How to Become a Good Pointguard

In basketball, the point guard position is a key element of the team structure. He is often seen as a team leader and the one that directs placement of his teammates during a game. Not only does a point guard need to have the technical skills to help his team score points for wins, but he also must demonstrate an inordinate amount of patience, quick thinking and a professional demeanor.

Instructions

    • 1

      Study the playbook for your team. According to the Coaches Clipboard website, the point guard is an "extension of the coach on the floor," during a basketball game. Because of this, you should know the plays just as well as the coach, and assist your teammates in executing them during game play. Study both with a written playbook and through the viewing of game film to study what works and what might need to be tweaked.

    • 2

      Perfect your passing. The point guard is not necessarily the one to make the fancy dunks or score the most points; your primary job is to get the ball into the hands of other teammates that score. As a point guard, you should have a flawless passing ability; you should even be able to engage in no-look passes to throw the competition off-guard.

    • 3

      Practice maintaining momentum with the basketball. Keep it moving and avoid aimless dribbling or hesitation. As a point guard, you must be able to think on your feet; if you have to dribble the ball and figure out your next move, you are sitting duck for the competing team.

    • 4

      Set lofty goals for a low ratio of assists versus turnovers. According to the Kidz World website, this is a key component of being a successful point guard. You should be able to either pass the ball or sink it yourself without losing it to the other team. The ability to have more assists than turnovers is the hallmark of a good point guard and something that you should work on frequently during practice.

    • 5

      Pay attention to the skills of other team members. Since you are directing traffic on the court, it is important that you not only understand all of the other positions on the court, but also that you know each team members strengths and weaknesses. Pay attention to how other team members dribble, pass and shoot and use that information to form your decisions during a game.