Will a Basketball Rim Reducer Help My Shot?

If you are a true baller, you never stop working on your shot. There is nothing like the sound of the ball hitting nothing but net. You want every shot to be a swish and you are willing to do whatever it takes to get there. You drill for hours shooting hundreds, no thousands, of shots per week. You pay attention to the fundamentals; square up, balance, elbow in, eyes on the target, follow through, etc, trying to make it muscle memory. You watch the pros to pick up tips from them. You read books and buy instructional DVDs.

Now there is a whole new set of tools to help you develop a deadly shot, to hit the center of the hole every time. They’re called rim reducers.

What is a Rim Reducer?

A rim reducer is a device that attaches to the rim of your basketball goal that reduces the diameter of the goal opening. Typically, they reduce the opening to 16 inches from the standard 18 inches but other designs do exist.

The theory behind a rim reducer is obvious. Practicing on a smaller rim requires greater accuracy to score a goal thus making it more likely your shot will fall on a standard goal. Because the rim opening is smaller you are forced to aim for the center of the rim and to add more arc to your shot increasing the likelihood of a successful shot.

Rim reducers also have benefits for the post player in that fewer shots will score producing more rebounds during practice and helping to improve box out and rebounding skills. Additionally, the reduced rim size helps improve your ability to finish on put-backs and layups.

Types of Rim Reducers

There are several different brands and types of rim reducers on the market today. You need to pick your rim reducer based on what your training goals are.

Standard Rim Reducers

These reducers are primarily intended to help improve your jump shot, foul shot and lay-up. They typically reduce the rim opening to 16 inches from the standard 18 inches. Intensive practice with reducers helps develop muscle memory to aim for the center of the rim and increase shot arc.

Making shots on a reduced rim can also increase a players’ confidence when playing on regulation rims.

Post Play Rim Reducers

These reducers may lessen the rim opening to as small as 12 inches. Some are even designed to not allow any shots to score. Obviously, this produces many more rebounds with which to practice and gives more opportunities for put-backs.

With both types, the smaller opening increases rebounds giving more opportunities for working on transition offense and defense. They also help to increase concentration and intensity of practices.

Construction

Metal

Rim reducers are made several different ways. The better ones are made of tubular metal and look like a smaller rim that attaches to the original rim. These reducers may also raise the rim about an inch. This additional inch forces the player to shoot with increased arc to improve accuracy. Metal reducers also have the added benefit of providing more natural rebounds when a shot is missed.

Most metal reducers clip on to your existing rim using some kind of quick disconnect device. This allows you to quickly remove the rim reducer when necessary. Some of the better examples of metal reducers are the Shotmatic models and the Schutt Skillshot that reduces the rim opening a full 3 inches.

Rubber

Rubber or synthetic reducers simply snap onto the existing rim and typically reduce the rim opening 2 inches. They are easy to install and remove.

However, I don’t recommend rubber reducers for several reasons. First and foremost, the rubber material causes unnatural rebounds. By absorbing energy from the original shot some balls will stay on or around the rim instead of rebounding away. Indeed, some shots will be dampened so much that the shot will fall in when it clearly would not have on a metal rim.

Rubber reducers are typically much less expensive than metal ones. If your budget only allows for this type, they may still benefit your jump shot, foul shot and layup by training you to shoot to the center of the rim and increasing the arc of your shot. As long as you realize that some shots will unnaturally score due to the dampening effect of the rubber you can realize benefits from practicing with this type of reducer.

Conclusion

Rim reducers are widely used at the high school, college and professional levels. One manufacturer quotes a number of college and professional player and coach testimonials praising the benefits of their rim reducer. One brand even guarantees a 10% improvement in you shooting performance.

Of course, you still need to put in the work. You must have the discipline to get out and practice. No basketball training aid will do the work for you. However, used consistently and properly they can and will help improve your shot accuracy and rebounding.

Shot reducers can be purchased for between $25 for rubber reducers up to $100 for metal reducers. Some are also available in package deals containing 2 reducers and an installation pole.