Around the country schools are about to send their students home for 10-14 days during the holidays. For basketball players this means you are going to get extra opportunities to work on your game and make yourself better when you get back to school. Here are four basketball tips for Christmas break that will make you a better player.

A lot of players underestimate the power they have to make themselves better in just a short time. With school out there is an additional 6-7 hours per day to work. Great basketball players will utilize every minute to make themselves better.

About two months ago, we posted an article with five ways to prepare for the season (click here to read). Hopefully those helped. Now we give you four basketball tips for Christmas break.

Four basketball tips for Christmas break

Tip 1 – Use your extra time to get up a lot more shots

During the basketball season, especially at the high school level, practices are mostly aimed at working on team concepts.  Therefore the individual player must find the time to work on their individual skills. And there is no better time than during Christmas break when you have extra hours in the day.

When it comes to shooting, work on everything. Your jump shot, your free throws, shooting off the dribble, off of screens, even finishing at the rim. Use your extra time to perfect your shot. Ask a buddy to use a smart phone or video camera to film you shooting a free throw and a jump shot and then really take a look at it and see if everything looks good.

Want to understand the physics of shooting? Here’s a five minute video (start at about :30 in)

Tip 2 – Stay in shape (and get in better shape)

Why do some teams have double days during Christmas break? Reasons can vary but some coaches are scared that their players will lose their focus and not stay in shape.

Take advantage of your extra time. You don’t need to sleep an extra 4 hours per day during break. Use that time to not just stay in shape but to get in BETTER shape. Get your running in. Get in the weight room. Work on your flexibility and athleticism. If you are injured, use the extra time to rehab and get healthy. You can ALWAYS do something.

Tip 3 – Increase your basketball IQ

We got a great suggestion from Paul Rush, the head coach at Capital High School. He recommends watching a lot of basketball and specifically college players. And if you can get to a college game in person that’s even better.

Watch how they prepare before the game. See what they do when they miss a shot or how they react after a bad call. Ask yourself, “Was that a good or bad reaction?” and decide what you would do. Are they competing on every play or taking plays off? Do they work with their teammates and coach to make each other better?

By studying players at the next level you can really get a sense of how to take your game up a notch.

Tip 4 – Decide what 2015 is going to look like and how you will get there

As 2014 comes to a close, it is natural to reflect back on how the year went. But one great thing about basketball is that it may start in 2014 but it ends in 2015. Likely, you still have over half your high school season to play. And that means you still control how the season will go.

Did you turn the ball over too much in 2014 or not shoot a high enough percentage? Could you be more unselfish or work harder? Think about the things you need to improve in 2015 and work toward those improvements starting today.

Do you have a few great accomplishments in 2014 worth noting? If so that is great but figure out how you are going to do them even better in 2015.

Final thoughts

Christmas break is great for so many reasons. Often you get to see more family, eat some great food and hang out with friends. But Christmas break is also where great basketball players take advantage of extra opportunities to become better.