How To Block A Shot Effectively When Playing Basketball

High School AAU Boys Basketball in Central Florida
 
As you all know I’m a pretty big fan of basketball and I love to talk about it here in the blog. One aspect of the game that I feel is crucial to winning games is defense and what I’d like to focus on today is blocking shots.
Blocking shots is the best way to deny your opponent the opportunity to score the ball, it is also the hardest way to do so because so many things can turn against you when you try to block a shot. You could either foul the player your defending on, or be pump faked and get scored on after you took the bait to try and block the shot. Usually when a player pump fakes you he wants to get you in the air so he could get around you or in worst cases get you fouled and squeeze.
So in order to contest on your rival’s shot you need to learn how to defend properly without getting yourself in to foul troubles.

What Makes A Good Blocker?

Being a good blocker heavily depends on your physique. Height and size are huge factors for becoming a good blocker. In the NBA, the players who are above 6’10″ and close to the 7 feet range are usually the best blockers. Also, long hands and arm-span play a role here. We use our hands to block when we jump so the longer our hands, the further we can get, thus giving us a better chance to contest on our opponents’ shot.
But not everything relies on physical traits. There are other things that are equally important for being a good blocker such as your jumping skill, quickness, reading the offense well and most importantly your timing.

Middle School AAU Boys Basketball in Central Florida