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How to play basketball quietly? | It’s Possible

As a kid, I loved playing sports, especially basketball. But sometimes I didn’t have a place to play, so I would dribble around in my basement until my parents couldn’t stand the loud bouncing of the ball, it was seemed impossible to dribble quietly. Playing inside my house wasn’t much of an option. Not only was it loud but there just wasn’t enough room.

How do you play basketball quietly? For players who love the game of basketball, playing it quietly is a difficult task, but you do have options. Dribbling a tennis ball, a mat or piece of carpet to dribble on, and non-dribbling ball handling drills are just a few options to help you play quietly without annoying your parents or neighbors. This is a guide with many options that will help you play basketball much more quietly whether it’s dribbling inside your house or outside there are options.

If playing inside your own house is an issue due to noise and playing outside annoys your neighbors, you may feel as if you have no choice and decide that it’s hopeless. Don’t sweat it is possible.

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Lower the Noise While Playing Basketball With these Options

Low noise, no noise, quieter noise is this even possible? Playing basketball with no noise is probably not going to happen, there will always be a little noise no matter what remedy you try.

Except for maybe one product on the market might make it possible. Don’t worry I am not affiliated with it. More on that later.

So Just how can you keep up with the competition if there’s nowhere to play? You want to stay ahead of the competition by doing drills at home or even playing by yourself.

Sometimes it can be difficult if you don’t have a place to play but at least you have a basketball.

What are your options to get better? If you live in an apartment complex or a house in which your parents are always yelling at you to stop dribbling the basketball, your running out of options.

A lot of aspiring basketball players want to improve their game off the court but sometimes can’t find a place to do so.

With the huge amount of resources online at a player’s fingertips, the only thing missing for most players is a place to practice.

The problem may be space and noise. What are your options? Let’s take a look. ( Please read all of the options, there are some good suggestions here).

Before we get started I would like to point out the question of playing basketball quieter or working on your handles inside the house with no noise comes up a lot by basketball players.

Everything we will talk about can be utilized indoors, outdoors and even in your garage to create the lowest possible volume when dribbling the basketball.

Dribble a Tennis Ball or Hand Ball 

If dribbling a basketball is too loud in your basement or apartment, you can always try a tennis ball or even a handball, it has less noise and is more difficult to do so.

This will challenge you while also working on your hand-eye coordination catching and dribbling the ball.

This is actually something Magic Johnson used to do as a kid, and we all know how successful he became being a 6 foot 9 point guard.

Magic would take a tennis ball everywhere he went. Such an easy way to work on your basketball game.

Some basketball players think that this will affect their dribbling but I disagree, as long as you are playing basketball and not just playing with a tennis ball months at a time, your good, don’t overthink it.

Dribbling on Carpet or a Pad

As a homeowner, In my basement, I have thick shaggy carpet. Every so often my nephew comes over and goes downstairs.

I can hear him dribbling the basketball on our carpet, the noise isn’t overbearing. But it is definitely quieter than when he dribbles in my tiled laundry room.

My suggestion is to get a square piece of shaggy carpet if you don’t already have and see if that helps, hopefully, you can find a piece laying around so you don’t go out and buy one.

This may not be the solution that works for you, there will still be sound when you dribble. But it will not be as bad but could create a quieter dribble.

I think a good product that should be on the market would be some sort of dribble pad that alleviates all the noise and pounding from dribbling a basketball on it.

We can fly planes, go to the moon, and have tag-less shirts, we should easily have a silent dribble pad.

No Dribble Ball Handling Drills Are Quiet

If you have no other option to dribble the basketball at your house or apartment at all and you can’t get ahold of the Dribble Dream device, there is still one option.

That is to do ball handling drills without dribbling the basketball, there are many drills that you can do and create a workout with.

Having a better feel for the ball is going to help you catch, shoot and dribble the ball better.

Here is a routine you can do, don’t let this stop you, you can create your own variations and workouts also.

