Having a portable basketball hoop at your disposal is a great investment for a number of reasons. Maybe you’re an aspiring basketball player with dreams of playing in the NBA like Lebron James or Kevin Durant. Perhaps you have an interest in the game and no court nearby to practice on or no space on your property to install a full-size and permanent basketball hoop. Maybe you’re a parent with a little one who is showing an interest in the sport.
Regardless of the reason, you’re wanting to practice, investing in a portable hoop especially for youth portable basketball goal is a great idea and is something that you will be able to reap the benefits from for many years to come so long as you know what you’re looking for when you begin your search. There are a lot of poorly constructed and cheap portable hoops on the market and though the price tag for these might be tempting, don’t be fooled. There are some important components to a high-quality basketball hoop that you need to consider before shopping.
Backboard Construction
If you plan on putting your new hoop through the wringer (think to practice your slam dunks), you will definitely need to consider the construction of the backboard beforehand. Chances are you won’t be finding any portable hoops on the market with regulation size backboards but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use your hoop as intended. You’ll probably want a hoop that starts at around 54” wide in order to provide yourself with a more realistic playing ground. Backboards are usually made of acrylic, polyethene or tempered glass portable basketball hoop, each material type coming with its own pros and cons. We recommend polyethene because it’s virtually indestructible, though it does have a rebound effect that can affect your game. It is important to note that the material the backboard is made out of can significantly impact how your basketball reacts when it hits it.
Support Pole
You should pay close attention to the construction of your portable basketball hoop’s support pole. This is what provides the stability needed for your hoop to stay upright. These poles should have an adjustable height so you can choose how high you want your hoop to be. This is a great feature to look out for because it will allow you the option of lowering the hoop if your children are playing (or if you want to feel like a slam-dunking basketball superstar).
Base
The base is the most important part of any portable hoop. It helps to further the stability of the product and without the base, the hoop wouldn’t be portable at all. It’s important to remember that the larger the base is, the more stable playing experience it will provide. The base will need to be filled with either water or sand in order to weigh down the hoop to prevent it from falling over in windy weather or rough games. If portability is a huge concern for you, we also suggest investing in a basketball hoop whose base has wheels on it.
This will allow you to wheel the hoop around your home to store it during the winter months. If you plan on keeping your hoop out during the colder months of the year, we recommend using a little bit of anti-freeze in your water-filled base to ensure that the water won’t freeze, expand and destroy your hoop.
Rims
You might think that every basketball hoop rim is created equally but this just isn’t the case anymore. A standard rim will be located on the lowered backboard. This provides a fair amount of stability but can mean that you experience a lot of rebounds. We wouldn’t recommend slam dunking with a standard rim as it can hurt you and damage the backboard. A Breakaway rim is made with compression springs that will absorb some of the shocks of your shots. This is a necessity if you plan to be practising your slam dunks on your new hoop.
Investing in a best portable basketball hoop might require a bit of penny-pinching but now that you are equipped with the information on how to choose a hoop that’s right for you and your needs, you’ll be slam dunking in no time.