Follow These Tips To Make Yourself A Better Basketball Player

Basketball is popular all over the most popular sports in the world. Whether is it the watching the championships, playing for a team or simply playing in the yard, basketball is definitely here to stay. The following tips will show you how to better your basketball playing skills.

Dribble the ball correctly. When you dribble, use the fingertips, not the palm. This helps you to control the ball better. Bounce only at the level of your waist at the side and not in front. Do not look at the ground; look up at all times.

TIP! Learn the best way to make your free throws. The free throw shot might seem simple, but it can actually be pretty difficult.

Always keep your head up and looking forward. You haven’t practiced enough if you keep looking at the basketball while dribbling.Bring your ball no matter where you go out.Dribble as you walk to the street. If you are staring at the ball, you cannot see what is happening down the court in front of you.

Free Throws

Look forward when dribbling. If you are looking at the ball for any reason while dribbling, you have not put in enough practice. You can practice dribbling almost anywhere. Try dribbling even when walking to a store. Staring at the ball doesn’t allow you to watch the other players.

Free throws require as much mental as physical skill. Stay relaxed and collected to increase your ability to make free throws.

A great way to get your basketball game up to speed is to start trying to see how the pros.

It is important to practice catching the ball from others as much as passing. Practice catching errant throws along with perfect passes. When playing in the game, it’s rare that every pass will hit a bulls-eye. Therefore, it pays to practice catching passes that are a bit off-target.

Hand signals can help you to stay away from turning the ball over. Hand signals can help you if your teammate is ready.

Good footwork remains a shot when you are posting up. You always want to beat the open spot. Once you’re in the proper position, you need to secure it. Both skills rely on solid footwork.

If you’ve developed somewhat of a shooting slump, focus on your shoulders. Shoulders are the key to a consistently successful shot. To help improve your shot, focus on squaring up on each of your shots. Your dominant shoulder should also be lined up perfectly with the rim.

TIP! Stay conscious of your foot motion and placement. Stepping even over a baseline when you’re in possession of the ball will have you called out of bounds.

Never play through pain after an injury on the court. Basketball is physically demanding and you can easily get injured. Trying to continue playing even if you’ve got discomfort can make your situation worse. See a doctor if you think your injury is serious.

Ask teammates what they like about your skills on the court.Are you really good at something? Maybe you are quick like lightening or you are a strong defender.

Having a pre-free-throw shot routine will help you become dependable at free throws. Focus on your shot and eliminate all outside distractions. As long as this is a quick set of movements and it’s consistent, you won’t have any trouble having your body memorize what you’re doing.

TIP! Use deception by looking elsewhere when you make passes. This is a great technique in order to help confuse the opponents.

Pay attention to your shoulders if you’ve suddenly developed a shooting slump. If your shoulders aren’t properly positioned, you will not make the shot. Your shoulders need to be squared up towards the basket. The shoulder that is dominant should be in line with the hoop rim.

Ask a video of you playing and watch it. You can see things differently as you observe the game and what plays you missed in the game. Be honest with yourself but not overly critical.

Develop and use a consistent routine for shooting free throws. If you stay inconsistent, you miss a shot. You have to practice time and time again. Just keep repeating free throws, if you want to perfect that technique. If you break your routine, you’ll start missing shots.

TIP! Dribble with force to prevent the ball from being stolen. The ball will get back to the hand faster, giving the other team less of an opportunity to grab it away.

In order to perfect your layup shooting technique practice, the foot that is opposite from shooting hand is the one you should take off from. This will keep your body properly balanced and going towards the basket.

Being a good defensive player means upsetting and disrupting the game of your opponent’s play. Don’t let your opponent get comfortable. Be aggressive as you execute.Do not allow them choose the plays to make.

Take charges whenever possible. This helps get the ball for the team and allows another foul on the opponent. This can make for good psychological warfare.

TIP! Don’t leave your defensive stance. Shuffle your feet in a side to side motion, then use your opposite foot to push off and give you good leverage.

Changing pace is something you keep the offense is paying attention. When you running towards the basket, put your foot out and straighten up your body. The guard will assume you are reducing speed and may try to straighten themselves. When they do, run ahead and push yourself forward.

You can use all of some of these tips to become a better basketball player. In many cases, it takes only a few minutes to practice and adopt a new tactic. No matter what you are trying to learn, practice makes perfect. You just need a basketball and a hoop. Whether you are practicing to play competitively or just for fun, the information in this article will improve your game.

To get better at three-point shots, work on shooting from the NBA three-point line. High school lines, international standard lines, and college lines are much closer. By practicing at the NBA line, you will be used to getting a look a little further than what most defenses will cover.