What You’ve Always Wanted To Know About Basketball

The first time you stepped on the basketball can be a surprising treat! You learned how to dribble the ball around from player to basket. You might feel like you’ve mastered the game right about now. The tips below will teach you that there’s much more to learn.

When dribbling, your head must be up, and you need to look forward. Looking at your ball when you dribble indicates that you haven’t practiced enough. Always have a basketball handy. Keep dribbling the ball even while you’re doing your errands. Get used to looking up as you go so that you can focus your attention on the court and not on your hands and the ball.

TIP! Make sure you are looking forward and looking up as you’re dribbling. You haven’t practiced enough if you keep looking at the basketball while you’re dribbling.

Focus on your strong point to help you become a better at basketball.Your best talent may not make you the star of every game, but knowing how to play the best angles can help you give more to your team. Know your strengths and keep practicing until you have perfected them.

Free throws are mental and physical abilities. Relax your mind and focus on the hoop.

You must learn how to dribble, how a crossover is done and other important ball handling skills. A crossover means moving the ball between your hands. It has to be done fast to be effective. One done the right way, the crossover dribble can help you change directions and get down the court more efficiently.

Practice catching often. You and your team mates will be happier if you can best complete imperfect passes.

Never try to push through an injury. Basketball is challenging physical sport and you can get hurt. Trying to continue playing even if you’ve got discomfort can make your situation worse. See a physician if the injury is serious enough.

Passing quickly without dribbling is a great way to practice. It is quite challenging to play the game without dribbling, but it does make sure you and your teammates make accurate passes. Try not to lose yourself in frustration if you do not master it immediately, with the more time that passes with you and your team practicing, the more accurate they will become.

TIP! You may have better luck honing your passing skills if you forgo dribbling during practice. It is hard to play basketball without dribbling, and demands accurate passing and teamwork, so it will be a challenge.

You need to be quick to play good at basketball.Try playing faster than the opponents for an advantage. You will have to be steady as you play quickly.But do not try to go even faster than you actually are. Playing beyond your speed can result in bad passes and errant passes.

Free Throws

If you are good at shooting the ball then the last thing you want to do is lift weights. Perimeter players don’t need the muscle strength that is necessary for other team members. As a shooting guard, having bulky arm muscles can actually reduce the number of successful shots.

TIP! Don’t pump a lot of iron if you wish to become a jump shooter. Strong muscles are certainly useful for basketball, but you can overdo it if you plan to play on the perimeter.

A consistent pre-shot routine will help you to achieve great free throws. If you’re not consistent then you’ll find yourself missing free throws. The simplest way to make sure you’re doing great at shooting free throws is through constant repetitive motions when shooting the same routines time and again.

Practice dribbling with your weak hand when it comes to dribbling. Tie your dominant hand behind your back and force yourself only use your weak hand. You will improve dribbling with your non-dominant hand for dribbling.

What do your teammates admire about your skills? Are you really good at any one thing? Perhaps you have an excellent understanding of defensive strategies or you are the fastest player on your team. You can learn a lot about your skills by knowing how others see you on the court.

TIP! You should ask your teammates about your strengths and weaknesses. Can they tell you what you’re really good at? Continue to develop the skills that play into your natural abilities.

You need to constantly disrupt your opponent if you want to be successful as a defensive player. Don’t let them get comfortable out there on the court. Be aggressive in the moves you execute your moves. Don’t let them to control the game.

Your forearms and hands should be strengthened if you to handle the ball better. Wrist curls are great for bettering your ball handling skills. You can’t just stand in one place and shoot for the whole game. You need to be able to move the ball to have things happen.

It is important to be aware of the location of your feet and just what they are up to. If you slide onto the baseline, you will lose the ball for being out of bounds. If you travel without dribbling, you’re going to get yourself into a turnover situation. Being aware of your body movements can give you an advantage on the court.

TIP! You want to always be aware of foot placement and what you’re doing. You want to make sure you don’t step over the bounds by even a teeny bit.

Good footwork can really help you get those rebounds. The defender may be coming toward you, the better you chance of grabbing the rebound.This allows you a rebound without having to commit a foul.

Dribble hard to make it less likely for the ball being stolen. If you are being guarded closely, you should cease dribbling and pass the ball to an open member of your team.

Have your games taped so you can play them back later and observe your court presence. Are you able to see what you’ve missed or things that you could improve on? When looking at the tape, don’t be too critical, but be honest. Sometimes, it helps a lot to see yourself as you really are and not as just you imagine yourself to be.

Take every charge if you can.

Don’t let your feet to cross and it will have difficulty getting around you.

In order to be more reliable shooting free throws, practice your routine. For example, you might tug your ear, dribble three times, or flex your wrists. As long as it’s quick, using a consistent routine can help your body retain the memory to make those shots after your “ritual.”

TIP! To become a reliable free throw shooter, always go through the same routine before each shot. This can be any combination of movements that makes you feel comfortable and prepare for the shot.

Changing up your pace can help you have to do to make sure the offense is paying attention. When you running towards the basket, straighten up while planting the front foot. The guard may think you’ve slowed down and will also straighten themselves. When that happens, push ahead hard and outrun them.

Then your defending guards should run to the point guard and trap him in place. Your forwards should then go cover the player on both sides.The point guard will toss a pass that can be easily be stolen by your forwards.

To dribble the ball better, it is important that you practice dribbling with the hand that’s weaker. You will be able to get past your opponent more easily if you can use either hand to dribble the ball. Tie the main hand you use behind your back so that you have to use the weak hand. Soon enough you will develop those weak hand dribbling skills.

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

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 try using your non-dribbling arm like a separator for keeping the ball safe. Keep it up a little bit while you dribble with your other hand.

Being a successful defensive player means upsetting and disrupting your opponent’s play. Force them into an uncomfortable zone. Be assertive and focused within the rules, aggressively keeping your player off balance. Don’t let your opponent decide their own plays. If you allow this, they will run over you. You should make the initial move and throw them off.

TIP! Being a good defensive player means disrupting the game of your opponent. Make them uncomfortable.

With everything you learned here, you can do anything. Set reasonable goals and practice regularly to become the best player possible. Put putting these tips to use, along with your plan, you will notice the difference in your game.