The love that many people have for this game cannot be overstated. The more you know about the sport, the more enjoyment you’ll get out of watching or playing it. Read this article to gain the knowledge that will make watching or playing the game more fun.
Practice your defense more than your offense. Basketball games are won because of good defense. While offensive players sometimes seem like the stars of the show, it is the efforts of defensive players that allow them to shine.
You must have good balance to shoot well. Everyone has seen professional basketball players make a shot from 20 feet away as they are falling. Taking a shot when you are off balance will probably lead to a turnover. You need to be balanced properly if you’re going to be making shots, so that over time you’ll be able to always hit the basket.
Learn to correctly dribble the ball. Use fingertips to dribble. This gives you the best ball control. Always dribble to your side, not your front. Instead of focusing on the ground, gaze upward.
Learn how a bounce pass is thrown. If done properly, the pass will land near waist level with the opposite player. One thing you should do is always remember the ball should be bounced three quarters on its way towards the person you’re passing too. There are other things to keep in mind, though.
Know your strengths and they’ll help you become a better player. Even though your best abilities might not make you stand out each game, it is sure to help you contribute to the overall success of the team. Figure out what you do well at and then you can practice that until you perfect it.
Free Throw
Keep practicing your layups. Eighty percent of the shots taken in a game are layups. When you practice, be sure to run at the goal with full speed, jumping and shooting in a smooth series of motions. Drill the jumping technique regularly so you can do layups very smoothly and always stay in control of where the ball is going.
Free throws require both mental and physical abilities. You are able to train your hands and legs to free throw well, but if you think you will fail, you will. Stay calm and collected to increase your free throw percentage.
In order to help you improve your basketball acumen you should watch how the pros play. Get tickets to some pro games, if possible, or catch some games on television. 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.
Frequently train yourself on your pass catching moves. Don’t just work on waist-level, perfect passes, though, work on receiving tougher passes as well. In the middle of a heated game, not all attempted passes will go exactly where you want them to go. Cover for your teammates’ errant passes by developing the hands to cover their mistakes.
One good way to learn good passing is drill often without dribbling. It is tough to play when not dribbling, but your accuracy is sure to inprove. This may be hard and frustrating at first, but as you get the hang of it your entire team will begin to excel at passing.
Before, during and after the season, play out games by yourself. These skills all help with muscle memory so you know just what to do when you’re playing in a game. That is okay. In solo games, you can accomplish quite a bit. You can practice many different techniques, such as your free throw routine. There’s always some work to do.
The key for controlling the ball well is to spread your fingers. That makes sure that you don’t lose the ball when you hold it. Keep your palm off the ball too. You should only let the fingers touch the ball during passing or shooting.
Core Muscles
Making a pass from between your legs is sometimes a good option when the opposing team is right on top of you. Bounce the ball very hard through your legs while stepping to the front or the back. Mastering this technique can give you a significant advantage.
If you have a high school level basketball player for a kid, be sure their core muscles are properly trained. Core muscles are comprised of the hips, lower back, and abdominal muscles. The core links together all of the extremities and if it isn’t strong, they will be dealing with a limited athletic ability. If your core is solid, you will have greater strength in your legs. This helps with fast running and high jumping.
You must disrupt your opponent’s game when you’re playing defense. Don’t let your opponent get comfortable out there on the court. An aggressive approach is an effective one for this purpose. You don’t want the defense choosing your plays so to speak. If you do, your opponent will run all over you. Try to interrupt their game plan by taking charge and controlling the tempo.
In order to get a good shot, you must use good footwork. Focus on positioning yourself more quickly than the opposing player is just as important as having someone beneath the hoop. Once you’re in position, you also need to secure your spot. Good footwork is key to a good basketball game.
Perform exercises to strengthen the muscles in your forearms and hands in order to maximize your ability to handle the ball. Wrist curls are great for working wrist muscles and improving your dribbling. Don’t assume that you are able to just stand anywhere, catch the ball and shoot it. You have to be ready to move fast and change directions on a dime.
