Double Rim

A double rim is a type of rim, aside from the usual single rim, used on many basketball hoops. The double rim is thicker and slightly taller than the single rim, approximately double its thickness. It appears as though two single rims were stacked on top of one another, thus, making a double rim. Double rims are mainly found on outdoor basketball courts.

You’re most likely to find a double rim on a basketball hoop at a playground, or another kind of public court, particularly outdoor ones.

This is because double rims are stronger and can stand more abuse and can deal with outdoor weather conditions better than other kinds of rims. They also protect the rim for being bent from players hanging off them or extreme play.

The thickness of a double rim means that the hoop has much less give in it, and some players feel that this thickness results in shots bouncing out of the basket at certain angles. Players can find that the double rim makes it much harder to make shots that actually go in and many find them quite frustrating for this reason.

Double rims are a great choice for kids and young players, which is why most schools install hoops with double rims in their playgrounds. Double rimmed basketball hoops tend to have lower baskets at around 8-foot, which makes it much easier for kids to dunk on them.

They also mean that kids can hang off the rims as much as they want without having to worry about breaking or bending them, which helps kids begin to get a love for the game and encourage them to get out and exercise which can only be a good thing.

Kids will find that they have to put more of arc on their shots, or that shots that go in will need a much softer touch than they might otherwise have expected.

Some kids find double rims harder to make shots on for this reason. However, this also gets them used to having to adapt their shots which is a great skill for a young player to have.

Some players do find using a double rim demoralizing, and one of the worst things that can happen for a basketball player is for them to lose confidence in their shooting ability.

But while players might find using them frustrating, and feel that good shots are bouncing out of the basket unexpectedly, there are some very good reasons to use a double rim to play with.

Obviously, their strength and ability to deal with the elements are very useful, especially if you’re using them as equipment for young players but using a double rim can also help improve your shooting ability.

Using a double rim can help improve two key aspects of your shooting, namely your shot arc and your shooting touch.

These are the two main aspects of shooting that double rims effect and while they may not seem like they massively affect your style of play, they can make a major improvement to your shot and your game as a result.

Using a double rim could help step up your game, which is what every player is constantly looking for.

Using a double rim can help improve your shot arc because of the thickness of the rim. As you might expect a double rim is twice the thickness of a regular one, which means it generally catches the ball on shots with less of an angle than angled shots that try to enter the hoop.

You’ll occasionally see shots that look like they’re going into the hoop, only to catch the inside of the rim and bounce around and out again.

You might have heard announcers call a shot ‘in and out’ and this happens more often with a double rim than a regular one.

Why use a double rim if it’s more likely to bounce back out of the hoop? The response of the shooter when seeing ‘in and out’ shots is to put more of an arc on their shot.

A higher arc on their shot will make the ball travel towards the hoop at a steeper angle, which means there’s a far lower chance of it catching the rim and bouncing around and out of the hoop. A great shooter will usually put a higher arc on the ball because it makes it harder to block and has a greater chance of going through the hoop.

This improves your form as a player and helps with shooting touch. Using a double rim gets you used to making higher angled shots and will improve your form as a shooter. There’s more versatility with practicing with a double rim and they can be a really good way to improve your shooting ability for this reason.

A double rim can also drastically improve your shooting touch, which all great players have. Shooting touch is where you can very gently and lightly put the ball up, which gives it a greater chance of going through the hoop even if the shot is a bit off.

A shot that only softly touches the rim is far more likely to go through the hoop than if it bounces hard off the inner rim. As a double rim is stiffer than a regular rim, with less give a shooter needs more touch in their shots to make sure most of the shots they make go in the hoop.

A player using a double rim will learn to throw the ball up gently rather than simply tossing it in at full force.

When deciding to play basketball on a double rim, you should consider the following factors:

• Availability: Where can you play basketball?
• Rim height: A double rim adds height to the hoop
• Making layups and shots: It may be harder to make layups and jumpshots on a double rim.
• Tolerance level: Are you okay with missing shots?