7 Tips On Playing Basketball Outside

Basketball is an amazing sport, it’s becoming more and more popular every year. The beauty of this game is there aren’t too many sports worldwide where you can go to a court and get a game going of 1 v1 to 5 v5 and play for hours. Basketball is probably the cheapest sport also. I played basketball because I couldn’t afford to play soccer or baseball as my family needed the money for other expenses.

Playing basketball outside was a childhood game/sport that I remember most about when I was young. In this article, we are going to discuss 7 tips on playing basketball outdoors, there’s actually more than 7. There are 7 sections with multiple tips in each section. I can assure you, you will get something out of this writing that you can apply to your game right away.

If you want to skip to the best basketball gear on Amazon click here to see the affordable pricing.

1 – Indoor Basketball Shoes vs Outdoor Basketball Shoes

There are a lot of differences between Indoor and Outdoor shoes that we are going to discuss, I do not recommend playing with your indoor shoes outside and vice versa.

You mean they Actually make outdoor basketball shoes? YUP!

There is a noticeable difference in the shoe when you compare the two (Indoor vs Outdoor). You can guess sole, and grip play a major role in outdoor shoes. If you wore your outdoor shoes outside you would easily in a week of playing ball wear out the grip out on the shoe. Indoor shoes are more designed for comfort and to be lightweight. Many people love a light shoe like myself, I usually wear a low cut playing indoors, the reason why is I have worn Kobes for the last 10 years and they are the most comfortable shoe for me.

So what are the differences?

The outdoor basketball shoe’s sole is always made from hard rubber and its pretty thick to compensate for grip and balance so you don’t slide and fall to the ground. So it’s obvious that shoe companies would focus on traction, and also it’s going to be a heavier shoe because of the material used. There is usually more material to support the shoe wearer to prevent injury and the best possible comfort without sacrificing traction in the shoe.

An indoor basketball shoe is a lot lighter and focuses on comfort, style, and weight more so then traction. The sole is made of rubber but it’s much softer than the hard sole from an outdoor shoe. An indoor shoe design may also not focus on breathability as much as an outdoor shoe due to the weather conditions outdoors. The outdoor shoe would be made of leather and mesh fabrics that are breathable for the feet.

The size of the rubber sole or the shoe, in general, is going to be larger than an indoor shoe for a couple of reasons. Due to the unstable grip of the court such as asphalt and cement, the rubber sole being bigger will allow you to control balance and movements. An indoor shoe will concentrate its efforts on how light the shoe is which would be a smaller rubber sole.

Now the grip treads on the shoe are different also, usually bigger and thicker tracks on the bottom of the shoe. Think of a truck tire compared to a car tire or in this case an indoor shoe. Outdoor shoes will have more cushioning than an indoor shoe as the ground is hard. If you feel you can use more cushion you can always add more cushion over top of your current insole, one that can be placed over the existing insole and mold to it.

In regards to durability, you would expect that outdoor shoes to last longer than indoor shoes but this is just not the case with the rugged terrain you may play on, such as the sun, rain, etc. Including the movements of running and jumping on that hard asphalt, it’s going to wear out your shoes quicker then an indoor shoe would on an indoor court.

So which one to buy? Well if your playing on a court that has a soft surface like some rubber courts have outdoors, I think you will be ok wearing an old indoor pair or a new pair. Definitely, rethink using your new pair outdoors. I do not recommend indoor shoes on concrete or asphalt as they won’t last very long at all. Your better off wearing another shoe if those are your only pair. Look around online and there are other articles on google as to which shoes to buy for outdoor basketball, even if you’re just playing on your net in your backyard and doing some adjustable rim dunking, you will prolong the life of your indoor shoes. Here’s a video linking the top 10 outdoor shoes, this isn’t my video but I thought it was helpful.

Top 10 Outdoor Basketball Shoes

2 – Clothing and Accessories

Clothing can make a difference in keeping you cool, comfortable and prevent you from overheating. Dry fit has been popular on the market for many years now and basically works on taking the sweat off your body and on to the dry-fit shirt drying as quickly as possible keeping you comfortable and dry while playing.

We all have worn cut off t-shirts that don’t dry well and then it ends up feeling like you weigh a couple of pounds more on a hot day. You can bring an extra shirt, a towel or just play naked (without a shirt that is). You don’t have to buy expensive gear either there’s plenty of affordable dry-fit clothing on the market.

Backpacks

A good bag can be really useful, I like the basketball bags that have a compartment that holds the ball. It’s a good idea to not have a loose ball sitting on the side when your playing in a pickup game. The number of times I had to buy a new ball because it was stolen and or I lost it would easily amount to a couple of pairs of basketball kicks.

