by Emily Stiemsma, on Jan 6, 2021 11:52:58 AM
Choosing the right at-home basketball training solution for you may seem like a tall task. There are many options that range greatly based on price and functionality. But there are a few key features you'll want to pay attention to when choosing the right fit for you and your situation.
Check out the 5 main features we recommend you pay attention to when making a decision on a basketball shooting machine for your home. This will help you narrow down the things you care about and could go without, and ultimately find the best fit for you.
If you're looking for more help, be sure to check out our popular Basketball Shooting Machine Buyers Guide post, which will help you know other things to consider when buying.
Portability and Weight
An important thing as a home-user to consider is a product's portability and weight. Would you ever bring this item to a park, want to load it into the car, or want your young child to set this up on their own? Take note of the size and weight of your options.
A training solution like the Dr. Dish iC3 is only 35 lbs and easily fits in the trunk of a car but may require adult assistance to be set up on the rim (due to height of rim and strength of player). However, due to the fact that there are no mechanical components, the iC3 can be left up on the rim when not in use.
The Dr. Dish Home (and all of our machines) fit through a standard doorway and are compatible with our all-terrain cart to make transportation on uneven ground easy. This is not the same for all automatic shooting machines, so check your space and what you can accommodate.
One last thing to note is portability will be impacted if power is required, which is the case for some shot rebounders - but not all (like the iC3).
Check out two videos below that showcase the two products being transported and set up.
Number of Basketballs Used When Training
Next up, be sure to pay attention to the number of basketballs used when training on the product. This is often overlooked, but a shot trainer is there to help you get up more reps in less time and the number of balls that you can use while training will impact your ability to get up a lot of purposeful reps.
Our automatic machines are ideally used with 4-6 basketballs, which means a ball is always ready in the chamber to be passed out. The iC3 can be used with 1 or 2 balls which can allow a player to get up constant reps.
Ball Return Speed and Distance
Another thing to consider is the return speed and distance of the basketball. Different products use different methods to return the ball to the shooter and this means the time between passes and distance of the passes will vary. When the number of balls is limited when using the product, the return time will be based off of when the next ball is available.
Passing distance is also important. Our machines use an easy 5-distance passing distance lever to allow for 5 different passing lengths. The iC3 uses a gravity-ramp system to return the ball, so the pass is relatively the same distance.
With Dr. Dish Basketball shooting machines, the return speed is set by you (tempo) somewhere between 1-20. Because a ball is always ready to be passed out, this allows you to customize basketball distribution exactly to fit your training needs.
Check out this video that showcases the passing distances adjuster on the Dr. Dish home.
Number of Spots the Product Distributes To and How
Be sure to look into the locations that the product can distribute the basketball. As a basketball player myself, I want to practice shots form a variety of locations from around the arch. I would be okay with manually moving the product to pass out the basketballs as long as I'm never limited to the locations it is being passed out to.
Some products return the ball based on programmed locations, in any order! Imagine programming an elbow to elbow drill or around the arch drill with automatic passes. Other shot trainers use manual rotation, like the iC3 Shot trainer which can return the ball anywhere within 180 degrees (one location at a time).
Stat tracking Capability
The last thing that is important to look at is the products stat-tracking capabilities. Some products have software support that track a player's made and missed shots, or integrate with pre-programmed drills (like the Dr. Dish Home and our other automatic machines). Our machines not only track this data per session but will showcase your shooting trends over time any by location!
Our machines that are App-integrated are frequently updated with new features and drills, which get's players excited to train, too.
Some people are less concerned with their shooting results and just want to focus on the reps, which is great too because you have some options.
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Let's recap, when it comes to shopping for a basketball shooting machine or shot trainer there are 5 major features to consider:
1. Portability and weight
2. # of balls used
3. Speed and distance of ball return
4. Distributable locations
5. Statistical Tracking / App Integration
While this post speaks specifically to features, it goes without saying that price also plays a factor when shopping! The iC3 is the most affordable and portable shot trainer on the market at $499, the Dr. Dish Home which is specifically designed for home-use if offered at $2,995 (membership separate).
If you're looking for support or have any other questions about the options Dr. Dish offers, give us a call at 952-873-2633 or send us an email at home@drdishbball.com.
