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10 Must Have Basketball Acessories

 

Soooo many basketball accessories, so many products. Which ones are good which ones to avoid, which ones are worth it which ones are a waste of money? This Basketball accessory guide will help you sift through thousands of products alike and buy a strong cost-effective product worth your money.

I get it, I was once young and finding odd jobs to save up enough money to pay for my adjustable hoop at 16 years old because my parents just couldn’t afford it that is why I played basketball. It was free to play at the time on a school team, you can pretty much wear any pair of shoes to play. Courts were everywhere outside, I remember one time asking the neighbors if we could kindly use their basketball hoop. We made do with what we had.

In this article, I will recommend accessories that I feel are a must-have, convenient and an asset to your basketball game. Even if you feel these products are not for you, hopefully, I have shined some light on an item that you can further research an alternate product to meet your needs. I also kind of stretch some things in this article as an accessory, but feel that is an accessory to your game. I am basically trying to be as helpful as possible. At the end of this article, there is a simple shooting program I use to use to improve my shot so if you want you can skip to the end of the article. So here are the 10 Accessory products that I recommend.

 

#1 IC3 Basketball Shot Trainer

This is my number one item on the list as I’m a shooter who saved up his money to buy a portable basketball hoop. And most of the time I played basketball in my backyard doing shooting drills with no cement but on the grass. Had this thing been around for this price I would have saved up enough money and do odd jobs in my youth to get one of these.

Why Do I highly recommend it? This device will allow you to put up 500 shots in about an hour, which is a lot of reps for one hour. Volume shooting is the reason I became a great shooter, I would go out to my backyard first thing in the morning and try to make 250 shots before heading out to go play basketball at the local YMCA and then play for hours.

I would then come home eat dinner and then go back out when it was getting dark and try for another 250 makes. This pass back machine would have allowed me to shoot a thousand shots a day no problem. I was extremely committed then, most highschools have state of the art ball returners now. So if your school has one make use of it. If they don’t beg your parents to get you one or get it yourself.

 

#2 – Spalding Basketball Back-Atcha Ball Return 

This is one that you can do with or without, I purchased this one from a Walmart at the time for like 25 bucks. It does, in fact, return your ball, it just didn’t do a good job on my grass court, it was very slow returning the ball but faster than retrieving your own ball. It also made a lot of sounds clanging against the steel rim. It sounded like someone hitting the rim with a steel pipe. My adjustable rim wasn’t the best for this it didn’t quite support the pass back product and that’s why it made a lot of noise. I didn’t care about the noise, but it was my neighbors who I worried about shooting hoops at 10 pm at night and them trying to go to sleep to get ready for work tomorrow.

#3 Air Pump

A good air pump is a must, especially if you have cold winter months in your city. They are no bigger than 10 inches long and can hide in your backpack when you need it for a reasonably cheap price. There’s always someone who could use a pump at the basketball court. Some need it to release the air from an over-inflated basketball. That’s when you can unscrew the needle and stick it into the air valve and release some air. This air pump by Franklin Sports as a gauge so you can get the exact air you need, along with a flexible hose and needles. It will easily fit in your backpack without taking up to much space. The best part is the cost, it is very inexpensive and will last a lifetime.

#4 – Back Pack/Bag

I have already in recent articles recommended backpacks and duffle bags but if I had to recommend one it would be this one by Hard Work Sports. It is cost-efficient and gets the job done. It has a spot for your basketball and your without sacrificing any space for your other accessories or gear. It has a lifetime guarantee, people have reported the company honors their lifetime warranty. It has positive reviews, which is a plus.

 

# 5 – Compression Shorts 

I wear these all the time when I play, I have had a few hamstring and quad injuries over the years, it usually did to the fact that I wasn’t warmed up properly. I do feel the shorts do help you warm up better and help keep everything tight and together. They have a placebo effect that makes you feel like the compression shorts help you run faster, try it yourself. These shorts are very comfortable to play in and are very durable. I recommend the ISNOWOOD brand from Amazon. You get a 3 pack for a great price, check them out. An alternate brand by TLCXM Pro Combat Shorts is another good choice with lots of positive reviews.

 

#6Water Bottle

A good water bottle is important, Athletes don’t get nearly enough water myself included, we get distracted by life in general and forget. Your Pee should be clear not yellow, (unless you are taking a multivitamin that’s a different story) that it is a good indication that you’re getting enough water intake.

It sucks having to go to the bathroom every half hour but being properly hydrated is a must if you want to reach peak performance on the basketball court. I stress that if you buy a more expensive water bottle you may be more inclined to drinking water more regularly. Not being properly hydrated can reduce energy output in muscles by up to 30%, think about it, should be a no brainer.

This one by Under Armour Is a great choice and is BPA Free. It holds 64 ounces of fluids and keeps liquids cold for up to 12 hours, there are many colors to choose from so you can match your school or team colors. This is more of a Water Jug then a bottle.

