When looking to play basketball in your home, you can choose to make use of a portable basketball goal or an in-ground basketball hoop. These different hoops have been around for a long time and have led to several debates.
You do not have to be a professional basketball player to enjoy top-notch facilities. Furthermore, you can gain exposure to the level of gameplay available to professional basketball players by either using a portable basketball hoop or an in-ground basketball hoop.
Even though these two basketball hoops can be used professionally, they have major differences. You, therefore, need to understand how they differ before going ahead to choose one over the other.
Some things you must consider before choosing between an in-ground basketball hoop and a portable basketball hoop are;
Hoop Base
The hoop base in an in-ground basketball hoop is designed to be stationary. It, therefore, stays fixed attached to the ground. When attaching an in-ground basketball hoop base to the ground, you can make a choice from three different foundations. They are the anchor system, direct burial, and ground sleeve.
Portable basketball hoops on the other hand were not designed to be attached to the ground since portability is the watchword in this type of hoop base, the hoop base in portable basketball hoops is not fixed to the ground. Usually, they are made of plastic and held in place with water or sand. The material used in holding them in place is dependent on the design of the portable basketball hoop base.
Although portable, the hoop bases of portable basketball hoops might not be very easy to move from place to place. You, therefore, will need to get a part of your compound that gives you the freedom to use the hoop for a long time.
If you do not have any plans of ever moving the hoop base of your basketball hoop, then you will do well to get an in-ground basketball hoop. However, if you will move occasionally but still want to enjoy playing basketball in your backyard, a portable basketball hoop will be ideal.
Backboard
The backboard of a basketball hoop is a major component to consider when getting one. With in-ground basketball hoops, you are able to enjoy very large and better functioning backboards because of the ability of this basketball hoop to support the enormous weight. With an in-ground basketball hoop, you can get a backboard that is as big as 72 inches. This, however, is impossible with a portable basketball hoop.
When you play a game of basketball with a portable basketball hoop, you will not have the freedom of choosing a very big backboard due to safety reasons. With a very big backboard, things might get a little unsafe as the entire system might tip over when there is a strong wind. When you play a game with a portable basketball hoop, you will not be able to use a backboard that exceeds 60 inches.
The implication of this is if you enjoy playing basketball with large backboards and also look forward to top-quality rebounds, an in-ground basketball hoop will be great. On the other hand, if you do not mind a fairly small backboard, you can do well with a portable basketball hoop.
Hoop Rim
In a game of basketball, your style of play is greatly affected by how good your rim is. Usually, in-ground basketball hoops make use of breakaway rims. This type of rims features a spring system that offers a good degree of flexibility and makes room for dunking.
Just like in-ground basketball hoops, portable basketball hoops come with breakaway rims too. This, however, is not as much as the number of in-ground basketball hoops with breakaway rims. Your likelihood of getting breakaway rims with in-ground basketball hoops is higher than your chances of getting one with portable basketball hoops.
Pole Support
If you are looking to take part in an aggressive game, you might choose an in-ground basketball hoop over a portable basketball hoop. This is because in-ground basketball hoop support poles are a lot sturdier than those of portable basketball hoops.. The reason for this is quite simple. They are attached to the ground.
With portable basketball hoops, you can get sturdy poles. This, however, is a lot more difficult when compared to the ease of getting in-ground basketball hoops with strong poles. An in-ground basketball hoop does not need a special design to have a sturdy support pole. On the other hand, in the absence of the right design, it might be impossible to have a portable basketball hoop with a sturdy support pole.
