If you’ve ever dreamed of being a great basketball player, you should be aware that it will take lots of practice and dedication. Even if your goal is to just have fun, you’ll still want to be a good player. By following the tips here, you can improve your game.
A lot of novice players mostly focus on their offensive skills, but developing good defensive skills will help you become a better player. Defense can make or break a basketball game. While everyone focuses on shots made, a good defense can kill the chances of even an amazing shot taker.
Practice your free throw shot. There are usually a lot of distractions when you are shooting free throws so you need to concentrate. Practice frequently using these techniques. Put your weaker hand in front of the ball and center your stronger hand over the air valve in the basketball. Keep looking towards the goal and think about the ball getting into that goal. You should then shoot and try following the trajectory you visualized.
Knowing how to perform a crossover is a must when you handle the basketball frequently. Crossovers involve sending the basketball from one of your hands over to the other one. Crossovers must be done quickly to keep defenders at bay. If done correctly, a good crossover helps you get past your opponent and to the rim.
To improve your game, concentrate on your strong points. Your talent might not make you a star; however, learning your strengths will help you become a better team player. Understand your strengths and use it to your advantage to help your team win!
Watching the pros can help you pick up on certain skills for improving your game. 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.
Successful free throwing requires as much mental skill as it does physical skill. You must be mentally strong to be a consistent free throw shooter. Be relaxed and concentrate on the basket and you will help you make more free throws.
Prior to basketball season, and even during it, you can play solo games. Even if you can’t get a bunch of people together to play, you can still practice on your own. That’s OK! Solo games can help you immensely. Practice free throws and work on pivot moves. There are many things you can work on.
Professional Games
When avoiding errant passes, use hand signals. It can be frustrating passing to a teammate when you’re both heading to the basket. You can get around that when you use hand signals, if a player can receive a pass. If the signal is absent, do not pass to that player.
Be sure to watch professional games to learn some great tips and tricks to improve your game. Go to professional games in person and/or watch them online or on TV. You will see that each great player has certain skills that make him great and you can practice what you see him doing.
Spread your fingers out to handle the ball properly. This can help you to remain in control of the ball at all times. Additionally, the palm of your hand should not come into contact with the ball. Fingers need to be the only thing that touches the ball when you shoot it or pass it.
If you want to take jump shots, don’t spend time pumping iron. It’s possible to have excessive muscles when you play the perimeter. If your arms are too big, your field goal percentage will go down.
Understanding the opponent is key in beating a tough defense. Watch tapes and stay up on scouting reports. Pay attention to dominant hands. Knowing an opponent’s dribbling, passing and shooting styles gives you a definite edge on defense. Strong defenders are knowledgeable defenders.
When it is not basketball season, keep in practice by shooting baskets and practicing your skills. Basketball is usually a team sport, but just because you can’t find others, doesn’t mean you have to just stop thinking about it. Don’t fret! You can still accomplish a lot when playing solo. Work on free throws or practice pivot moves. Additionally, you can practice vertical jumping and dribbling.
To become a better free throw shooter, use the same routine prior to every shot. Always dribble the same way, or with the same movements. If you make your routine consistent, your body will eventually know how to make the shot every time.
If posting up is what you’re doing, you have to have good footwork to get open for a shot. Getting a great position under the goal is the most important. After positioning yourself on the court, make sure that you are secure. Good solid footwork will help you develop the skills you need for success.
If you wish to shoot free throws better, you have to have a routine that’s consistent. If you are inconsistent then your shot will be off. Free throw shooting is best improved by lengthy sessions of repetitive practice. If you alter your routine then chances are the shot will not be good.
A great way you can prepare for what happens on the basketball court is to avoid having your back to the ball. You must always be prepared to receive a pass and you need to know where players are on the court. Be vigilant to detect openings or weaknesses that make it easier to take the shot.
When the opportunity arises you always want to take a charge. The charge lets you build a defensive stop and get control of the ball. This can have a major impact on the other team psychologically, and it can be a powerful play as well.
To hold the ball right, spread your fingers out. This will help prevent the ball from getting away from you while dribbling. Don’t allow yourself to have your palm touching the ball either. Don’t let anything but your fingers touch the ball during passing or shooting.
Use wrist curls to increase the strength in your weaker arm. Try becoming ambidextrous outside of the court, and you will soon find that you do not have a weaker hand when playing basketball. So, drill with the weaker hand and use in it in real life.
