Anyone who loves to play basketball can become obsessed with the game. Part of keeping your fans happy is giving them something to cheer about. You’re a contributor as a teammate, so be sure you practice; go hard! Some great tips follow below that can help you become a winner in the game of basketball.
While focusing on offense is fun, you must also make sure you focus on defense. Defense can make or break a basketball game. Offense gets more attention, but the team is going to lose without a strong defense.
Figure out how to perfect your free throw. As easy as these shots may seem, they are rather hard. Use good technique when shooting foul shots. Start by holding your ball before your face. Focus on the basket and picture the ball slipping into the net. Next, shoot with just the trajectory you saw.
Be sure to dribble correctly every time. When dribbling the basketball, use your fingertips rather than the palm of your hand. Using your fingers allows you to better control the basketball. Dribble to your body’s side instead of doing it out front, and bounce the ball at your waist’s level. Don’t look at the ground, always keep your eyes focused forward.
One of the most important skills when playing basketball is balance. Sometimes you’ll see professional players fall out of bounds while making a shot from afar, but this doesn’t work at all times. This kind of improvisation is the result of years of practice and loads of ability. 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.
Practice hitting your free throws. As easy as these shots may seem, they are rather hard. Use good technique when shooting foul shots. Start by holding your ball before your face. Look at the basket and imagine the ball going in it. Then, shoot the ball using the trajectory you pictured.
Pay attention to what you are good at. 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.
Make sure you dribble properly by keeping your head held up, facing forward. If you are looking at the ball for any reason while dribbling, you have not put in enough practice. Bring the ball no matter where you go. Dribble as you walk down the street. Paying attention to the ball means you’re not paying attention to the rest of the game.
A great way to learn how to pass is by doing drills often with no dribbling. It is quite challenging to play the game without dribbling, but it does make sure you and your teammates make accurate passes. Don’t get too frustrated if you’re having a hard time when you start because after a while passes are going to be more accurate.
Your balance is an important aspect to consider when you are shooting. Your knees should be bent with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders. This is simply an improvised move. If you have correct balance when you are making a shot, you will make more consistent baskets over time.
Jump shooters should not also be iron pumpers. Muscle strength is great for any position in basketball, you can have too much when it comes to perimeter play. Some overzealous shooting guards buffed up too much, and it had an adverse effect on their overall field goal percentages.
Observing what the professionals do can be a great way to improve your game. Attend as many professional games as you can, watch the pros on TV, or watch video of professionals. This is a great way to learn new techniques to try out on the court.
Do you want to fool the other team? Give the back pass a try! To properly perform this pass you will need to have the ball in your dominant hand. Then, move the basketball around your rear. The last step is to flick your wrist in the direction you want the ball to move. It can be a dangerous maneuver that catches the other team off guard.
You should practice pass catching regularly. You should practice catching errant passes, along with perfectly executed ones. This will help to improve your game when it gets intense. By learning to catch errant passes, you will do your team a great favor.
Making a pass from between your legs is sometimes a good option when the opposing team is right on top of you. Go forwards and backwards with the ball to practice bouncing it. Once you get the move down, you can use it to gain a tactical advantage.
Want to make the other team not know what’s going on? You should try a back pass. To do a back pass, begin by grasping the basketball using your dominant hand. The next step is pull the basketball behind the back. The last step is to flick your wrist in the direction you want the ball to land. It’s a great way to trick your opposing team.
Practice passing while looking the opposite direction. This will confuse your opponents. If you do it right, the look makes members of the opposing team look in the wrong direction, which gives the person to whom you passed the ball plenty of time to make the shot. Practicing this pass can really help to give your team the winning edge.
If you post up, you need to use good footwork to get open and make sure you get a good shot. Although a strong presence in the key is important, beating your opponent to good spots on the floor is more important. Once you have gotten into position, secure your spot. Footwork, therefore, is crucial.
To dribble the ball better, it is important that you practice dribbling with the hand that’s weaker. Using both hands to dribble makes you a more effective player, especially when you’re trying to get past your opponent. Tie the main hand you use behind your back so that you have to use the weak hand. You will quickly strengthen your non-dominant hand for dribbling.
To generate consistency with layups, leap from the opposite foot from the hand you use to shoot. Thus, if you tend to shoot with the right hand, make sure to jump off with the left. This will keep your body properly balanced with forward momentum.
You need good vision if you are going to play basketball. This isn’t just so you can read the scoreboard and be able to make shots and catch passes. Your peripheral vision should be up to par. If you scan the entire court, not just the location of the ball, it is possible to anticipate defense moves in advance and see which teammates are open.
Practice dribbling with your weaker hand. If you use both your hands to dribble, it is easier to control. Make an effort to dribble with your weak hand by keeping your dominant hand away from the front. Eventually, your weak hand will be trained to dribble properly.
Don’t break out of defensive stance always remain in the proper defensive position. Slide both feet side to side, or just push off using the opposite foot. Never cross your feet and your opponents will find you a difficult player.
To get a rebound of a free throw that one of your teammates is taking, you need to be sly with your feet. The defender below you will be moving toward you, so find a way to slip around him and get to the ball. This technique will help you rebound the ball without getting a foul called on you.
Strength Training
Dribble hard if you don’t want the ball taken from you. A hard dribble returns the ball back to you faster, leaving less chance of it being snatched by the other team. When someone is right on top of you, pass the ball instead of dribbling.
Strength training can be a major help in basketball. When you play basketball you need a lot of stamina and strength to keep going through the entire game. Even kids can benefit by getting stronger through exercise. Adding weights in stronger increments is effective as the child becomes a teenager. As an adult, strength training becomes vital in order to play your best basketball.
You can strengthen you weaker hand by using it as much as possible, for instance open jars or even brush your teeth. These tasks help to make your weaker hand feel more natural when you use it on the court. This will begin to spill over into your basketball game as well.
Always stay low when playing defensively. This helps you jump fast and react quickly. Always maintain a defensive position during game play. If you need to leave your feet in order to prevent your opponent from shooting the ball, quickly get back into that good defensive position.
To become a better three-point shooter, make sure you attempt shots from where the NBA three-point line would be. All other distance lines, high school, college and International, are not as far. You are less likely to be guarded, the farther you are from the basket.
You should always have your free hand between you and your opponent when dribbling the ball. Be careful not to push your opponent or you may get a foul. Keep it up and dribble with your other hand.
To enhance your skills at shooting the ball from the outside, run drills every day from different locations on the court. Taking quick shots during practice will help you during the game when the pressure is on. Look at your target while you’re in the air, but not before that. Doing so allows you to move more precisely and with greater accuracy.
Switching up your dribbling rhythm can really throw the defense off. You can for instance suddenly speed up your dribbling to get past an opponent and get the edge you need for a shot. Not only the speed change, but the sound change is what confuses them most.
Keep the action beneath your knees, if you can. This will make your opponent struggle to steal the ball from you. You need to bend a bit more for this to succeed, but you will be able to traverse the court rapidly while keeping opponents at bay.
Clearly, many things exist that can help bolster your game. Being good contributes to an overall better team, and that is what leads to lots of happy fans. Many people have a part in basketball, even if they are just cheering in the crowd. Players have to work hard to better their game. Become a better team player by following the suggestions provided here.
If a shooter is located at a corner, their missed attempt is likely to waft to the opposite side. If this is the case, you need to guess where it will end up and catch the rebound as a result.
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