Basketball is an extremely popular sports in the world. Whether is it the watching the championships, playing on a team of your own or just shooting hoops in your own yard, basketball will always be around. The following article has excellent tips that will show you become an even better player.
Make it a point to concentrate on both your defensive and offensive skills. Focusing only on offense does not make you a well-rounded player. In the end, it’s defense that consistently wins you games. Offense receives all the glory, but it is nothing without the best defense.
Make sure you are dribbling the ball correctly. Don’t use your palm, but use your fingertips instead. This will give you to control of the ball.
Learn how to hit a free throw. Practice a lot with the following technique.Start with the basketball right before your face. Keep your eyes on the goal and visualize the ball going through the hoop. Then shoot! Shoot the ball with the trajectory you imagined.
Improving your balance means improving your shots. While some NBA players are able to launch a ball to the net mid-fall, this is not appropriate for most people. They are not doing it right. Non-professionals should focus on having good balance to ensure good shots. As time passes, you will make more and more baskets with this method.
Bounce Pass
Learn how to throw a proper bounce pass is thrown. A useful bounce pass will hit the receiving player near their waist. A useful tip is to have the ball to bounce at about 3/4 of the distance that the receiving player is. There are many factors which come into play, however.
Watch how the pros play basketball. Go to professional games in person and/or watch them online or on TV. You will quickly notice all the different skills that they have which makes them a great player, then take what you learned and use it to help improve your own game.
Practice catching often. You can do the rest of your team mates will be happier if you can best complete imperfect passes.
Don’t pump a lot of iron if you plan on being a jump shooter. Muscle strength is great for any position in basketball, but there is such a thing as too much. Some shooting guards increase their field goals.
If your shooting is suffering, take a close look at your shoulders. When your shoulders are not properly positioned, then it is almost impossible to perform at your best. Keep your shoulders square to the hoop. The dominant shoulder must be perfectly aligned with the rim.
Play basketball against yourself even during the season and before it. Even if you can’t get a bunch of people together to play, practicing alone can be helpful. There is still much that can accomplish playing on your own. Work on your free throws and pivot moves. There are many things you can do.
This will involve their lower back, the lower back, and hips. A strong core provides a player generate force that can be tapped through the legs while running and jumping during games.
For more consistency in making those free throws, stick with the same sequence of motions before you take each shot. This might mean that you dribble the ball twice, bend your knees, touch your forehead, or any other movement. Having a consistent routine is ideal, and that helps train your body to know how to be in the proper position every time you shoot the free throw.
Good footwork is essential to escaping coverage and putting yourself in position to take a vital part of basketball.You always want to beat your opponent to the opposing playing to an open spot. Once you find a spot, secure your spot. Both skills rely on solid footwork.
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 doctor if you think your injury is serious.
You need to constantly disrupt your opponents in order to be a great defensive player. Do not allow your opponent to become comfortable with their style, or yours. Use aggression with your moves. You don’t want the defense choosing your plays so to speak. If don’t play aggressively, you opponent will run you down. Try to interrupt their game plan by taking charge and controlling the tempo.
Never turn away from the ball so that you can always be prepared for anything in a basketball game. This will help you stay on top of the court and lowers chances for surprises from turnovers and quick changes in possession or plays attempted by your opponent. Keep your eyes open for easy shots.
Pay attention to your shoulders if you’ve suddenly developed a shooting slump. If you do not have your shoulders positioned properly, you may not be able to make the shots. Keep your shoulders square to the basket at all times. Your shooting arm’s shoulder should also be lined up with the rim.
Good footwork will help you get rebounds off your teammates’ foul shots. The person defending the position down-court from you will be coming at you, so you need to find any way you can to slide around him that gets you to the ball. Now you can achieve a proper rebound and not commit a foul.
Ask a friend to record your games so that you playing and watch it. Are you able to see missed opportunities or ways in which you could improve on? Be honest in your assessment but don’t be too harsh.
As you have learned, there are many ways to improve your game. Many require nothing more than a commitment to practicing them often. It’s important to practice to become the best you can be at basketball. Regardless of whether or not you play on a team or a playground, these tips will make your game better.
When you dribble, bend your knees. Opposing players can steal the ball more easily if you stand up straight because you can’t control the ball as well. Slightly bending your knees improves ball control significantly.