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Most basketball hoops are made of seven separate parts: the backboard, the rim, the net, the brackets, the pole, the height adjustment system and the base. Here’s everything you need to know about every part. Backboard These come in one of two shapes: rectangular and fan shaped. Generally speaking, rectangular is better because it has more area and therefore has more opportunity for bank shots. It also can come in a variety of sizes, anywhere from forty-two inches for the cheaper residential hoops all the way to the seventy-two inch monsters that high school, college, and pro basketball players play on. It can also be one of four materials: glass, acrylic, molded plastic or steel. Glass is the preferable material, as it is the most rigid (and it’s also what the pros use.) A lot of people make the mistake of choosing acrylic over glass because they are afraid glass will break easily. Unless you have a three hundred pound NBA center as a regular houseguest, this will not a be a real issue. Neither heat-tempered glass nor acrylic break very often even with very rough use. If it’s a real concern of yours though, make sure your basketball hoop is by First Team, which is the only company I’m aware of that sells a few basketball hoops that include dunking damage in their warrantee coverage. When looking to purchase a backboard, you should be looking for one main thing: rigidity. Get the biggest and most rigid backboard that you can afford. There is something a little disheartening about trying for a bank shot and watching the ball stop dead against the backboard and drop to the ground instead of bouncing cleanly into rim. A nice, rigid backboard gives you solid rebound and a more pro feel. Rim Unless it’s a kiddy or novelty rim, every basketball rim you encounter will be steel and eighteen inches in diameter. When looking at a basketball rim, take note of thebreakway system. A breakaway system is just springs that connect the rim to the backboard. When you slam dunk the ball, the springs allow the rim to “give” just a bit to prevent the backboard from cracking. Please note that even though it’s called a “breakaway” system, nothing is actually supposed to break or collapse. If you are playing and your rim snaps, it’s time to look over the details of your warranty. Basketball Net Nets are usually made out of nylon, but heavier duty nets can be made of metal chains or even the plastic covered metal braids that that they usually make bike chains out of. The funny thing about basketball nets is that people usually don’t buy them for durability or anything. They buy them because they like the sound that a certain net makes. Like the clean swoosh sound of an anti-whip nylon net or the metal jangling of the metal chains at a hoop at a public park. Brackets Brackets are the poles that connect the backboard to the pole or wall, and they have a big influence on the overhang (the distance from the wall or pole to the backboard.) Generally speaking, you want wide brackets that grab the backboard by the edges, or as far to the edges as possible. This will ensure that the brackets stabilize the backboard as much as possible. You also want brackets that provide as much overhang as possible. Those monster portable systems that you see rolled out for NBA games actually have an overhang of ten feet, with four feet from the backboard to the out of bounds line. Really high end adjustable in ground systems try to simulate professional standards by having brackets that extend out four feet. The idea is, if you plant the pole right on the out of bounds line, it’s just like playing on a pro court. Height Adjustment System For most players, they just want to keep the hoop at the regulation height of ten feet all the time. But if you have kids (or like to re-enact Dr. J slams), you might be interested in a good height adjustment system to make it easier to reach the rim. Height adjustment system comes it a bunch of different shapes and sizes, but they are usually involve either a hand crank, a pneumatic (gas-powered) system or a pin-lock system. If you are deciding between a pneumatic system and a hand crank, get the hand crack. Pneumatic, because it is more advanced sounds like a better deal, but in my experience hand crack systems are always easier to adjust. Basketball Hoop Base In portable systems, this means the container at the bottom of the hoop that keeps the whole system stable. The bigger the base, the heavier and more stable your system is. Bases can be filled with either sand or water. Which one you should choose depends on your circumstances. If you plan on basically leaving the basketball hoop out all the time and want the most stable system possible, choose sand. If you plan on moving your system around a lot and may need to empty the base frequently, choose water. Sand might also be a better choice if you live a part of the country where it tends to get below zero, because when water in a basketball base freezes, it expands and will probably crack it. But if you are basketball lover in Winsconsin and still want to fill up with water, you can avoid damage to your base just by pouring a bit of anti-freeze into the base. |
