Grip strength | High |
| Thumb length | Not super short |
| Palm-to-end of middle finger length | 7 inches/18 cm |
| Finger strength | High |
| Forearm strength | High |
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What You'll Learn
Grip strength and finger exercises
To palm a basketball, you need a combination of hand size and grip strength. While you may not be able to change your hand size, you can certainly improve your grip strength. This will not only help you palm a basketball but will also improve your overall game.
Finger Squeezes
Using a stress ball, therapy putty, or even a tennis ball, squeeze the object using all five fingers, then release. Repeat this exercise for multiple sets to strengthen your finger flexor muscles.
Finger Extensions
Place rubber bands or resistance bands around your fingers and spread them apart against the resistance. This exercise targets finger extensor muscles and supports overall finger stability.
Basketball Dribble Drill
Focus on dribbling with your fingertips and pads of your fingers, rather than your palm. This drill improves finger strength, grip, and control.
Push-Ups on Fingertips
Get into a standard push-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart. Instead of placing your palms on the floor, hold yourself up with your fingertips. This will increase your finger strength and, consequently, your grip strength.
Towel Pull-Ups
Wrap two towels around a bar and grasp them instead of the bar. The unusual neutral grip will require more muscle recruitment in your forearms and hands, improving grip strength.
Barbell Reverse Grip Curls
Attach a straight curl bar to a cable and grasp it with an underhand grip. Keeping your elbows close to your body and your back straight, push the bar down until your elbows are straight, then slowly raise it back up. This exercise targets your triceps and forearms, improving your grip strength.
Forearm Curls
Rest your arm flat, for example, on your thigh, and lift a weight with your wrist. This exercise isolates your forearm and improves grip strength.
Additionally, you can use a hangboard, a tool commonly used by climbers, to improve grip strength. A hangboard is an artificial climbing hold with various grips that isolate different hand positions. You can install one above a door jam and use it for pull-up motions.
Remember to stretch the antagonist muscles of your fingers, wrists, and forearms after grip-strengthening exercises to maintain muscular balance.
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Forearm exercises
To palm a basketball, grip strength is crucial. Forearm exercises are an excellent way to improve grip strength. They stretch and strengthen the muscles in your hands, wrists, and elbows, enhancing your upper body strength, function, and mobility.
Dead Hangs
Dead hangs are an easier alternative to pull-ups. Simply grip a bar and hold yourself there with slightly bent elbows. Keep your core tight and squeeze your shoulder blades together and down. Aim for 30 seconds to 1 minute for one set and perform 2 to 3 sets.
Forearm Curls
You can perform forearm curls using dumbbells or simply your body weight. For the dumbbell version, kneel facing the side of a flat exercise bench. Hold a pair of light dumbbells in each hand, palms facing down. Rest your forearms on the bench, ensuring only your wrists move. Curl your wrists towards you, pause, then release and curl back to the starting position. Repeat for 15 to 20 reps and perform 2 to 3 sets.
You can also perform forearm curls without equipment by resting your arm flat on your thigh and lifting only with your wrist, similar to an arm curl.
Grip Work
Use a pair of forearm grips, or any object you can squeeze, such as a tennis ball or a sock. Extend and flex your fingers to squeeze the item for 3 to 5 seconds, then relax your grip. Continue for 10 to 15 minutes, 2 to 3 times per arm daily.
Hangboard
Hangboards are excellent tools for improving grip strength and are commonly used by climbers. They are large artificial climbing holds with various grips that isolate different hand positions. Hangboards can be installed above door frames and typically cost between $20 and $75.
Remember to warm up before performing forearm exercises and always listen to your body. Stop if you experience forearm pain or discomfort.
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Jumping with a ball
To improve your jumping ability, you can perform certain exercises, lose weight, and perfect your technique. Exercises that work your leg muscles, such as jump squats, deadlifts, calf raises, power skips, and box jumps, can help improve your jumping ability. Additionally, you can try hopping into your jump shot by catching the ball and jumping at the same time, while also bending your knees. Jumping rope and performing barbell deadlifts are also great ways to strengthen your calves and quads.
