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Basketball falls into the category of the most favorite sports in the world. There are as many as 450 million basketball players across the globe. And the number just keeps increasing every year. The game is not only fun to play, but it also offers tons of health benefits. So what are the top 20 health benefits of basketball? Time to find out!

“You should play basketball if you want to get taller.” I’m sure you must have heard this at least once in your life. And whoever told you that was not lying. Playing basketball does make you taller and even stronger. There’s an entire list of health benefits that the sport has to offer. So let’s get to them right away!

20 Health Benefits of Basketball

#1 Improves Cardiovascular Health

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In the game of basketball, you have to keep moving, right? This increases your heart rate, which builds endurance. And endurance is essential to keep the heart in good shape. With a healthy heart, the chances of getting a stroke or developing any cardiovascular disease are highly unlikely.

#2 Increases Bone Strength

Physical activities that involve weight-bearing encourage bone tissue development. Such activity in the body goes a long way in making your bones stronger. In fact, the sport causes your muscles to tug and push against the bones, right? And that contributes to building muscle strength as well. Every “top 20 health benefits of basketball” list highlights this advantage.

#3 Promotes Strength Training

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Full-body physical training is responsible for lean muscle formation. And that is what you should expect from basketball. The movements involved in the game develop your muscles located in the traps, deltoids, neck, and lower back. Even the core muscles benefit the most from the sport.

Dribbling and shooting don’t only make the legs stronger. But they also strengthen the wrist flexors, hand muscles, and arms.

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#4 Burns Calories

Many people start playing basketball to lose weight as well, did you know that? The sport involves quick and fast-paced lateral movements. It requires you to jump and run. And this constitutes as the aerobic workout. So you end up burning tons of calories.

With one hour of basketball, a person weighing 165 lbs can burn as many as 600 calories. And the number increases to 900 calories for a 250-pound individual.

#5 Boosts Immune System

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Everybody knows how any form of physical activity minimizes the level of stress in the mind and body. With a decreased amount of stress, you feel more focused and energetic. So the chances of getting depressed are pretty high, aren’t they? With lower levels of stress, it’s not only your mood that gets an uplift but the immune system too.

#6 Supports Mental Development

Out of the 20 health benefits of basketball, this one’s the most useful.

As a basketball player, you have to play mind games as well. Your game always depends on your opponent’s moves. This means you have to maintain complete focus and act quickly. One wrong decision and you end up losing the game!

#7 Improves Motor Skills and Coordination

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Coordination between your hands and eyes along with your full body is essential in basketball. If you keep training, the sport helps in improving such coordination skills.

Just the mere act of dribbling involves harmonizing your vision with your hand movements. On the other hand, rebounding shots that you miss enable you to strengthen complete body coordination.

#8 Develops Concentration and Self-Discipline

There are many reasons to play basketball now, aren’t there? But when it comes to the mental benefits of basketball, developing concentration and self-discipline is the most important one.

Breaking rules lead to penalties, which ends up costing you and your team. So you have no other choice but to follow these rules. This way you get to work on your self-discipline and competitive spirit. Even concentration benefits to a great extent due to this factor.

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#9 Boosts Confidence

When you’re a good basketball player, your team loves you for it. So it stands to reason why playing basketball increases self-esteem and helps in gaining more confidence. And this has the ability to impact every little aspect of one’s life positively.

#10 Enhances Social Skills

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Playing basketball means being a team, right? This means knowing the strengths and weaknesses of every team player. That’s what proper coordination is all about, isn’t it? If you want to know how to beat your opponents, then you have to play as one strong team.

During this process, you learn to grow as a team member by better understanding your fellow players. So you find it easier to cope with all types of social situations, thus enhancing your interaction skills.

#11 Improves Body and Space Awareness

The game demands spatial awareness. You have to get into a particular position or spot to achieve that flawless shot or to defend more efficiently. This improves how you perceive body and space awareness. And such a practice contributes to keeping the body and mind balanced, doesn’t it?

#12 Nourishes and Refreshes the Body

When indulging in any sport or exercise, our body utilizes all the available energy. This makes room for new energy, which you acquire by eating and drinking after the game. So it’s important that you consume healthy, nutrient-rich foods after any form of exercise. Such a habit helps in keeping the body well-nourished and fresh at all times.

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#13 Stabilizes Hormones

There aren’t only physical benefits of playing basketball but emotional benefits of basketball too. And this point is proof of that. The thing about exercising is that it helps in keeping the body’s hormonal levels in check. This is great news for women, isn’t it? When your hormones are in check, the risk of developing any hormonal problem gets eliminated.

#14 Prevents Osteoporosis and Obesity

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Physical exercise is responsible for preventing major health conditions such as osteoporosis and obesity. The former makes your bones brittle and weak, and the latter increases body fat.

Playing basketball means making the body stronger from the inside out. Dribbling and dunking the ball keeps you fit and healthy in the present moment as well as the future.

#15 Promotes Healthy Brain Function

Our brain is pretty much useless without concentration, isn’t it? Forget about the 20 health benefits of basketball, and let’s focus on this one here. The kind of movements that the game requires us to make demands complete concentration. Thinking of new techniques to score or defend better stimulates the brain cells. And this promotes healthy brain function.

#16 Involves Dexterity Exercise

Developing skills is something that humans are good at, aren’t they? But we can only do so if we make it a point to learn something new. In this case, it’s basketball. The sport requires you to perform all kinds of hand movements. And such activity constitutes as dexterity exercise.

#17 Improves Emotional Well-Being

Not many people know this, but there are emotional benefits of basketball too. Since the sport allows the body to exercise, it helps in releasing endorphins in the brain. And these hormones are responsible for uplifting your mood.

You should also know that basketball takes a lot out of you, physically. This means getting sleep at night will be an easy task. So you’ll be more active and relaxed along with a little less stressed out the following day.

#18 Helps Build Muscles

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Movements such as shooting, dribbling, jumping, and running contribute to toning muscles. So there’s no need to lift weights if you’re a basketball player. Playing a game or two on a regular basis is enough to build body muscle strength and mass. Now I know why this is considered to be the greatest benefit out of the 20 health benefits of basketball.

#19 Encourages Healthy Eating Habits

When you start playing basketball, your body requires a proper diet to remain active and vigorous. This pushes you to consume healthy foods rich in protein, carbs, nutrients, vitamins, etc. We can benefit a great deal from the kind of food we eat. So it’s always a better idea to opt for something that tastes delicious while also offering plenty of health benefits.

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#20 Corrects Overall Body Health

What are the top benefits of playing basketball every day? Well, here’s your answer. The fact that the sport promotes overall body health. The physical activity keeps everything right from our muscles and bones to the heart in good shape.

Preventing diseases is better than curing them, right? So playing basketball now will help in maintaining a healthy system, which can avoid the formation of all kinds of diseases.

That’s About It!

So here are the 20 health benefits of basketball. Just remember that the sport requires you to perform all kinds of body movements. And each movement offers a unique benefit. So don’t think twice before heading out to that basketball court.

The best thing about basketball is that you can play the game indoors and outdoors. All you need is a basket, a ball and a pair of basketball shoes

So tell me, what’s your favorite part about playing basketball? And for how many months or years have been playing the sport?

I hope the content of the article was informative and interesting to you. Is there any significant benefit that you think I failed to discuss? Please let me know in the comments section below.

I hope you keep coming back for more. Have a fun day!

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