Not even the best basketball player knows absolutely everything about basketball. Do you want to have an advantage over other players? Continue reading to gain that competitive edge.
When dribbling, make sure that you look forward and keep your head up. If you have to look at the ball while dribbling, that means you need to practice more. If you are just getting started, bring your ball with you everywhere. Walking to your mailbox? Dribble the ball. If you’re looking at the basketball, you won’t be able to see what is coming at you.
Learn how to throw proper bounce passes. A bounce pass will hit the receiving player near their waist. A useful tip is to have the ball bounce roughly 3/4 of the distance that the recipient. There can be other factors in play to keep in mind, though.
A good way to practice sound passing is try doing it without dribbling the ball. It is hard to play a game when you don’t dribble, it helps the team make better passes.
Concentrate on your strong points if you want to improve your game. Your skills might not make you an all-start every time out, but playing up your strengths makes you a great contributor. Know the things you’re great at and keep practicing until there is no one better than you.
Don’t bulk up if you plan on being a jump shooter. While muscle strength is good to have in any basketball position, perimeter play requires less than other positions. Some shooting guards worked on their arms so big that they started decreasing their field goals.
Hand signals can help stop you to stay away from making bad passes. Hand signals can help you if your teammate on the court.
Making free throws are almost as much a mental part of the game as they are a physical part. You can teach your body to make a free throw properly, but unless you are properly prepared mentally, you may not succeed. Take a deep breathe, relax and block out all outside distractions before taking the shot.
The key to ball control is to spread your fingers. This can help you to remain in control of the ball. Don’t allow yourself to have your palm touch the ball either.
Pay attention to your shoulders if you’re starting to slump when you shoot. When your shoulders are not properly positioned, you will never make the basket regardless of how good your abilities are. Your shoulders need to be squared towards where you’re shooting. The dominant shoulder must be perfectly aligned correctly with the rim.
Frequently practice passing and catching the passes of others. Practice catching errant throws along with perfect passes. When the pressure is on, not every pass will come straight to you. You can do the rest of your team a favor by practicing how you can best complete imperfect passes.
Ask someone to take a friend to record your games so that you can see how yourself in action. You can see things differently as you can improve and notice things you missed. Be honest in your assessment but don’t be too harsh.
Practice looking in other directions. This can go a long way toward confusing to the other team. If you can do this correctly, this draws your opponents’ focus the wrong way. It’s a great play when done properly.
If you have a kid wanting to play basketball in high school, be certain that they are properly training their core muscles. Core muscles include hips, abs and the lower back. These muscles form a bridge across the lower and upper parts of your body. When the core is weak, it is difficult to coordinate the movements of both halves. Building strong core muscles will allow your to jump higher, run faster and maintain your balance.
Good footwork will help you to get those rebounds. The more quickly you get under the basket, so its important to slip away from him and get the ball. This gets you to secure the rebound without finding yourself penalized.
Always attempt to remain low when playing defensively.This allows you get to the jump and react quicker. Stay in a defensive stance all the time. When you block a shot, quickly get back into your stance.
To keep passes under control, make use of hand signals. It can be frustrating making a pass when a player moves away towards the basket. Hand signals can be a great way to find out if a teammate will be able to receive your pass. If you don’t see a signal, try to find someone else to pass to.
You will have better ball control by bending your knees just a bit.
You have to practice hard every day if you desire to step up your shooting game. This helps to simulate game conditions and increase accuracy.
If you’re on the offense, you footwork needs to be excellent to stay open for passes and shots. Although it’s important to have a physical presence underneath the basket, it’s more important that you get in a good place before your opponent can. When you are in position, you must secure your spot. Solid footwork can make both of these things happen.
Practice dribbling as you sway your body’s momentum from one side to the other. This will help you learn to dribble during games frequently.You might be able to go through an open court but there are opponents ready to swarm you. You will have to be able to lean and still dribble when the body is doing different things. This can help get you out of trouble.
These tips should give you some food for thought at your next game or practice. You need all the information you can get to get and stay on top. Never stop learning or practicing. To become a better player, you must use the information you come across, so do so.
Make sure, no matter what else happens, you can see where the ball is. This helps keep you aware of the action, and it takes away the surprise factor. Pay attention to open areas for passes, too.