Heres a couple of backpacks I recommend:

Hard Work Sports Basketball Backpack By Hard Work Sports	Check Price
Laptop Sports Back Pack Made by Kolako	Check Price
Under Armour Undeniable Duffle 3.0 Gym Bag	Check Price

These backpacks have a ton of positive reviews, they come in different colors and are great for back to school also while being cost-effective. Great to put a water bottle and all sorts of basketball-related stuff, whether you are playing indoor or outdoor.

3 – Outdoor Basketball Hoops

Not all basketball hoops are the same, many players don’t know this. You can tell just by taking a few shots on different rims. If a rim has been worn down through many years of shoots and dunks, the screws become loose and the rim allows will soften the bounce from the basketball making it more forgiving around the rim and then fall through the net.

Shooting on outdoor hoops can be a challenge, you have the weather to contend with (more on that later) you also have the double rim that is so stiff that it doesn’t allow any room for mistakes or errors when you shoot. In my opinion, if you can play outdoors and dominate, playing basketball indoors will feel easy. Playing basketball outdoors is a grind especially shooting on rims that have an unforgiving backboard and rim.

As a basketball player, I always liked shooting on the hardest unforgiving rims, as I always felt that if I could shoot really well on double rims etc. It would be so much easier shooting on any other rim. I actually never liked shooting on easy rims while I practiced my shot. During games, of course, I wanted to play on the easier rim so I can win. If you believe all rims are the same then I would tell you to go work on your shot. Good shooters know they are not and they adjust.

The other challenge for some outdoor rims is that they are bent down at the front of the rim a couple of inches. Making the non-shooters believe they can shoot because they have a slight advantage as they can see more of the rim and adjust better as long as they are not shooting on the sides of the rim because that spot along baseline is harder. So your best bet is to get more shots down the middle and lay it up softer when you drive to the hole. Balls fly out more on a bent rim as they hit the backboard. On a non-bent rim, the front of the rim catches the ball into the hoop after hitting it.

4- Weather

Depending on what part of the country you play outdoor basketball you may have nice weather all year round. These next few tips are things that are always overlooked but need mentioning. Heatstroke is a very serious threat no matter what color you are it is one of the 3 leading causes of sudden death in sports activities outdoors, especially when playing basketball for hours at a time because we are running the court for the last two hours and no one has figured out the puzzle to beat us.

I won’t give the boring stuff but I will give you one tip, besides drink lots of water, get some shade and take breaks when you need it. The one tip is this when it comes to very hot days and your out in the sun you want to cover the neck or keep it cool by applying water on it while you are playing or not. The neck is responsible for a very large part of overheating when it is very hot out. Somewhere in the 40 to 60 percent range. Try it next time let me know what you think.

There have also been studies done that have suggested to take an ice bath to lower your body temperature before going into the heat. The study pretty much is suggesting your body will take a lot longer to overheat then it would when under normal circumstances. Some things to Keep in mind if you’re taking a hot shower just before you leave the house or before playing basketball your body temperature is already rising due to the hot water. You may want to save your showers for the end of the day before bed, then to jump start overheating process.

Windy Weather

Sometimes when you’re playing outdoors you have to deal with the wind forcing you to adjust your shot or shot in a way that sways the ball straight at the rim which might mean aiming to the left of the rim just a little. When It gets too windy, good luck trying to shoot at all, the game is likely to be a battle of fast breaks and driving to the basket. This is where injuries increase driving to the hoop when the team knows what you’re going to do and they counter by trying to block every shot. Some Tips:

Use floaters, as it will feel like everyone on defense is collapsing and not allowing you to go to the hole. This could also mean a running layup. These type of shots are good in windy conditions as it allows you to shoot in a way that isn’t high in the air allowing the wind to alter your shot, but perfect shot for piercing through the air.

Use the backboard if you decide to shoot like Tim Duncan and get at a good angle when doing so. Shooting and using the backboard when it is too windy to shoot a normal shot allows you to shot the shot with a low arc and a more direct shot. The ball will pierce through the wind and it’s more than likely it will be less affected on the way to the hoop.

Slight Wind adjusts accordingly if the wind is pushing to the right then aim a little to the left if its coming right at you drive to the hoop use floaters and the backboard when shooting. If it’s with you ease up when you shoot just a little as the ball will be carried to the hoop by the wind.

Rain And Wet Surfaces

Sometimes it starts to rain while playing and the court gets slippery and wet and making it a challenge to stay on your feet. Hopefully, you have those outdoor basketball shoes we talked about earlier in the article to help with traction and wet surfaces, or just a pair in general with good traction. Playing on wet surfaces is dangerous even with a good pair of shoes, the likely hood of a hamstring pull a knee injury is greater when the body is out of control and doesn’t have the traction on the feet to maintain stability. Think of a car going too fast with balding tires in similar conditions, it’s more than likely to crash then take its course.