If that one is too big, you can take a look at the 20oz, 25ox, or 32oz bottles by CamelBak.

 

#7 – Basketballs

The best basketball I have ever played with and continue to play with is the Wilson Evolution. As a shooter, this ball feels really good on your hands while releasing the shot, to me its a difference-maker. Make sure if you decide to pick up this ball or any ball to get a 29.5″ official size ball. If you’re a female you will want to get the 28.5″ size. This is an indoor ball, I advise not playing with it outside, because you will wear out the leather pretty quickly.

A great outdoor basketball that I recommend is the NBA Street Basketball  It has a ton of reviews and cost-effective providing good grip and control that you would need on any outdoor court.

 

# 8 – Basketball Partner/Buddy

I guess I’m stretching the partner thing as being an accessory. But having a friend who has similar interests and goals is actually a really good thing. You guys can train together compete against each other, Workout out together both in the weight room and on the court. Your partner can pass you the ball as you put in work with drills and shooting practice. Your partner will help you push yourself and you will do the same. I was lucky to have this before my senior year, We literally played ball every day that summer.

But here’s where your devotion to the game comes in or flakes off. Your partner may not be able to make it to the gym today. What do you do? I found myself sometimes not motivated to go. That is why you need to convince yourself that your playing basketball no matter if he shows up or not. Get the edge on him for taking a day off, and for yourself? Remember NO DAYS OFF!

 

#9 Sandals

I just received the most comfortable pair of Adidas Sandals that I could imagine as a gift from my wife. Wait what does this have to do with basketball? My feet hurt after playing a couple of hours of basketball, I hate putting on shoes after playing when my feet are hot and sweaty.

In comes, the sandals, the most comfortable sandals I have have ever worn made by Adidas. It feels like I have pillows on my feet, and I am walking out of the gym with less pain that’s for sure. They are called the Adidas Men’s Adilette Comfort Slide Sandal.

Check them out if you find a better sandal then these I want to know about it.

 

# 10 – A Training Program

This can be a workout plan it can be a shooting program, it can be both. you have to be able to analyze your own weaknesses, track and measure your progress so that you are improving and are not stagnant. Players who play at a high level are not just gifted with good genetics, but they have a will to want to get better and consistently work hard to do so.

The Vertical Jump Bible 2.0 by Kelly Baggett has been on the market for several years now, I highly recommend this program. When the first Vertical Jump Bible came out it was a the top of the vertical jump programs and its workouts and training principles can still be used to this date as it isn’t outdated.

I received really good results from Kelly’s programs and articles on his website, although the articles and program were from the mid-2000s when I was training, I was able to almost dunk from just touching the rim in about 6months training. Those are realistic gains, as I felt I was a pretty good jumper at 5 feet 9 inches tall. I actually have the email that I sent to him a long time ago about my progress and how well I was jumping using his programs and principles.

The best part of these programs is he doesn’t just have one program, it comes with a few. In the Vertical Jump Bible 2.0, he even gives you a road map to 40 inches with the use of multiple programs in succession, taking about a year or so. Are you guaranteed a 40 inch vertical? No one can guarantee it, work hard enough and you will be on your way. Vertical Jump Bible 2.0

 

Shooting Progam

I can not recommend a shooting program as I am not familiar with many on the market, but do know there are a lot of free ones on youtube and google. But I will give you a very easy beginner program that I have always used to shoot improve and practice my shot.

There are 5 spots you will shoot from. The left and right side of the baseline where the block is on the key. The left and right elbow and the middle of the hoop. For the first set, you will start in close and work your way back to the free-throw line, or 15 feet out. For the second set 15 feet out to the three-point line. You will record how many you made out of 25 shots. The idea is the next day when you practice again you want to beat yesterday’s record, it makes it challenging and super competitive for yourself.

Although this is only  250 shots, you could potentially do this two times a day if you feel, Making it 500 shots a day. There are endless options also for this type of program your second set doesn’t have to be 15 feet out to the three-point line it can be one-dribble pull-ups or step-backs whichever you chose. You can lower it down to 15 shots a spot, it is up to you.

I highly recommend having a partner or someone or something to return the ball to you, it will cut the time drastically down and conserve energy chasing the ball. Again I still did it on my own without any help, you can too.

 

SPOT  SET 1 SET 2
Left Block /25 /25
Right Block /25 /25
Left Elbow /25 /25
Right Elbow /25 /25
Middle /25 /25

 

In the future, I hope to be creating an ebook accompanied with an app for shooting workouts alike. Something that has not been seen on the market. more on that in future articles.

I hope you liked the article if you would like to see more shooting programs or have an idea for an article post a comment. If you want to talk basketball or are looking for ways to improve I can help you also with that, till next time.

 

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