A guy I play with at the gym said he got infinitely better playing in the hood...

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Does that actually work? He said he developed his sick post moves because he had to play 6 feet guys who were way more athletic than him. He destroys competition at our gym despite being a quite heavy guy at 6'1''.

I never played ball in bad areas but I have thought of playing a few times in East Harlem courts.

[waseem780]

playing in the hood usually means playing everyday which leads to being better , and yes its most likely guys in the hood are more athletic since they aint sittin around on the laptop all day so theres that.

[NumberSix]

"the hood"

[9erempiree]

Yes, playing basketball in the neighborhood will make him a better basketball player than just sitting behind a computer.

[RoseCity07]

Depends. I've played at some courts where so called "hood" guys do nothing but cheat and call travel and carry on people with good moves.

[ace23]

[Real14]

I advise you not to play in tha REAL hood tho, when shit goes down you definitely don't wanna be around.

[Akrazotile]

A guy I play with at the gym

Yes homo on this?

[GimmeThat]

locate a new area.

deal with strangers.


develop your tangibles/intangibles.




nope, you can only get finitely better.

[Joshumitsu]

Yeah, it's the equivalent of Goku training in 10x gravity.

[nathanjizzle]

yes, playing in the hood makes you better. mentally and physically.

[andgar923]

It's a different mentality.

The game becomes more personal and in turn goes from a competitive game to a personal challenge.

On top of that the creativity is beyond that of outer regions.

Put it this way.... An average player from the "hood" will usually be the best outside of it.

[ImKobe]

It's a different mentality.

The game becomes more personal and in turn goes from a competitive game to a personal challenge.

On top of that the creativity is beyond that of outer regions.

Put it this way.... An average player from the "hood" will usually be the best outside of it.

I don't believe this. I think there are many players from the hood that are a lot better than your regular suburban kids (Derozan, Jennings, Artest, Rodman, AI for example), but they often have poor shooting technique and have problems with playing within the rules because a) they might not have a place to learn the rules from or b) they are used to playing with heavy contact, which in most leagues can be hard to adapt to (offensive fouls, loose ball fouls, over the back fouls).

But their defense in most cases is a lot better, as they are not afraid to give you elbows and play you up close every time down the court, getting in your head and what not.

I think it goes both ways really.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

I don't believe this. I think there are many players from the hood that are a lot better than your regular suburban kids (Derozan, Jennings, Artest, Rodman, AI for example), but they often have poor shooting technique and have problems with playing within the rules because a) they might not have a place to learn the rules from or b) they are used to playing with heavy contact, which in most leagues can be hard to adapt to (offensive fouls, loose ball fouls, over the back fouls).

But their defense in most cases is a lot better, as they are not afraid to give you elbows and play you up close every time down the court, getting in your head and what not.

I think it goes both ways really.

I do agree that kids from the "hood" tend to be streaky shooters but also the only guys at the gym who dunks on you "in game." I got posterized once and got up with a bloody nose b/c the guy's knee hit me in the nose lol...

[Rake2204]

Put it this way.... An average player from the "hood" will usually be the best outside of it.

I respectfully disagree with this statement. For starters, I believe it depends upon what we're all referring to as "hood". Once we establish that, I think we could move on from there. If hood is in reference to inner cities, then I do believe there can be some benefit for rural players to participate in those regions.

Generally speaking, I think it's good for all players to get out and experience other regions of basketball, especially if one finds themselves to be from an area where basketball is played amongst a select few with moderate skill. If one travels to an area with a higher concentration of people, particularly those with both access and a willingness to participate in basketball on a very consistent basis, I believe that can lead to a higher level of competition and thus may push a player to achieve at a more advanced level in response. Sounds like common sense, no?

In my personal experiences, both as a player and a coach, I've witnessed the perils of suburban players sheltering themselves from the outside basketball world. They're the hoops equivalent of Rod & Todd Flanders. The danger for basketball community that does not venture outward is they only have themselves to compare or strive toward.

In sheltered environments, certain instincts and tendencies are collectively learned and ingrained. Some of those tendencies are great (ex: my brother's teams always stressed left-handed competency) while others may go on to limit a player's ceiling in the future. A strong example of the latter, in my area, is defensive aggressiveness. Peer pressure and collective acceptance has led nearly the entire school I work with to play defense pretty hard, but completely hands-off and with very little physicality. Even a small amount of over-aggression is almost always met with collective derision. I've heard some high-level players acknowledge the legality of certain types of defense but reasoning, "That's playing a little too hard though."

In the particular instance above, I believe making a habit of playing in areas that may expose these players and help them recognize that hard, aggressive, and swarming defense is huge part of basketball, may better help them prepare to succeed during the season. That could come from an urban environment, or elsewhere. Regardless, one must step out of the bubble.

I do agree that kids from the "hood" tend to be streaky shooters but also the only guys at the gym who dunks on you "in game." I got posterized once and got up with a bloody nose b/c the guy's knee hit me in the nose lol...

Not to be that guy, but I think there's a lot of generalizations here.