5 – Basketballs

Not all basketballs are made for outdoor courts or outside. If you have ever used an indoor leather basketball outdoor, the grip on the ball won’t last more than a couple of days. I was blown away when we brought out a leather ball we took from or highschool gym and played American 21 and a couple of hours later the ball looked as if it was 20 years old. The concrete is an unforgiving surface and generally, outdoor basketballs don’t last as long as indoor basketballs. Let alone an indoor basketball played on concrete.

Currently, I play with a Spalding Fushsion Basketball that has a pump that you twist and pulls out of the ball, I bought it at a garage sale for 2 bucks, I’m pretty sure they don’t sell them anymore. It still has good grip after playing with it for a couple of years, and like most outdoor basketballs that are not 100 percent rubber, it has some weight to it.

What To Look For In An Outdoor Basketballs?

Grip and feel are obviously important, I get not everyone wants to play with a ball with no grip like I do (I’ll get to that later). Obviously, you want it to last, I recommend The Spalding never flat. It is said to last 10 times longer than any outdoor ball. Some people have reported that to be true as they have left the ball all winter in their garage and the ball never deflated. If the ball, gets wet from being left out in the rain, it may absorb the water and take a couple of days to dry due to the material and technology used. Here you could find a link on Amazon to the ball. Spalding Never Flat.

If you are looking for something more cost-effective for your budget then I highly recommend the Spalding NBA Street Basketball that costs $10.99 plus shipping and has a ton of reviews mostly all positive.

Heres a tip to prolong your basketball outdoors, don’t allow your ball to be used in pickup games if you want to prolong the life of it. Usually, the ball is used even if you’re not playing. It’s a bit selfish and frugal but you can bet that it will have longer-lasting grip when you are using it to work on shooting and dribbling outside.

If you can care less like I do I actually liked using crappy balls with no grip and are hard to dribble within reason. Do you know why? you guessed it, just like shooting I always believed the harder it is the better and faster I can improve my skills. I don’t want to get off topic but, I use to play at the YMCA all summer and we used a court that was half a school gym that ran 4 on 4 and one of the corners of the court had a track overlapping on the second floor, so you couldn’t shoot at that corner. It was hard to do anything, playing defense was easy cause there was no room for the offense which meant your offense had little room for mistakes. I improved my game at such a quick rate playing in that gym trying to hold court against some of the best in the city. Small courts, hard to shoot on rims and terrible basketballs help me improve immensely.

Just remember outdoor basketballs don’t last very long, and if you’re like me go with a budget ball that you think you may lose at the court because you get sidetrack from all the games your winning.

6 – Portable Basketball Hoops/Playing On Grass

If you’re thinking about buying one of these but have nowhere to put it and have a backyard with no cement pad and Putting it on the street is out of the question. Consider putting one in your backyard on the lawn, especially if you can get one for cheap off Craiglist.

Wait…Why would I want to put a basketball hoop on the grass? If your parents don’t care about the grass in the backyard, then you can work on drills. Yes, it’s obvious you may not be able to dribble that well, but you can have a hoop to shoot 500 shots a day as I did in my backyard during the offseason. Sound Stupid, Yes I know. But do not do what everyone else is doing to improve their game.

You really have to push yourself out of the norm and be obsessed about getting better. You play basketball all day and you come home for dinner to eat and then go to the back yard and shoot 500 shots, repetition is one factor that can lead to success. I bet if you followed that simple recipe your game will drastically improve over the summer.

7 – Outdoor Basketball Court Types

The different types of courts can have a long term impact on your joints and body, especially the older you become you start to feel those aches and pains a lot more than when you were younger. So what is the difference between asphalt, concrete, and cement? For a construction worker, it’s materials, but for a basketball player, there is no difference they are all hard.

I really suggest you get some soft insoles for your shoes for outdoor basketball this is going to help with the hard surface to prevent terrible joint pain and shin splints. It will make a huge difference, you simply place the soft insole over your existing insole in your shoes. Think of it as a pillow for your shoes.

One’s I have used and still have them are The Dr.Scholls Double Air-pillow.

Some other things to consider if you like your body is diving for loose balls. Sometimes we get stuck in the moment and try to win a game, and were playing hard defense and decide that we are going to dive for a loose ball by instinct. Be careful, the last thing you want to do is dive for a loose ball and be out for a couple of weeks because of a bruised or broken bone. Make sure you take some bandages and tape in your backpack with you just in case.

This concludes the article please leave a comment and let me know what type of basketball you are using right now for playing outdoors. Be sure to lookout for part two coming soon, check back regularly.