Developing the Post Player Mindset:
How to dominate inside the paint

Learn the art of playing in the paint

Playing down low is tough. Anyone that says basketball is a non-contact sport hasn't played the game, or hasn't watched it very closely.

Even within the rules, there is lots of bumping, showing, and pushing in the lane. That's just the way it is. If you're going to play down low in high school, college, or the pros, you have to not only understand that this is a big part of the game, but embrace it. Learn it. Become an expert at it. And enjoy it.

If you play in the post, you can't be afraid of contact. And you have to learn how to use your body (leverage, strength, positioning) to your advantage. Let's face it, post players are often the tallest, biggest, and strongest players on the court (not always, but most of the time). To be successful down low, you're going to have to be able to play against, and beat, these types of players.

But don't think you have to be the strongest player on the court to be successful down low. Strength is important in the paint, just like it is for any position. But there are lots of tricks you can learn that will help you dominate inside the lane.

Here are a few key tips for becoming a dominant post player:

Mindset
For starters, you have to have a mindset that you are going to dominate the paint. Sounds kind of basic, but it's a key part of being a successful post player. You have to think, and play, like you believe you're the best player on the court.

If you doubt yourself, or if you're scared that you're not going to do well, well guess what? You're probably going to play like your unsure and scared, and that's a recipe for disaster. You can't play scared in any position on the court, but especially down low. It's a tough game down there, and you have to be tough, and have the mindset of a warrior.

Positioning
The next thing to remember is that you aren't always going to be the tallest or strongest player on the court, so you have to use positioning to your advantage. Establishing position by using your lower body (and keeping your center of gravity low) is a key to being a good post player.

On defense: keep the offensive player off the block. Don't let him establish himself to close to the basket. Use your lower body (legs, hips, lower back) to keep the offensive player off-balance, and make them fight for good position. If you can keep them even a foot or two farther away from the basket than they want to be, you'll gain a huge advantage. A 6 or 7 foot turnaround turns into a 8 or 10 foot turnaround if you keep them away from the basket. And their shooting percentage will be much lower the further away from the basket you push them.

On offense: try to post up on the block. Don't let the defense push you away from the basket. Use your lower body, and low center of gravity, to establish a firm base to get, and hold, good position. If you establish good post position, your offensive game will be helped.

Quickness
Even though the post game is generally regarded as one of height and strength, quickness is a key part of dominating inside the paint. How so?

Quickness allows you to make quick post moves (drop steps, turnaround jumpers, up and under moves). Quickness allows you to get good rebounding position (if you're an offensive rebounder, you can make a quick move to the basket to get around a defender to get good rebounding position). Quickness allows you to pressure offensive players (if your opponent turns to face the basket and put the ball on the floor, or turns to shoot, you can cut the player off and jump to distract their shot).

Quickness is a key to success for every position on the floor, including in the post.

So, three key areas to dominating in the post are mindset, positioning, and quickness. Improve in these three areas, and your game will improve.