So, making basketball scenes...

Well, I've been working on a Na No Wri Mo project over the past few weeks, and I'm getting to a point where the heroine - as a member of the basketball team - goes to practice (and later, a b-ball game).

Problem is, I just realized that I know very little about basketball - or at least, how to write enough about it to make it seem vaguely realistic. Anyone with hoop dreams think they can help out?

If it helps, the heroine is the tallest member of the team, albeit a bit on the slow side (if that makes any sense in the context of the game).

I've played a few seasons of basketball at the local centre. What exactly do you need to know?

Just enough to make my scenes fairly realistic. Like, what's practice like (what exercises do you do, what activities, etc.), what's the coach like, what strategies do you use.

Nothing too spectacular. I just figure it'd be good to have a first-hand account of what goes in in practice/a game through the eyes of an actual player.

Let's see.

-I can't recall every excercise obviously but I remember a few. A common one was to simply lay out some markers and dribble the ball around them as fast as we could, to increase speed. Another was for two people to run at the hoop, passing the ball twice before shooting, to simulate getting past the defenders. Another was to run at the hoop, recieve the ball from the coach, before taking two steps, finishing with a jump and shot, which was called a 'lay up'. Beyond that, there was just some shooting, laps and some mock games, though I'm sure there are at least a few more activities I'm forgetting. Practice sessions for us were an hour long, which we secheduled each week at a local school, using their indoor court. It was pretty casual, lots of joking and talking from us guys, while the coach led us through the activities.

-The coaches can vary a lot. My first was actually from Europe, perhaps Germany. He had a bit of an accent, so understanding him was sometimes a bit hard when in the middle of the game. He was firm but a pretty nice guy overall, made us take practice seriously but alright for some fun. My second was more casual, and a bit inexperienced too, and could be a bit grouchy if the game wasn't going well. Less physical than the first guy, a bit overweight really. There's a lot of variety though.

-For strategies there are a few things to know. There are two defensive formations. Zone and Man-to-Man. Zone involves surrounding our hoop in pre determined positions, one under the hoop, two more to either side, and two more further ahead. If you look at the markings on the court and see the triangles/cones around each hoop, that's basically an outline of where the five players stand when playing Zone. It's the easiest and simplest defensive tactic, and requires little energy. Man-to-Man basically means each player being matched to one on the other team, and pressuring/following them as much as possible. It's a little harder to pull off and requires more energy, but it can be worth it. On the offensive there is usually two people to bring up the ball, with the rest splitting off to either side of the hoop, hoping to either seize a gap and do a 'lay up' or seize a miss and cherry pick. Sometimes a player can act as a shield too, getting in between a defender and the one with the ball, giving them more space to take a shot or run in. There's also the standard triple threat. Basically whenever you get the ball, you have the opportunity to take a shot, start dribbling, or do two steps and try a 'lay up'

Sorry if that's poorly explained. There are probably some more technical terms than the ones I'm using, but those the basics I can recall. Feel free to ask more questions if you have any

Excellent. This is just what I needed! Thanks for the support, my Troper comrade!

So a heroine playing at Center, huh? Interesting.

Here's what I have in mind: A small timid guy who sucks at offense (i.e., he doesn't know that much about the game yet) but is pretty awesome on defense. The story revolves around him learning the offensive basics of the game (i.e., shooting, dribbling, etc.) as well as improving his defensive abilities (harassing the shooters, following the matchup around, taking charges from bigger players).

What do you think? What would be a suitable position for a beginner small guy hero with just as much potential as the big guy hero (such as PF Sakuragi)?

edited 9th Jun '12 4:08:57 AM by judasmartel

I don't think it's help with the team or characters so much as help with just what practices are like.

Yikesy mikesy...what's this thread doing back up? What's it been, a year and a half? Almost two?

Well, that aside, I appreciate the input. As you can probably guess, sports aren't exactly my area of expertise, so it's nice to know I can count on Tropers like you to fill me in. And maybe one of these days, I'll write a story centered around a spo-

(has a flashback to his first Little League game)

...Er, never mind. Anyway, thanks again.

• Sorry to resurrect this thread and hijack it from the OP, but I had this idea of a modern take to Slam Dunk. Like, the hero team and their opponents would be based on the post-Jordan era NBA teams.
• So what do you think would be the story about if the MC is any one of the following?
  • Point Guard (Tetsuya Kuroko's playing style fits the pass-first PG mold, but he's listed with no official playing position)
    • Pass-first Point Guard
    • Combo Guard
  • Shooting Guard / Swingman
  • Small Forward / Point Forward (I think Dear Boys and Ro-Kyu-Bu has these characters)
  • Dirk Nowitzki-style Forward-Center

I didn't include Power Forward because Hanamichi Sakuragi, the MC of Slam Dunk, plays that position, so I already know what the story looks like.

edited 17th Dec '12 7:23:31 AM by judasmartel

I was thinking that anime basketball's version of the Deimon Devil Bats would be modeled after the 2004 Detroit Pistons.

So what do you think?