Customer Reviews

Basketball For Dummies

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book hoping to get some insight into some technical issues that cause endless arguments between my buddies when we play (most often about whether a particular play involved a foul or not). If you have the same idea, forget about this book as it has next to no in-depth explanations for this kind of situations. For example, a defensive foul is defined as "a player engaging in illegal contact with an opponent". And this is it! There are no examples, no explanatory diagrams, nothing more. How's that for completely useless for you?
Or take this very common situation where you're watching a game on TV, then something quick happens that you don't quite follow, and the referee signals something. What exactly does the signal mean? The book has ZERO information on signals.
So what does the book contain?
- Hundreds of anecdotes, some of which make a good read but very few improve your understanding of the game.
- Very, very basic and shallow introduction to the game and the rules.
- Descriptions of playing strategies - this comes right after the introduction, leaving a big logical gap in your knowledge. If you are indeed a dummy about basketball (as the title suggests) then this part is too advanced for jumping right into it.
- Lots and lots of coaching suggestions and drills. Again, this would be a good idea but I'd assume that better knowledge of game rules would be a pre-requisite of successful coaching. And since the book is very sparse on the actual rules and jumps from very basic introduction straight to strategies and coaching, it leaves the latter parts hanging in the air.
Also, it has next to no information for practicing on your own, almost all the drills assume that you do it with many people.
- Lots of trivia on basketball history and players. Again, some of it is interesting but it doesn't improve your play or understanding of the game.
So all in all, the book was a disappointment. It might be useful if you're mostly interested in trivia but it doesn't help with anything substantial.

This book was so increadibly awesome I can't even begin. For the first fourteen years of my life, I had little to no interest in basketball whatsoever, but then in eighth grade a friend of mine made it his personal goal to convert me to basketballism. He succeded.

I still didn't know much about the game though, (I had to ask what a field goal was) and so I, being a basketball "dummy", bought this book. It had more in it than I think I wanted to know. It was awesome. The book explained everything so that someone like me who didn't know a thing about it could understand. They explain how to play the game, as well as how to watch it. They covered everything in offense, defense, etc. I learned about basic basketball plays such as the give-and-go, pick-and-roll, etc. In addition to teaching you about the game, it also explains how to do different shots and what the propper defensive stance is. I was looking for information like what a foul is, and it's all in there. Towards the back it gives some neat chapters such as "Ten NBA Greats" and "Top Ten Places to Watch a Basketball Game" and I was proud to see that the Delta Center was listed in there.

I learned just about everything I was wanting to know here. I would recommend it to ANYONE wanting to know ANYTHING about basketball!

Digger Phelps' attempt to write a book for the novice fan to player to budding coach is a success. "Basketball for Dummies" may be the title, however any hoop fan or coach will find its contents helpful and useful. Perhaps one of the best skills development sections in print. There's enough good basketball information in there that anyone can benefit from.

Don't be affraid to place this on your bookshelf.

I think that this is one of the best books on basketball ever.It was well written and easy to understand strategies. A coach,player and parent can find this book useful. With all the drills, helpful tips and personal experiences, you have to read this book if you are a basketball fan!

This book has alot of very helpful info on the game and the breakdown of the rules. The diagrams on plays should be easier to understand though, because most people can not follow on how the plays or drawn out or worded. I wanted a little more information on fouls and how they work..... there is not much a definiton and explanation of a defensive foul. But alltogether it is a great book and reference for the game of basketball.

I really was surprised at the depth of information in so many basketball topics in BBall for Dummies. It has something for everybody, in full-on detail, from game history, to rules, to playing strategies, to drills for youngsters.

As a fan, and a longtime high school basketball referee, Digger Phelps's personality shines through and makes reading this book a joy with unexpected jokes and stories.

I wish this was available when I was a kid - I'm a big fan of the format of the ... for Dummies book formulas. One can read from cover to cover, or view specific topics as a reference book.

For young players, new coaches, budding fans and just about everyone else this book is full of need to know basketball information.

Based on the limited rule coverage and lack of text and diagrams covering the differences between the various levels, I was tempted to give no more than three stars. However, the tips on how to improve your basketball play were worth five stars, so I averaged the two. It is not quite up to the caliber of other "for Dummies" books, but it is worth a read.

This is a flawed book in many ways. It claims to be written for people who know little about basketball, but there are too many diagrams of plays and tips for coaching. There also is too much information about statistics. Nowhere in this book do you find anything that conveys the sheer joy of watching two excellent teams battle it out for the conference championship. It also is a big mistake to put in so many Notre Dame references; couldn't Digger have asked some of his many coaching friends for anecdotes? (And what's with all the plugs for Bookstore Basketball?) The only Dummies here are the people who buy this book!

Really even a dummy could play basketball but who knows nowdays. This book covers everything in such a humoristic yet old fashioned way that even if you don't like basketball you'll still enjoy it. We use these books as references when doing reports and I like that the material is well written and concise yet easy to locate & crossreference so easily.

I'm one of those guys that has played some basketball way back in Jr. High, and have watched my fair share, but never felt that I really understood it to the level that I should. When my son began playing basketball at school, and this become available for me to read, I thought it would be the perfect primer to help me understand the "game within the game".

And y'know what, it does. There's some really solid information here about game history, game play, collegiate and pro tactics and strategies, background on the importance of recruiting for colleges, skill development and a whole lot more, including "format" differences at different levels of play (High School, College, Pro, WNBA).

But reading it is an absolute chore. At least for me.

Why?

Because if you've ever bought anything from the "Dummies" line of books, you know that they take a certain "funny" tone. Or more often, they try to be funny, and they usually fail. This book is full of that - to the point that it's like you're trying to have a conversation with someone that keeps making jokes and "funny asides", rather than FOCUSING. Also, while Digger Phelps is credited as the Author, it sure seems to me that the "co-authors" probably had a few conversations with him and then tried to capture his style.

Overall? The book is good, but the tone is just inauthentic. If you like the Dummies books and love their "funny" tone, great, you'll love it. If you don't, you'll probably lose patience with it, just as I did.