Be A Better Basketball Player By Following This Advice!

Practice is the utmost importance if you are intent on improving your skills. You shouldn’t be practicing things you do wrong, and follow good advice from experienced teachers.Keep reading for some great basketball pointers that will have you improve your game.

When dribbling, make sure you hold your head high and look straight ahead. If you start staring at the ball while you dribble, you know you need to practice more. If you are just getting started, bring your ball with you everywhere. Try dribbling even when walking to a store. Maintaining unbroken visual contact with the ball makes it difficult to be aware of your surroundings.

Watch the pro’s play basketball.

Don’t just practice your practice to just playing against the zone defense. While a great portion of a game will be concentrated in the zone, your opponent might flip the switch to man-to-man coverage just to change things up and surprise you. If you have not practiced against this, you might lose control rapidly.

Bounce passes are important in the game of basketball. If done correctly, a well-executed bounce pass will reach the player in a way that allows them to move immediately with the ball. Bounce it 3/4 of the distance to the receiver. Of course, there are also other factors involved.

TIP! Work on catching passes frequently. During practice you should come up with drills where you perfect catching bad passes along with the good ones.

Never try to push through an injury. Basketball is physically demanding and you can get hurt. You may injure yourself more if you do not take a break from the action. See a physician if the injury is serious.

Never turn away from the ball so that you can always be prepared for anything in a basketball game. You have to be aware of what is going on with the court. Keep your eyes open for easy shots.

When developing your jumping skills, limit your use of weight-training. You do need muscle conditioning and strength, but you can have too much when it comes to shooting field goals. If your arms are too big, your field goal percentage will go down.

TIP! Play games against yourself in and out of season. Sometimes you cannot find a team of people to play basketball with.

The key to ball control is to spread your fingers. That makes sure that it doesn’t get away from you don’t lose the ball when you hold it. Your palm should not be touching the ball as little as possible.

Build your core strength and focus on your footwork. Your body will be more stable and move quicker when you have strength in your core muscles. Focus on your hip, abdomen, and hip muscle groups.Jump rope like the boxers do to increase your fancy footwork.

If you have a child who has expressed interest in becoming a basketball player in high school, make sure he trains his core muscles. Core muscles are comprised of the hips, lower back, and abdominal muscles. Stronger core muscles will help them be more resistant and allow them to develop many different athletic abilities. A strong core helps you jump higher and run faster.

TIP! Avoid errant passes by the use of hand signals. It can be frustrating passing to a teammate when you’re both heading to the basket.

To increase the efficiency of your layups, take off using the foot that;s the opposite of your shooting hand. Your body will develop good coordination and you move towards the basket.

A routine can enable your free throws. If you’re not consistent then you’ll be off when you shoot. The easiest way to make sure you’re doing great free throw is by practicing it repeatedly until you get it right.

Don’t let the ball go behind your back. This helps keep you aware of the action, and it takes away the surprise factor. When your eyes are constantly assessing the game, you will be better able to make easy shots.

TIP! Where are your feet? If you step on the baseline, you will be out of bounds. Going too many steps with no dribbling is a waking call and turnover situation.

Changing pace can help you keep the offense on their toes. When you running towards the basket, straighten up while planting the front foot. The guard is going to think you’re starting to slow and will straighten themselves. When they do this, push ahead hard and outrun them.

Always stay low when you are playing defensively.This will help you as you jump and make it easier to react to the front man. Maintain your proper defensive position at all times. When you break your stance to block, make sure to return to form right away.

To maximize your layups, take off with the foot that opposes your shooting hand. If you normally shoot using your right hand, jump with your left. This balances your body when moving towards your basket. It keeps your body in between you and the defender.

TIP! If you wish to shoot free throws better, you have to have a routine that’s consistent. If you’re not consistent you’ll find yourself missing free throws.

Then your defending guards should run to the point guard to trap him in place. Your forwards can sprint to block the wing players.The point guard throws a pass that can easily be stolen by your forwards.

You will gain a lot of ball control with bent knees.

Never pass up a charging opportunity. Taking charges gives you an opportunity to get defensive stops, get the ball and lay the groundwork for fouls. This may completely break the competition down.

TIP! Concentrate your ball-handling below knee level whenever possible. This makes it more difficult for your opponents to steal the ball.

It need not matter how much you play the game of basketball, the tips here will help improve your game all the time. Trying even a single new thing can greatly enhance your abilities. Improve your shooting, passing, and overall game control.