Playing Basketball Is Fun And A Great Workout

Do you find yourself fantasizing that you want to be as great as Shaquille O’Neil?Don’t just aspire to be great; learn the things that will make you attain your dream.Keep on reading for tips that can become reality in the near future.

Make sure you dribble properly by keeping your head held up, facing forward. If you are looking at the ball for any reason while dribbling, you have not put in enough practice. If you are just getting started, bring your ball with you everywhere. If you walk to the store, dribble the ball. If you’re trying to look at the ball then you’re not concentrating on what’s going on down the court.

TIP! When dribbling, make sure you hold your head high and look straight ahead. If you have to keep your eye on the ball when you’re dribbling, practice can remedy that.

Make sure that you practice your layups whenever possible.Layups sometimes wind up to 80 percent of every 5 shots in basketball. When you practice, you need to be able to run toward the basket at full speed, and then get a high jump in so you can smoothly shoot. This will assist you to improve your ability to jump and shots throughout the game.

Free throws have a huge mental as well as physical. Stay calm and vigilant to improve your ability to make free throw percentage.

There is a lot of pressure when shooting free throws. You must be mentally strong to be a consistent free throw shooter. Relax yourself and focus on the hoop.

TIP! Successful free throwing requires as much mental skill as it does physical skill. Without a strong mindset, your body simply goes through the motions to take the shot.

Don’t pump too much iron if you want to be good as a jump shooter. Muscle strength can be great for basketball players, but you can have too much. Some professional shooting guards make their arms large enough to decrease their own field goal percentage.

Would you like to fool the other team? Back passes are a great way to confuse other team is still wondering what happened. Use the dominant hand whenever trying a behind the basketball when trying this pass. This is a very useful trick to confuse the opposition.

Frequently train yourself on your pass catching moves. While you are practicing, you should be sure to drill yourself on catching errant throws, as well as catching those perfect passes. During the course of a game, you can expect there to be many errant passes. You can do the rest of your team a favor by practicing how you can best complete imperfect passes.

The key to ball well is to spread your fingers out.This will help you while dribbling. Don’t allow yourself to have your palm touch the ball either.

Understanding the opponent is key in beating a good way to shut him down on defense. Watch tapes of their games and see how others move on scouting reports. Once you start to get to know the other team, you can dial in on the best way to defend. A defender is someone who is good at his position.

A great way you can prepare for what happens on the basketball court is to avoid having your back to the ball. This keeps you aware of what is going on so you aren’t surprised. Also, keep your eyes on areas that open up on the court for an easy basket.

TIP! Make it your goal to never turn away from the ball on the court. This will help you stay on top of quick changes in possession or plays attempted by your opponent.

Build your core strength and work on your legwork when you train for basketball.Your body will be more stable and move when you have strong core muscles. Work the muscles in your abdomen, back, hip and buttocks muscles. Jump rope like the boxers do to increase your fancy footwork.

Pay attention closely to the shoulders if you’ve suddenly developed a shooting slump. When your shoulders are positioned improperly, all shots will fail. Your shoulders should always be square towards the hoop. Your dominant shoulder also be lined up with the rim.

You must know your opponent in order to be tough on defense. Watch replays and follow scouting reports. For example, you might look to see which players favor their left side and which have dominant right hands. If you know their game, you can defend against it. The more knowledgeable a defender is, the stronger he is.

TIP! Understanding the opponent is key in beating a tough defense. Watch tapes and be sure you’re paying attention to scouting reports.

You need to be quick to play good at basketball.Try to play faster than your opponents by being fast to win the game. You need to really drill to get to the point where you play quickly. Don’t attempt to play more quickly than your chances.Playing beyond your capabilities will lead to bad passes and excessive turnovers.

Practice passing while looking the other way when passing. This will make your opponents. When done properly, looking this way will make the opponents go to the wrong place so that when you pass the other person has a better chance at making a shot. It’s a play when done right.

If you’re quick on the basketball court, you have a built in advantage. Speed always gives you an edge over your opponent. Consistent, repetitive drilling is the key to speed. Don’t attempt to play more quickly than your skills allow. Playing beyond your speed cause the game to get out of control with various turnovers and errant passes.

Don’t let your feet to cross to become a hard player to pass.

Strength Training

Get someone to analyze how you play on tape. While reviewing the tape, look for opportunities you may have missed during the game. Be honest when assessing, but avoid being overly critical. This gives you an unfettered view of how you actually performed on the court, rather than relying solely on your memory of the game.

TIP! Ask someone to take a video of you playing and watch it. Do you see anything you could do differently? When looking at the tape, don’t be too critical, but be honest.

Strength training can help your skills in basketball. Stamina and strength are required for basketball excellence.Even little kids who play basketball will benefit from strength training. As players mature, they will be even better players.

You will have better ball control by bending your knees just a bit.

When doing a layup, start running using the weaker of your two feet. Jump off your left foot when you shoot using your right hand. This will keep your body properly balanced with forward momentum.

TIP! Give your layouts the most by launching from the foot that opposes the hand you are shooting with. What this practically means is that if your right hand is your shooting hand, you need to take off with your left foot.

Don’t stop dribbling until you have the chance to shoot or pass. You do not have many options after you cease dribbling.If you decide not to shoot a basket or pass the ball on, then you will have to pivot with your back foot. This leaves an opening for your opponents to double team and that means you are also more likely to get the ball stolen.

After you’ve read this, you should have some things that you’re able to practice. Practice consistently to build confidence. Remember what you’ve read here, and show everyone the player you really are.

To be a strong defender, you must have the ability to disrupt and interfere with the opponents’ plans. You should work to make your opponent feel uncomfortable. Be aggressive as you execute your moves. Keep them from deciding what moves to make. If you do, your opponent will run all over you. Instead, you move first and throw them off their game.