Basketball is a pastime that is much loved by people of all age groups and social strata. Sadly, not everyone has a sufficient grasp of the sport to get all they possibly can from playing and watching it. Fortunately, the article that follows is replete with valuable tips and information to help turn anyone into a basketball expert.

It’s easy to focus on offense when learning to play, but your practice time would be better spent on defense. Defense can make or break a basketball game. Offense receives all the glory, but it is nothing without the best defense.

For lightening fast dribbling, just like the pros, only use your finger tips on the ball. When you use all of your fingers, your dribbling will be much slower. Make this a part of your daily practice sessions until it becomes second nature to dribble with only the tips of your fingers.

One of the most important things to understand is when to make the shot. Taking a dangerous shot can result in the ball being overturned. If you do not feel comfortable making the shot, pass it to a teammate and either let them make the shot or get into a better position to make the shot.

When shooting a basketball, it is important to follow through. This means that you extend your arms out completely and flick your wrists as you release the ball. This give the ball extra force and speed. This force and speed allows you to make long distance shots that you normally wouldn’t be able to make.

The popularity of basketball is undeniable, and the sport itself can provide a terrific outlet for folks of all age groups. The best way to extract the most enjoyment from basketball is to learn everything possible on the subject. With any luck, you have found that the piece above has helped you get started doing precisely that.