Are you curious what “Around the World” is? Well, it’s a great off-season shooting game that’s used for developing basketball shooting fundamentals.
Around the World, if you don’t know, is a popular basketball schoolyard shooting game -and I hated it when I was a kid.
To play it, you have to make shots all around the key and if you miss shots, you have to go all the way back to the starting spot.
I hated Around the World because I was a bad shooter and could never seem to advance past the first half of the obstacle.
It was also boring because all you really do is stand and shoot on concrete in the blazing hot sun. It’s not exciting like American 21 or Bump.
There’s not a lot of movement or action in this game.
So, every time my friends asked if I wanted to play it, especially in the summer, I would always suggest some of the other ones first.
But they never took any of it into consideration because I’m apparently a pushover and potentially a beta.
Anywhoo, I had to play this stupid shooting game from time to time.
I would usually make the first two shots, then miss the third one and be stuck there for a while.
And by the time I would make it to the halfway point, my friends would pretty much be nearing the end of the course.
Needless to say, I lost frequently.
I hated this game and boycotted it for a long time… until I got older.
Benefits of Playing Around the World
When I was in my 20s, I realized that Around the World was a great game (or drill) to work on my fundamentals of shooting.
The reason why is because you have to shoot from so many spots at various angles. You also have to shoot different types of shots as well.
At some spots, you have to shoot a bank shot, for instance. At others, you have to shoot with a high arc.
Around the World allows you to practice a variety of fundamental shots and this is beneficial for in-game play because you will have to shoot at different spots on the court.
Thus, this game is great as an off-season shooting drill.
How to Play Around the World
I mentioned the instructions for this game a little bit earlier, but here are the specifics for how to play this game:
- This game can be played in groups or solo
- First, pick which side of the key you want to start from (left or right)
- Once decided, head to the first marker on the key, if available. If not, stand on the spot that is parallel to the rim (the side of the rim is right in front of you)
- Now, take a shot. Since it’s the first shot (or spot), you get two chances to make it
- If you missed the shots, stay put. If you made a shot, you can move on to the next marker. If there is no marker, take one step to the side
- Here, you have two chances to make the shot, but if you miss both shots, you have to move back to the starting spot. You can choose to take the chance or not
- So, if you made one shot, move to the next spot. If you missed one shot and didn’t take a chance, stay put. If you missed both shots, head back to the start
- Recycle these rules and steps until you’re at the very last spot (or when you have travelled all the way around the key)
- First player to go all the way around wins. If you played solo, try to decrease the number of times you get sent back to the starting spot or try to finish the game within a certain amount of time
Like this game? Click here to learn how to play Pressure next.
Final Thoughts
Around the World, albeit can be boring at times, is a great game to improve your shooting fundamentals.
So, if you want to be able to shoot like the best of them, start using this game to improve your shot mechanics.