Basketball Vs Soccer Which Is Best to Play? It May Shock You

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world with 3.5 billion people playing and much more others watching it. But professional basketball is becoming much more popular than ever it’s ever been and it’s nearly free to play the game. If you are on the fence as to what sport you should play then have you come to the right place.

Basketball versus hockey which one should you choose? Basketball and soccer are two sports that are polar opposites of each other, basketball your using your arms, and in soccer, you’re using your feet. Which are you naturally better at using when it comes to playing sports? When deciding which one to playlist your strengths and weaknesses. Which one are you more naturally talented at? It is much easier to play and enjoy a sport you are good at than bad at.

If you are here because you are unsure of what sport you should play then an easy way to decide is to break down the pros and cons of each sport and see which one best suits your need and physical capabilities.

 

 

Basketball Versus Soccer Comparison

High School Costs for Soccer and Basketball

Both basketball and soccer can be fairly inexpensive sports to play. Playing for your high school team can run you the cost of a pair of shoes and some shorts, along with paying a registration fee.

You can expect to pay up to 200 dollars to play either sport. Sometimes high school teams will travel outside the city for a tournament and it will require the player to pay for the trip and hotel along with some spending money.

The costs can be alleviated with a fundraiser such as selling coupon books or chocolate bars.

AAU Basketball Vs Club Soccer

If you plan on taking soccer or basketball seriously and want to be the best player you can be then it will cost you some money.

Playing AAU basketball is a must if you want to get to the next level. This is where you can be spending a lot of money.

Playing on an AAU team can run you anywhere from 400 to 4 thousand dollars. Sometimes not even including the trips you take to play in prestigious tournaments.

You may be offered financial support or a monthly payment plan but understand that basketball is not cheap playing at this level.

The better the AAU team you play on it is possible you will be spending a fair amount of money even with sponsors.

Club soccer can run you the same costs if you’re serious about competing in the sport at the next level.

Club teams can cost around 500 to 5000 dollars depending on how good your club team is. This will more often depend on the track record of the team and the coach’s accolade.

Sometimes these teams are sponsored by major companies which helps with free gear and funding the costs to play.

Keep in mind both sports are very similar in costs to play, and can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be.

 

Soccer Vs Basketball – Camps and Trainers

In either sport during your off time, you may be attending camps regularly to improve your game because you want to be the best player you can be so you can get noticed by scouts.

Camps can cost anywhere from 50 to 800 dollars depending on the type of camp a player may attend.

Soccer Camps in Europe can be even more expensive with top coaches instructing. There are some camps that are a few hours to a few days. Some of the camps that are a few days will provide room and board with meals included.

There are activities all day and you’re getting yourself a mini basketball or soccer vacation all while improving your game.

Basketball vs Soccer Trainers

Training with a coach (trainer) has become the norm if you want to improve in sports and play at the next level.

Athletes and parents are ready to shell out as much money in order to invest in their sons or daughters future.

I do believe it’s a must if your able to afford it and is something a player needs to do long term in order to reach their goals.

The costs will depend on how experienced and known the trainer is. This can range anywhere from 20 to 100 dollars a session, but I do believe depending on the trainer you can negotiate costs.

If you are a hard worker and motivated to improve you can find all the information you need and resources online.

Using the information is up to you, do not let lack of money become an obstacle to improving your game.

It does seem that both sports are very similar in each category when it comes to costs.

Something I didn’t mention is that some athletes will also invest in a fitness trainer to improve their athletic ability, focusing on strength power and speed.

Personal trainers can range from 50 to 100 dollars easily a session.

Seasonality

Nowadays no matter what sport you play, if you are serious about it your training really never endsand it’s year round.

In fact soccer or basketball is a year round sport now. Although there seasons fall at different times of the year, it is safe to say there are a lot of alternatives to continue to play the sport after your regular season is done.

High School basketball starts in the fall in Novemeber and will run you through the winter until March depending on the scheduling of the season.

After the post-season is done you are looking to play on a club team or AAU basketball.

Some AAU clubs run all year long and a lot of serious basketball players do not play high school basketball.

On top of high school basketball and AAU, you will sign up for basketball camps and one on one training practices.

The game of basketball for young players really does not have to end if you don’t want it to.

The high school soccer season starts in late August or early September and ends in November right before Soccer season begins.

Soccer is a fall sport that will pick back up in the spring with Spring leagues or indoor soccer leagues.

Like basketball, soccer can be a year-round sport with one on one training and soccer camps that players can attend. If money is not an obstacle the opportunities for both sports are endless.

 

 

Soccer and Basketball, Playing Both Sports?

Working in the education system, I have always recommended that athletes play all sports and not just one.

They not only may surprise themselves and excel at one over the other but overall it works on balancing their athletic ability.

By playing soccer it will keep you in shape and work on your footwork for basketball. You will be in top shape on the basketball court when you step on the court.

