Want To Improve Your Basketball Game? Try These Tips!

Do you want to learn more about the popular game of basketball? You are certainly not alone!Lots of folks watch basketball without really understanding the pro’s.Read this article to learn some basic tips that you can use.

It’s easy to focus on offense when learning to play, but your practice time would be better spent on defense. Defense is what keep the other team from scoring. Offense gets attention and praise, but when you lack good defense, any team can lose.

TIP! Make sure you are dribbling the right way. Don’t use your palm to dribble.

You need to keep your balance when you shoot. While the all-time greats have shown time and time again how they can shoot while off-kilter, this is not appropriate for most people. You need to be balanced properly if you’re going to be making shots, which is sure to produce greater consistency.

Learn how to throw proper bounce pass. A bounce pass that’s good is going to end up hitting the receiving player near their waist. A good estimation is to target the ball to bounce at about 3/4 of the distance to the recipient. There are other factors you have to think about too, as well.

Watch how the pros play basketball. Attend as many professional games as you can, watch the pros on TV, or watch video of professionals. Watch great players to learn the specific skills that make them exceptional.

TIP! Would you like to completely fool the opposing team, making them look silly? Try the back pass. Hold the ball using your dominant hand.

Would you like to fool the other team? Try using a back pass. Hold the ball using your writing hand. This should make it easy to trick to confuse the other team.

Play basketball against yourself in and out of season. Even though basketball is usually played with teams, you can still practice on your own. You can accomplish a lot when playing solo. You can work on pivots and free throws or pivot moves. There is no shortage of things that can be done.

If you have a kid that wants to play basketball in high school, be sure they’re working on their core muscles. Core muscles are comprised of the hips, lower back, and abdominal muscles. The core muscles link lower and upper extremities. Without a strong core, they won’t have strong athletic performances. A strong core helps the legs move better, like jumping higher and running faster.

The key to ball well is to spread your fingers out.This can help you to remain in control of the ball. Don’t let your palm touching the ball either.

Build your core strength and focus on your footwork. Your body will retain balance and move more quickly when your core muscles. Focus on the back, abdomen, and back muscles. Jump rope can be used to speed up your fancy footwork.

Have other players give you information about what they think are your strengths and weaknesses. Do you have an area where you excel? Maybe you are nimble or you are reliably there to support them. See what others view as your own natural skills, then be sure you retain and develop them more.

TIP! Make sure your fingers are apart from one another when dribbling. This can help you to remain in control of the ball at all times.

Pay close attention to your shoulders if you’re starting to slump when you shoot. If you do not have your shoulders positioned properly, your shot is not going to go in. Your shoulders need to be squared up towards the basket. The shoulder that is dominant should be perfectly aligned with the rim.

To become a better free throw shooter, make sure to keep a consistent pre-shot routine. This may mean you want to dribble three times, bend your knees, touch your forehead, or any other movement. This routine will help you make your free throws, increasing your chance to make shot after shot.

Always be aware of where you have your feet and what you are going to do with them next. An errant toe to the baseline while holding the ball will result in an “out of bounds” call. If you take too many steps and don’t dribble, then you are walking. Moving your feet as you are setting a screen or pick usually results in you being called for a foul.

TIP! Have your games taped so you can play them back later and observe your court presence. Looking at tapes can help you identify strengths and weaknesses.

To maximize your layups, take off from the foot opposite your shooting hand. This will keep your body and allows you to use yourself as a barrier between the defender and yourself.

You must disrupt and upset the play of your opponent’s game when you’re playing defense. Don’t let your opponent get comfortable. Be aggressive as you execute.Do not allow them to choose their plays.

A good way to develop ball handling skills is to make your forearms and hands stronger. For example, you can improve dribbling skills by adding wrist curls to your routine. Don’t just think you can place yourself in one spot, wait for the ball then hoist up a shot. You have to get the ball around, too.

Don’t allow your feet get crossed and it will have difficulty getting around you.

Strength and flexibility training can improve your skills in basketball. Stamina and strength are required for basketball excellence.Even younger kids that play will benefit from the game. As they become adolescents, weight training can begin.

Never break your defensive stance when playing ball. Keep your feet moving to each side or push your opposing foot off so you can keep yourself in position. Keep your body constantly facing toward your opponent in order to ensure the best possible defense.

TIP! Keep your knees loose when you dribble the ball. Standing straight makes it hard to control the ball.

You have to practice hard every day if you desire to step up your outside shooting skills by practicing with shots from different spots on the court. This is a good way to simulate game conditions and increase accuracy.

Don’t cease dribbling until you are ready to pass or shoot. You do not have many options after you after you stop dribbling. If you cannot pass or shoot, then you will have to pivot with your back foot. This makes you open up to people that want to double team and try get the ball stolen.

Until the moment you are prepared to shoot or pass, you must dribble constantly. If you stop, you limit your options. Basically the only move you have at this point is to pivot while finding an opening to move the ball. The opposition will cling onto you like a magnet.

TIP! Double dribbling is a huge no-no. To keep from double dribbling, simply refrain from starting to dribble a second time after you have already stopped dribbling once in that same possession.

The opposing team will have a difficult time separating the basketball from you. This also allows you to cover large distances across the court, but just move quickly down the court as you thwart the opposition.

In conclusion, you probably enjoy basketball but did not know a lot about it before reading this article. However, after you’ve gathered additional knowledge about the game through this article, maybe you feel like getting out on the court and being a pro yourself. Start up a game and start using these tips.

When you’ve got the ball, you must know when to take a shot, and then when you should pass it to another player who’s got a better shot. It is far better to contribute to the winning shot than be the only person involved in the shot that lost the game.