How to Place the Hands When Shooting in Basketball

A dedicated student athlete in North Carolina, Luke Stankavage attends Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte. Alongside his academic studies, he plays on the school’s varsity basketball team. During the 2019-2020 year, Luke Stankavage achieved a record of 20.6 points and 3.9 rebounds, and he continually works on developing his basketball skills.

When shooting a basketball, placing the hands properly provides players good control over the direction of their shot, thus reducing the number of shots they miss during a game. Good hand placement involves either placing the index finger of the shooting hand in the middle of the basketball or placing the middle of the basketball between the index and middle fingers.

Both placement methods are suitable for making good shots. However, the fingers must be spread out enough that the ball balances in a single hand. The pads of the fingertips are responsible for holding the ball up, not the palm. In fact, players must leave enough space to fit a pencil between the ball and the middle of their palm.

The non-shooting hand helps hold the ball steady, despite it being balanced on the shooting hand. Players remove the balance hand first when making a shot and do not add spin or force to the ball with this hand. Rather, they use the fingertip pads of their shooting hand to create spin as the ball is released toward the hoop.

Reducing the Risk of Turnovers in Basketball

Ardrey Kell High School student Luke Stankavage plays on the school’s varsity basketball team. Recognized as one of the team’s skilled players, he is a lead ball handler. During one of his team’s games vs. Harding, Luke Stankavage scored 30 points and maintained zero turnovers throughout the game.

In basketball, a turnover is when an opponent gains control of the ball. There are several things that may lead to a turnover, such as a bad pass, a steal, or an offensive violation like traveling. One of the best ways to prevent turnovers from occurring is making sure every player on the team has strong dribbling and ball-handling skills.

In addition, players must understand good spacing on the court, along with passing between teammates. Good spacing means shorter passes that are less likely to get stolen by the opposing team. Further, players must remember that there is no need to conduct an elaborate pass to another player. Basic passes to an open teammate are suitable for progressing a basketball game while reducing the risk of a turnover.

While improving ball-handling and passing skills will reduce a large portion of turnovers, it’s also essential that everyone is comfortable with getting open and catching passes from teammates. Preventing turnovers isn’t just the responsibility of an individual player, and these skills make turnover prevention more of a team effort.

Two Basic Types of Defenses in Basketball

Skilled basketball player Luke Stankavage belongs to the varsity basketball team at Ardrey Kell High School in North Carolina. As a strong part of the school’s team, he excels at offensive plays and is capable of crumbling an opposing team’s defenses. Luke Stankavage is also skilled as a defender thanks to his high basketball IQ and strong positioning skills.

In basketball, there are two basic types of defenses: man-to-man and zone.

Man-to-man, or person-to-person, defense is a classic defense style that involves assigning a player to a specific offensive player. Players must guard their assigned player throughout the time the opposing team controls the ball. This involves moving up and down the court with the player as they attempt to get open for a pass from their teammates. Person-to-person defense is most successful when the defending team has an advantage in height, speed, or athleticism.

The other is zone defense. This type of defense requires cohesion among team members since players must work together in small groups to securely defend an area of the court. Such defense often occurs in groups of two or three players and involves the guards splitting into different sections to patrol an entire area. Ball handlers who enter that zone are subsequently swarmed by the zone’s defenders.

The Three Most Common Golf Grips

A Division I athlete, Luke Stankavage plays varsity basketball for Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to basketball, Luke Stankavage plays both frisbee golf and golf.

There are three common ways of gripping a golf club: the overlapping grip, the interlock grip, and the 10-finger grip.

Of the three, the overlapping grip, or Vardon grip, is the most popular. Named for pro golfer Harry Vardon, it is the grip that most golf instructors teach their students. For an overlapping grip, players place their hands on the handle of the golf club, with the little finger of the hand closest to the shaft (the trailing hand) between the middle and index finger of the lead hand. This grants golfers more freedom when hitting the ball while securely holding their club.

The interlocking grip is the second most common, ideal for helping players with small hands get a firm grip on the club. As such, it is often favored among women and other players who have a small hand size. Hand placement is similar to the Vardon grip. However, instead of overlapping the middle and index fingers with the little finger, players interlock the little finger of the trailing hand with the index finger of the lead hand.

Finally, the 10-finger grip, also known as the baseball grip, allows golfers to pivot their wrists more freely to gain additional strength in their swing. As implied by the name, this grip involves holding the club with all 10 fingers instead of overlapping or interlocking some of them. Both the top and bottom hand have a firm grip on the golf club, and the hands are closely placed one on top of the other, similar to how a baseball player holds a bat.

The Difference between Static and Dynamic Stretching

Varsity basketball player Luke Stankavage plays for Ardrey Kell High School in North Carolina, where he has demonstrated exceptional skill as a point guard. Luke Stankavage’s basketball statistics include an average of 20.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds.

Many athletes know the importance of stretching before and after exercising to minimize injury. There are two main types of stretching that athletes engage in pre- and post-workout: dynamic and static.

Dynamic stretches consist of controlled movements that warm up the ligaments, muscles, and other soft tissues before physical activity. They help athletes and others improve their mobility and can enhance power, speed, and agility. At the same time, dynamic stretches reduce the risk of injury in both elite and recreational athletes. Such stretching is best done before a match, whether it’s competitive or not.

Meanwhile, static stretching involves holding a particular stance for a short period of time. Static stretches do not involve movement and may entail standing, lying down, or sitting. This type of stretch can decrease the performance of athletes when done as a warmup; however, this doesn’t mean it is not beneficial. Rather, static stretches are best reserved for cooling down after practice or a competitive match, since they increase the elasticity of the muscle and decrease recovery time.

Steady Ed Headrick and the Beginnings of Disc Golf

Student-athlete Luke Stankavage of Charlotte, North Carolina, is high-achieving, both in academics and in sports. A member of the National Honor Society, Luke Stankavage additionally plays on his high school’s varsity men’s basketball team and enjoys Frisbee golf in his free time.

Frisbee golf, commonly known as disc golf, is quite similar to regular golf in principle, though rather than a ball and clubs, players use a flying disc or Frisbee during the game. The “holes” in Frisbee golf are metal baskets elevated off the ground. Similar to golf, players try to sink the disc in the basket in the fewest throws.

The so-called ‘father of disc golf’ is considered to be “Steady” Ed Headrick, who invented two of the objects most essential to disc golf play: the patented Frisbee, which he invented in 1966 while an employee of Wham-O, and the Disc Golf Pole Hole, invented in 1975. Eventually, Ed Headrick would go on to found the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) in 1976. Players could join the PDGA with a lifetime membership for just $10 at the time.

In 1979, disc golf took another step forward, when Headrick organized an event in Huntington Beach, California, the $50,000 Disc Golf Tournament. The event was groundbreaking in disc golf for both its huge payout and its requirement for players to qualify to compete. Today, there are more PDGA-sanctioned events than ever, and the sport even has its own headquarters. Located in Appling, Georgia at Wildwood Park, the PDGA International Disc Golf Center boasts training putting greens, three championship-level courses, a main clubhouse, and a training center for players.

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