Soccer players are known to be good defenders on the basketball court, and if I had to pick a basketball vs a soccer player In a 100-meter race I’m taking the soccer player.

By playing basketball, it would also help develop your soccer skills. There is a lot of jumping involved in soccer to rebounding and blocking shots, I would imagine this would be excellent for soccer when jumping up to head the ball into the net.

In basketball using your butt to box out and fight for position for a rebound corelates very well on the soccer field when defending the ball from a player trying to steal it from you.

By playing in both sports you can get the best of both worlds, as they line up nicely with each sport played in different months of the year.

You may find that your favorite sport is soccer but you’re better at basketball.

If you decide that you feel your time is better well spent in one or the other you can make a choice as to which sport you would like to concentrate on.

Give yourself a chance and weigh the pros and cons and then make your decision, don’t make decisions based on emotion if you’re unsure about something, you might regret it later on.

 

Fun & Entertainment

If it isn’t fun then why bother? There are many reasons why athletes choose one sport of the other.

It could be most of their friends play it, it’s readily available, it costs less or the love of the game. Sometimes it’s not all fun and games.

How much fun would it be to play a sport that your not very good at and you only play because your friends are or your parents said you had to.

What about not seeing eye to eye with the coach and not seeing any playing time. When your not good at something or your heart’s not in it, it could make for a long season.

Nobody likes to play a game they’re not good at, but it is important to give it at least a shot and see if you like it.

In high school, I was a terrible volleyball player in my Junior Year, I only played because my friends did, and didn’t care about the sport.

I didn’t get any playing time and ended up quitting not giving it a fair shot. The following year I played again and told myself I would take a different approach by trying this time.

To my surprise things just clicked, I was pretty athletic and learned how to jump serve my first week in practice.

That gave me a ton of confidence and opened me up to the realization that I could play this sport.

I was starting to spike the ball pretty good and was playing a lot in games. I had a lot of fun playing that year and till this day it was by far the most fun I had on a team.

I have not played much volleyball since my high school days but will always remember the moments I had with the game.

 

What type of skills do you need in Soccer and Basketball?

As an athlete, you may find you are much better at soccer than basketball or vice versa. If one of these sports comes naturally to you it may be because you already have a really good skill set that the sport already requires you to excel at.

For example, if you are naturally tall but have good hand-eye coordination you are probably going to be better at basketball than soccer.

While if you have excellent footwork and are good at kicking a ball then shooting it then soccer will come naturally than basketball.

Here is a breakdown of skills listed in each category required for that sport. See if it matches up to how well you are at those skills and the sport.

Basketball

Height

Hand-eye coordination

Jumping

body Coordination

Strong upper body

Soccer

Speed

Good footwork

Spatial awareness

Stong lower body

Endurance

 

Success for a basketball player revolves much more on individual stats, many players will measure their performance on how many points they score.

This will really mess with your psyche as a player and can ruin your confidence especially if your one who is hard on themselves.

Missing easy shots and having bad games because you didn’t score enough can lead to poor performance. Although basketball is a team game, most players feel in order to be apart of the team they need to be productive in stats.

Soccer is much more of a team game with 11 players on the field, it may be measured on how many goals a player may score but not all positions are goal-scoring positions.

There isn’t a whole lot of goals in soccer to begin with. There are other ways to contribute to a team and feel as if you have had a good game.

Defenders especially, helping your goalie not let any goals in during a game will make you feel as if you had a very good game.

 

Basketball vs. Soccer Which would should you choose?

If I could go back in time and choose between soccer and basketball, my choice would have not been basketball.

Although I am grateful for the sport as a kid I loved soccer and was naturally very good at it. While the other kids in my grade were playing on teams, I couldn’t.

My family couldn’t afford to put me in soccer even though it was fairly a cheap sport to play, it wasn’t an option.

I was sort of forced to play basketball as I loved sports and this was free with a basketball hoop on every corner in my neighborhood.

For the amount of time and effort I put into basketball, it was extremely difficult for me to excel at. Just my body structure alone was better for soccer than basketball.

I stood 5 feet 9 inches tall not great for basketball but good for soccer along with these tree truck legs that I have and skinny upper body, I had the perfect soccer body to be honest. I was already better than 95 percent of my peers.

I struggled to play well in basketball for many years, and maintaining a consistent jump shot is a sport on its own.

My favorite sport at the time was soccer, not basketball and I definitely would have done things differently if I could.

I wouldn’t have quit basketball I just wouldn’t have focused on it as much as I would with soccer, if I was given the opportunity.

If you had to choose one which should you choose? This is an easy answer. I think it’s as easy as writing the pros and cons of each sport and seeing which one best suits you.

What you want out of each sport, friends, coaches, skill level and cost will all be deciding factors. Give it a try and see which one comes out ahead, it will be the one you will choose.