The aim of the study: to develop and substantiate the methodology of using basketball to develop psychomotor abilities in the process of physical education of students. Material and methods. The study involved first-year students (boys) who do not play sports but only attend physical education classes. The experimental group consisted of students who used basketball (n = 20), the control group consisted of students who used other means (fitness, aerobics, etc.) (n = 20). Prior to the experiment, the groups did not differ significantly. Duration of implementation of the method from January 2019 to December 2019 Test results were compared before and after the experiment. Results: The results of the following tests of the experimental group showed statistically significant difference after the experiment: Long jump (sm) (p<0.01), Running 100 m (s) (p<0.001) (number of times) (p<0.001, Ball and face forward 14x2m (s) (p<0.001), Static balancing (s) (p<0.001), Simple reaction time (s) (p<0.001). There was a decrease in the number of students with latent circulatory insufficiency after the experiment in the experimental group. Conclusion: Experimental verification of the developed methodology for the development of psychomotor abilities by basketball revealed positive changes in the indicators of physical fitness, speed of reaction and special preparedness in basketball. Positive changes in the indicator of the functional status of the cardio-respiratory system of students were also observed.