If you’re injured in a basketball game, don’t attempt to play while in pain. This is a physically challenging game, so you may end up hurt much worse. Trying to play while injured will just make your situation worse. See a doctor if the injury is serious enough.
Good footwork can really help you to get those rebounds. The defender in your path will be moving at you, so be sure you’re thinking of how to get past that defender. Then you gain the ball without the foul.
Study you opponent well to give yourself an edge. You should be look at scouting reports, practicing techniques and watch tapes. Also know which is their dominant and weak hands. Your defensive game will be a lot more effective after you get to know your opponent. Knowledge can make you a strong defender.
Stay low when you play defense. This will help you be quicker on the jump and react to the man in front of you easier. Stay in your defensive stance. If you need to block someone’s shot, quickly get back into your stance.
Make sure you know what is going on with your feet. This can help you avoid going out of bounds or making a bad pass. In addition, if you move your feet and you don’t dribble, you will be called for walking. Moving either of your feet when setting a pick, screen, or even take a charge will result in a foul.
Keep dribbling when you’re going to switch the body’s momentum from side to side. This will happen during games frequently. Perhaps you will have open court; however, you might have bunches of opposing team members all around you. You have to figure out how you can dribble while you’re working with your body leaning. Not being able to do this leaves you open for the ball to be stolen.
Videotape your games to see what you do right and wrong. You may see things differently as you observe the game and notice things you missed in the game. Don’t be too critical, but do be honest. Analyze your skills honestly so you can become the player you want to be.
Having good communication on the court with teammates is a great way to play. You are sure to understand that it takes teamwork to play basketball. Playing with the same teammates often helps you understand what they are thinking. Everyone should help each other. When everyone works together, you can play better as a team.
Consistency in your approach is vital to becoming solid at free throws. Focus on your shot and eliminate all outside distractions. 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.
Practice various shots from various places on the court. The first thing to do is to practice on your balance and your grip. You’re much more accurate if you are balanced well. There is valve located on the basketball which you can use as guide for your grip. Spread the fingers of your dominant hand and put the center of your hand over the valve located at the center of the basketball.
You need to work on your forearms and your hands to handle the ball more efficiently. Curling your wrists also help you improve your own dribbling. Don’t think you can just go somewhere on the court, catch a ball and then make a successful shot. You must move the ball to have things happen.
It is necessary to be capable of altering the path of your opponent. This is an ability you need on both defense and offense, since you get to control where your opponent goes in either case. This will allow you to determine the outcome of the game.
Sly feet will help you get the rebound of your team mates free throw. Defenders will start to move at you, so you need to get around them to grab the ball. This allows you to grab the rebound legally.
Be careful not to double-dribble. Double dribbling happens when you’ve stopped dribbling once, and then start again a few seconds later. If you have stopped dribbling, you’ll need to either shoot or pass the ball. You’re not allowed to start dribbling again. If you do, you are committing a turnover, and the other team will get the ball.
Improve your shooting skills by taking hundreds of different shots from all angles and distances. You should also practice starting with a dribble and then taking a shot. Try to keep from looking at the rim until you are getting ready to release the ball. This simulates what actually happens in a game and improves your accuracy.
When you come back down to earth from a rebound, try to land so that your legs are spread out wider than your shoulders to give your balance a boost. Make sure that your hands are on both sides of the basketball, and that you hold it close to your chest. Watch that your elbows don’t hit an opponent or a foul will be called.
Use your hand to create a barrier between the ball and your opponent. You can’t push with that arm, but it can serve as an obstacle that helps keep your opponent from reaching in. Keep this hand up as you’re dribbling the ball with the other.
Use your opponent’s weakness to your advantage, especially if they’re ball dominant with one hand. If that player is right-handed, move in the player’s direction on your left foot. This will force the player to switch hands. Stay low and be prepared to block a shot or intercept a pass.
Basketball is truly unrivaled when it comes to excitement for fans. That said, knowing the game is key to really enjoying it. This article is going to help you better understand the game of basketball.
If you guard someone that bigger than you are, try staying between the person with the ball and them. This will stop them from being open for a pass, ensuring that they don’t get the ball as they would likely be able to shoot it right over you.
About The Author