Watch tapes of yourself playing basketball to get a more objective perspective. While reviewing the tape, look for opportunities you may have missed during the game. Honestly and openly assess your own performance. At times, it can help to see the truth of who you are, not as you imagine yourself.
You can place your off-hand out in front of you to serve as protection against the defense. 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. Keep it up a little bit while you dribble.
The best free throws come as a result of routine. This may mean you want to dribble three times, touch your forehead, bend at the knees, or do anything else. Following the same routine gives your body will maintain muscle memory for more consistent free throw shooting.
Maintain a rhythm to the dribble until you are ready to surprise the opponent. Consistent dribbling disrupted by a sudden, fast pace will surprise your opponent, giving you the advantage. It’s not just about going fast, it’s about changing the sound so the person gets a little confused.
To make your layups count the most, take off from the foot opposite your shooting hand. Use your left foot when shooting with the right hand. This gives you better balance, while keeping you poised toward the basket.
Practice shots from all regions of the court. Balance and grip are the first two things to practice. You can shoot when you’re not balanced, but it isn’t very accurate. There is valve located on the basketball which you can use as guide for your grip. Put the middle of your shooting hand over the basketball’s valve.
Consistent Routine
After catching a ball that has rebounded, land on your feet, spreading legs wider than your shoulders in order to get greater balance. Keep your hands along any side and hold it up to your chest tightly. Watch that your elbows don’t hit an opponent or a foul will be called.
Develop and use a consistent routine for shooting free throws. A consistent routine enables the shooter to have a perfect motion every time. Practice makes perfect when shooting free throws. A break in your routine will foul the shot.
Whether you keep possession of the ball or not is based in your position just before and right after a rebound. When you jump, use both legs to give yourself a boost. Once you gain possession of the ball, your feet should be positioned more widely than your shoulders. Hold the ball near your chest and regain your balance upon landing.
To help improve your ball handling skills, start incorporating your weak hand into your dribbling. If you use both your hands to dribble, it is easier to control. Don’t allow yourself to use your dominant hand when practicing. Your dribbling skills will improve with your weaker hand.
When the person you are tasked with guarding is bigger than you, remain in front of them. This will prevent them from getting an easy pass and stop them from shooting the ball right over your head.
Dribble the ball hard to keep it from being stolen. The ball returns more quickly to your hand when you do this, giving the opponents fewer opportunities to steal it from you. If your opponent is playing you up close, stop what you’re doing and quickly look to find and open teammate to pass the ball to.
Understand your weaknesses. And that starts with being honest about your skills. Practice your problem areas more frequently than areas where you are strong. If you like to bang in the lane, then you will need to become tougher and also work on your mid-range game. Working on improving your weaknesses is a good rule of thumb if you want to progress.
Practice drills that force you to get the basketball to the other end of the court in less than 5 dribbles. While this is a challenging goal, working toward it will make you a much better player. If you master this, you will be able to quickly take layups.
When you’re playing defense, make sure that you’re always trying to keep pressure on the person that has the ball on the opposite team. The other player can dribble or hold onto the ball for as much as five seconds if you are six feet away from them. You need to force the opponent to fixate on the five count instead of on scoring.
To improve 3 point shooting, practice from NBA distance, at least. That is the furthest distance that you would ever have to shoot from to score a three. If you make your shots from where the NBA players shoot, you will improve your skills and increase your range.
Practice doing a pump fake. The pump fake is among the most powerful of all shooting tactics. The idea is to fake that your shooting to get your opponent off their feet, and then actually shoot when you’ve got the open look. Getting fouled could occur when this happens which means you can take a few free throws.
Communication with your team mates is crucial to your overall success. Your actions and strategies must not be kept to yourself. Basketball requires a team. It is not a one-on-one game. You have to help each other. Constantly let your teammates know when you are open or in need of some assistance.
Work to improve your defensive skills. Your team is more likely to win games if you can steal the ball and block attacks. You can better these skills by causing another player to try to run past you. The goal is to grab a steal or stop them.
Follow the advice presented here to improve your game and become the best player possible. Practicing what you already know and implementing what you don’t know will enhance your basketball playing abilities. Those three things are keys to success.
Don’t make passing complicated. Throw quick passes and stay aware of the entire court. Once you pass, stay active on the court. A good passing lane will enable easy transfer of the ball between you and your teammate.
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