Basketball for Dummies (Paperback)

by Richard Phelps (Author) "Outside of death, basketball may be the most nondiscriminating exercise known to humanity,..." (more)
Key Phrases: international hoops, pickup hoops, basketball shape, Notre Dame, Final Four, North Carolina (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Basketball for Dummies is another slam dunk in the Dummies series. Former Notre Dame head coach Digger Phelps begins with the fundamentals and quickly moves up court from there. By the final buzzer, you'll have pulled down pointers on how to play the game, how to look good on the court, how to coach it, how to watch it, how to strategize, and even how to talk trash on the playground. From H-O-R-S-E to Hoosier hysteria to the signature moves--Grant Hill's between-the-legs hesitation, Michael Jordan's fadaeway--of the greats of the NBA, Phelps has come up with a game plan that takes the game seriously, and teaches its nuances a helluva lot less painfully than running wind sprints between the foul lines. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
A must-have book for all basketball coaches and fans! -- Jeff Nix, Assistant Coach, New York Knicks

An entertaining and informative guide to basketball. -- Rick Barnes, Head Coach, The University of Texas

Invaluable to both basketball beginners and veterans. -- Chris Fowler, ESPN College Sports Studio Host

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764552481
• ISBN-13: 978-0764552489
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #98,519 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Uninformative about any technical details, November 16, 2003

By	Targo Tennisberg (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Basketball Book for Basketball Dummies like Myself!, April 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Basketball for Dummies (Paperback)

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!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bad Name... Great Book, August 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Basketball for Dummies (Paperback)

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.