For years, basketball has been a popular sport all across the world. Practice drills improve your overall physical abilities while giving you specific skills to concentrate on. Using these tips will help you improve your basketball game.
Any good basketball player needs to know how to make a layup. Layups account for up to 80 percent of the shots taken during a game. When practicing this technique, run toward the goal and shoot. This method will teach you to improve your jumps and shots throughout the game.
Make sure to dribble properly. When you dribble, only use your fingertips instead of your palms. When you do this you will have more control over the ball. Keep the ball by your side as you dribble instead of right in front your body. Look up and never down at the ground.
You can play basketball solo before and during the season. While basketball is a team sport, sometimes you just can’t find others to play with. There is nothing wrong with that. Solo games can help you immensely. Work on free throws or three pointers. There’s always some work to do.
Figure out how to perfect your free throw. These shots may seem easy, but they can be quite difficult. Put this technique into practice as often as you can. Begin by bringing the ball up to eye level. Then, look at the ball and visualize it going in the basket. Shoot on the same path you saw in your mind’s eye.
Keep your eye on the ball. This will help you stay on top of quick changes in possession or plays attempted by your opponent. Pay attention to open areas for passes, too.
Crossovers are key for ball handlers. This is when you switch hands while dribbling. It has to be done fast to be effective. After doing so correctly, a crossover gives you greater control over the court’s flow.
Spreading the fingers is something you have to do to handle the ball right. That makes sure that you don’t lose the ball when you hold it. Do not allow your palm to come in contact with the ball either. When shooting or passing the ball, only your fingers should contact the ball.
Core Muscles
Focus on your footwork and your core strength in your workouts. With a stronger core, you’ll be able to balance better. You must work out your hip, back and abdomen muscles. As with boxing, you can increase footwork speed and dexterity by jumping rope.
Children who aspire to become great basketball players in high school must engage in physical fitness activities that focus on the core muscles. Core muscles include the hips, abs, and lower back. Stronger core muscles will help them be more resistant and allow them to develop many different athletic abilities. A strong core provides a center of force that can be tapped through the legs while running and jumping during games.
Having a pre-free-throw shot routine will help you become dependable at free throws. Always dribble the same way, or with the same movements. As long as this is a quick set of movements and it’s consistent, you won’t have any trouble having your body memorize what you’re doing.
Make use of hand signals so that wild passes can be avoided. Often in basketball, a player makes a pass at the exact same time the receiving player heads to another part of the court. Players should use hand signals often when available for a pass. Without a signal, there shouldn’t be a pass.
You need to put a damper in your opponent’s plan if you want to be successful with defending. Force them out of their comfort zone. An aggressive approach is an effective one for this purpose. Never allow them to decide what plays will be made. If don’t play aggressively, you opponent will run you down. You should make the initial move and throw them off.
If you slump when you shoot, look at what your shoulders are doing. If your shoulders aren’t properly positioned, your shot is not going to go in. To help improve your shot, focus on squaring up on each of your shots. Try to line your dominant shoulder up with the rim.
Workout to increase flexibility and strength in your hands and forearms. Wrist curls work well at helping you handle the ball. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can stay stationary, catch all the ball, and shoot them from that same location. Things rarely happen unless you are actually moving the basketball.
Free Throw
Dribble hard to avoid ball stealing. This means you get the ball back from your opponent faster. When closely guarding another player, cease dribbling and pass it to another play on your team that’s open.
High percentage free throw shooters typically have the same free throw routine prior to each and every shot. For example, many people touch their foreheads or tap their chest before making a free throw shot. As long as this is a quick set of movements and it’s consistent, you won’t have any trouble having your body memorize what you’re doing.
A great way to stay in a correct defensive stance is to always stay in position no matter what. Slide your feet to and fro or use your opposing foot to push off to maintain your position. Remember not to let yourself get crossed up with your feet, which will throw off your balance, making it easier to get around you.
Launch your layup jumps from the foot that is opposite the hand you shoot with. That means, if you shoot right-handed, use your left foot for taking off. Your body remains balanced while you move towards the basket.
