Basketball has been around for decades; it is both fun and a great competitive sport. Becoming a good basketball player takes practice and plenty of practice.Reading this article in full will provide you with the knowledge you need, so keep reading.
Always keep your head up when dribbling instead of focusing on the ball. By focusing your sight on the ball, you cannot be fully aware of your surroundings. Bring the ball no matter where you go. You can practice dribbling when you have to walk to the store. If you’re looking at the basketball, you won’t be able to see what is coming at you.
Focus on your strong point to help you become a better at basketball.Your talent might not make you a star; however, but knowing how to play the best angles can help you give more to your team. Know your strengths and practice them until there is no one better than you.
Do not practice solely against the zone defense. Most of the game is played in zone, but the other team might decide to surprise you and do some man-to-man coverage.If you have not practiced enough on this scenario, you may lose the match fast.
Play solo basketball in the months leading up to the season, as well as during the season itself. Though basketball is surely a team sport, there may be times when you have nobody to play against. It’s okay! You can still accomplish a lot when playing solo. Practice pivoting or doing free throws. There is no shortage of things you can do.
Don’t pump too much iron if you want to be good as a jump shooter. Muscle is good, but there is such a thing as too much. Some pro shooting guards made their upper body to the point of harming their field goals.
Pay attention to your shoulders if you’ve suddenly developed a shooting slump. If you do not have your shoulders positioned properly, your shot is not going to go in. Keep your shoulders squared with the basket. Your shooting arm’s shoulder also be lined up perfectly with the rim.
Talk to your teammates and find out what they like about your game. You may have a certain skill that you have perfected. Perhaps you have good dribbling skills or maybe your footwork is enviable. Learn what other’s see as your natural skills and make sure to keep and develop those skills more fully.
Always know where you’re placing your feet are and what they are doing.
Don’t let your feet to cross to become a hard to get around you.
If your opponent is pressing hard, you can give yourself some room to work by dribbling the ball between your legs. This will make it very hard for your defender to get it. If you can master this move, it will give you quite the advantage when you are on the court.
Always stay low when you are playing defense. This helps you be quicker on the jump quicker and let you react to the man in front of you easier. Maintain proper defensive stance no matter what. If you need to block someone’s shot, get back into formation as fast as you can.
You will gain a lot of ball control with bent knees.
Stay on top of your footwork when attempting a rebound. Your defender will move towards you, so figure out how to slither past him and grab the ball. Doing this lets you get a rebound freely and not commit a foul in the process.
Use the hand you aren’t dribbling with to create a barrier between the ball and the opponent. You can’t push with that arm, but you can hold your arm out gently. Keep it up as you’re dribbling the ball with the other.
Do off court exercises that will assist you in becoming a better player. Sprinting will help you develop speed, while running for long distances can assist you in making it through the whole game. Lifting weights and doing resistance training is going to help you get more muscle.The aggression and confidence helps you get from this can also assist you more than anything when shooting.
In basketball, strength is important, so do strength training. It is impossible to succeed if you lack endurance and strength. Even little kids who play basketball will develop more overall body strength. As they grow and become teenagers, weight-lifting can be beneficial. As an adult, a player must continue strength training for optimum performance.
Keep your dribbling consistent until the time you want to confuse your opponent off guard. Changing your pace can take the other player by surprise and give you an advantage.
Figure out where it will land to grab the ball.
Try to contain the action to the area below your knees. This prevents your opponents from stealing the ball. You need to bend a bit more for this to succeed, but you will be able to traverse the court rapidly while keeping opponents at bay.
Make a strong team environments off and on the basketball court. Basketball is something that work together well can take the game to a new level. When you trust your teammates, you can accomplish a lot more on the court.
You need to learn how to change the path of your opponent’s personal path. Whether you’re playing offense or defense, make other players do what you want. This will let you go where you are going rather than letting them decide.
Always know the angles the ball is likely to take if it misses a goal. Anticipate where the ball lands and grab the rebound.
As you come down from catching a rebound, improve your balance by spreading your legs wider than your shoulder span as you land. Keep your elbows out to protect the ball and keep it close to your chest tightly. Keep your elbows in so you don’t cause a foul.
When guarding a player who exceeds you in size, be sure you stay in between that person and the player with the ball.This will limit their ability to pass the ball right over your head.
If you find yourself guarding against a large opponent, just stay in between the ball and them. This prevents any easy passes that can go over your head.
Once you know the right basketball information, everything else falls into place. Keep reading other resources so you can build up your game skills. The next time you are on the court, think back to what you’ve just read.