 

 

Quiet Basketball Solution?

I am honestly surprised that no one has come out with a silent basketball solution. I know a lot of kids and teenagers that wish they could have a much quieter basketball so they can dribble it indoors and not bother their parents with the noise.

While also playing outdoors and not annoying their neighbors.

A volleyball is made up of soft materials and makes less noise but the problem is a volleyball is much smaller than a basketball.

Using a volleyball to dribble is not the worse idea, it’s not the greatest one either.

To buy a volleyball just to practice basketball drills is a poor idea, plus it still makes noise.

Shooting a volleyball is much harder and I don’t recommend it, the volleyball is smaller and much lighter and can throw off your shooting mechanics if you are shooting a massive amount of reps.

So if anyone is reading this and like my idea by all means create a silent basketball for players across the world, there is more of a demand than you think.

Right now a leather basketball is going to be the quietest choice when it comes to dribbling a Men’s or Women’s basketball.

Again the basketball still makes a lot of noise, and this isn’t a basketball you will want to play with outside. In a matter of a week, it will wear out the leather if you are dribbling it on concrete surfaces.

It will be a waste of 60 to 100 dollars.

Dribble Dream Device A Must Have

If you have been looking and are desperate for a better alternative than the ones I have mentioned, there is something on the market that will solve your dribbling problems indoor and even outdoor.

The device is called the Dribble Dream. It’s a solution for dribbling indoors without any noise, silent bouncing.

Your parents will love you for it. It is in the shape of a T, and obviously, you are restricted to stationary dribbling.

But it really is better than nothing. Think of it as dribbling against a trampoline.

It is very quiet, you could dribble whenever you want while watching a game or first thing in the morning, and then when you’re done you can put it underneath your bed as it folds up very nicely and takes up minimal space.

If I were younger I would definitely try to purchase one, but right now they are all sold out so you have to pre-order.

So if you interested click the link and pre-order one. If your a parent this is a great gift for your aspiring basketball family member. It really is the best option for no noise basketball.

An option for outside noise on your own basketball hoop is to put the device directly underneath the basketball hoop.

When the ball goes in and it will bounce off the Dribble Dream device giving you enough time to catch with a brisk walk.

Click Here! To Check Out The Dribble Dream

Solutions For playing basketball Quietly Outside 

If you have pesky neighbors who are always giving you dirty looks as they are cleaning their flower bed while your outside playing basketball then I present to you these options.

The first is playing during a time where it’s most acceptable and they are least likely to complain, maybe they work or go out a certain time of the day. Pick that time to play every day.

The second option is to put a rubber mat such as the ones they use in workout rooms and place it directly underneath the basketball hoop.

This will drown out some of the noise, as a basketball can be heard inside your neighbor’s house even if the windows are closed.

I know because I live across from a kid who likes to play, but I enjoy the bouncing basketball.

The third option is to tighten any loose bolts on your basketball hoop that may be causing more noise than it is supposed to.

When there are loose bolts, as a basketball hits the rim or backboard it creates more sound because of the rattling of metal and bolts.

If you are able to tighten or even replace screws that are loose or are no longer there, that will help with playing basketball much quieter.

The fourth option is what I use to do when I played basketball a lot during my teenage years.

If your basketball hoop is moveable or is known as a portable basketball hoop, place it in a different location or on the grass.

I bought a basketball hoop not even thinking how much noise it made and how loud the ball echoed into the atmosphere.

I know this annoyed the neighbors as they would close the windows when I was outside playing. I eventually moved it onto the grass and it was the best decision for two reasons.

1 – I didn’t have to worry about the noise. The basketball hitting the ground had a very low noise level.

2 – I played in the late hours of the night and my neighbor’s bedroom window overlooked my backyard and I had no complaints because of how low the noise was. When the basketball hit the ground it was silent.

I had soft grass up until it all died out from playing, my parents were not to happy about that, so ask for permission.