To improve 3 point shooting, practice from NBA distance, at least. School and the international standard lines are nearer than that. When you can shoot from the NBA range, you’ll be able to shoot from farther away than the defense expects.
Build a consistent routine for your free throws. Inconsistency will ruin your shots. To better perfect free throw techniques, try using repetition via practicing one routine repeatedly. If you alter your routine then chances are the shot will not be good.
Practice dribbling as you sway your body from side to side. In the middle of a game, lots of dribbling situations will arise. While the court may be open at times, this only means you’re likely to get swarmed. This is why it’s important to switch the direction you will be dribbling. By nailing this skill, you have a better chance to avoid a turnover.
The key to great defense is being a nuisance to the player you are guarding. Make them feel uncomfortable and to where they’re second guessing their next move. Use aggression with your moves. Don’t let them choose what plays to make. If don’t play aggressively, you opponent will run you down. You need to adopt an aggressive style and react quickly so you can interrupt the patterns set by your opponents.
Be sure that you’re not double dribbling. This occurs if you restart dribbling seconds after you have stopped your original dribble. Once you stop dribbling, you choices are to either shoot or pass the ball. Resuming your dribble is not allowed. This will make a turnover occur which means the opponent will get the ball.
Improve your ball-handling by strengthening your hands and your forearms. Do some wrist curls as much as possible and your dribbling should get better. You can’t just stand and shoot for the whole game. Things rarely happen unless you are actually moving the basketball.
When coming down from a rebound catch, try to land and spread your legs wider than your shoulder span to better your balance. Place your hands on both sides of the basketball while holding it close against your chest. Make sure you don’t hit anyone else with your elbows.
Change up your pace so that you are not predictable to the offense. Plant a foot and start to straighten your body. The guard is going to think you’re starting to slow and will straighten up too. When they do, push ahead hard and outrun them.
Know the weaknesses of your game. Be completely honest with yourself. If shooting foul shots has become worse, you need to keep on practicing. Focus on playing more physically and making your short shots if that’s your weakness. Address your weak spots, and become a well-rounded player.
Practice shooting hundreds of shots during each training, and you quickly improve shooting skills. To improve even more, practice preparing for a shot quickly after dribbling the ball. Avoid looking at your target until you are in the air. That helps you boost your accuracy.
When you dribble, you want to practice bouncing the ball as hard as possible. You can get the ball to move a lot quicker by bouncing it hard, which means other players will have a hard time stealing it from you. So, never stop dribbling as hard as possible.
Keep dribbling when you’re going to switch the body’s momentum from side to side. During a game, you’ll be dribbling in all kinds of situations. The court might be wide open, but you could just as easily be swarmed by many opponents. You’ll need to learn how to dribble while your body is leaning in different directions. It can help you get out of a jam.
For more advanced players, dribbling is mental and physical. You must control the spin of the ball, the force with which it hits and the place it lands in regards to the position of your feet and legs. Change your speed and shift your body to keep defenders on their toes.
Dribble the ball below knee level. This makes it more difficult for the opposing players to get control of the ball from you. You will need to bend somewhat for this to happen, but it’ll allow you to move quickly down the court as you ward off your opponents.
Never let up on defense by keeping pressure on the player with the ball. If you stay within six feet of him, he’s only allowed to dribble or hold the ball for five seconds each. Make the opponent think about the five count instead of scoring.
When dribbling, use your other arm to create a wall between you and your opponent. You don’t want to be pushing any of your opponents (that’s a foul), but you can use that non-dribbling arm as a separator to keep the ball safe. This move helps to keep the ball protected and you in control of it.
Make sure to practice pump faking. The pump fake is an unrivaled shooting technique. When you fake the shot it causes your opponent to jump attempting to block, and when they are coming down is when you really take the shot. This may cause a foul, but this may mean free throws are in the offing.
Basketball will be easier for you and more fun when you have the best advice. Don’t stop with this article, keep looking for more information that will help to enhance your skill set. Grasp as much knowledge as you can to help simplify the game for you.
When playing basketball it is important that you always remain focused. That concept extends to practice sessions and drills alike, when it can be easy to grow distracted. Staying focused during practice as if you were in a game will make you that much sharper during game time.
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