Before jumping into training for the jump shot, it is important to get comfortable with standing throws. Practice free throws or close and medium-range throws to develop a feel for throwing the ball. Once you have mastered the basics of catching and throwing while standing and in motion, you can start training for the jump shot.
The jump shot itself requires a lot of coordination between the jumping movement and the fast throwing motion. The ideal technique is to initiate the throwing motion shortly before reaching the highest point of the jump, releasing the ball at the apex of the jump to minimize the chance of it being blocked by defenders. The angle and spin of the basketball are crucial factors in determining the success of the shot.
To improve your ability to jump with a ball, you can also work on your grip strength. Climbers, for example, typically have excellent grip strength, and using a hangboard can help improve your grip strength and forearm strength.
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Ball progression
Drills and Fundamentals
Basketball drills are essential for player development. They help improve fundamental skills, decision-making abilities, and overall basketball IQ. Drills can vary from individual 1-on-1 drills to 5-on-5 full-court drills. For example, dribbling drills can start with stationary ball-handling exercises and then progress to game-like moves, teaching players how to protect the ball and execute dribble moves effectively. Drills that force players to think and make quick decisions are particularly valuable, as they enhance a player's skill set and their ability to read the game.
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Improving Grip Strength
For players looking to improve their ability to palm a basketball, grip strength is crucial. Exercises such as forearm curls and the use of "devices" like springs with handles can help strengthen the forearms and improve grip. Additionally, climbers' "go-to" tool, the hangboard, can be an effective way to isolate and improve grip strength in different hand positions.
Progression in Practice
Overall, ball progression in basketball is about helping players improve their skills, decision-making, and overall understanding of the game. Through a combination of drills, strategy instruction, and physical conditioning, players can take their game to the next level and become more well-rounded basketball players.
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Thumb strength
While training for basketball, athletes often focus on overall strength, conditioning, and skill development. However, finger strength, including thumb strength, is an essential aspect of the game. Thumb strength plays a crucial role in a basketball player's grip, dribbling, shooting, and overall ball-handling abilities. By improving thumb strength, players can enhance their control and stability, resulting in improved performance on the court.
There are several exercises that specifically target thumb strength and overall finger strength. Finger squeezes, for example, involve using a stress ball or therapy putty and squeezing it with all five fingers, including the thumb, and then releasing. This exercise helps to strengthen the finger flexor muscles. Another exercise is finger extensions, where rubber bands or resistance bands are placed around the fingers, and the fingers are then spread apart against the resistance. This targets the finger extensor muscles and supports overall finger stability.
Basketball-specific drills can also help improve thumb strength. For instance, the basketball dribble drill involves performing various dribbling exercises while focusing on using the fingertips and pads of the fingers rather than the palm. This enhances finger strength, grip, and control. Finger push-ups are another effective exercise. In this drill, the player assumes a push-up position with palms flat on the ground and then uses their fingers, including thumbs, to lift and lower their body, engaging the finger extensors and promoting strength and stability.
Additionally, athletes can use equipment such as a hangboard, which is a climbing tool with various grips that isolate different hand positions, to improve thumb strength. This can be easily installed at home above a door frame, allowing for a full range of pull-up motions. Incorporating such exercises into a training regimen can help basketball players improve their thumb strength, leading to better grip and control when handling the ball during games.
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Frequently asked questions
There is no definitive answer, but it is generally agreed that you need to have big hands and strong fingers with a lot of grip strength.
You can measure your grip strength by practising squeezing a ball or using a device such as a hangboard or a spring with handles.
You can improve your grip strength by doing exercises such as pull-ups, fingertip push-ups and finger stretches.
In addition to hand size and grip strength, you also need to be able to jump effectively in-game situations.
