Never let bad habits get in the way of making your basketball game all it can be. A bit of advice can go a long way in making you an amazing player. The easy to implement tips below can help you inspire you into becoming an amazing basketball player on the court.
Learn what a crossover is and how to do it. Being able to dribble the ball with both hands and crossover between the two will make you a better player. This action most be quick to work out. When done properly, crossover dribbling is a great way to quickly switch direction or move around the court in an efficient manner.
Never pass the ball and stand still. This is a mistake most often made by those new to the game of basketball. Once you’ve passed the ball, you need to work to get into the best position possible to be passed to again or to grab a rebound from a shot.
Don’t just practice offense. Unlike some other sports, basketball players need to play both offense and defense constantly. There are no breaks in the game, and a great shooter can negate his or her benefit to the team by being a very poor defender. You need to become good on both ends of the court.
When a teammate passes you the ball, make the most out of it. If you have an open shot, go ahead and shoot. If you do not have an open shot or think that you can get open, do the right thing and pass it along to another teammate. They may have the shot that you don’t.
Shoot at least a hundred free throws every day. Not only does this make you a better free throw shooter, but it helps all your shooting. You can step on a court any day of the week familiar with the sight and sound of you putting the ball in the goal. This gives you serious mental confidence, regardless of how or where you actually shoot.
When dealing with high school basketball players, make sure that they get enough sleep every night. The workouts involved for basketball players are pretty strenuous. That is why it is very important that they get enough rest so that their bodies can recover. They should try to sleep about seven hours each night.
Keep your eye on the ball. This will help you stay on top of quick changes in possession or plays attempted by your opponent. Keep an eye open for easy shots.
To play your best game of basketball, it is important to keep focused. Even when the action is not near your position, remain aware of the action and be ready to move fast. A positive attitude combined with being fully focused on what you are doing can give you the competitive advantage.
If you play organized basketball, keep track of your average fouls per minutes played. If you are not a starter who sees a lot of minutes, you want to know this just in case. You might get called on to put in a lot of minutes one game, or play repeated overtimes. The last thing you want to do is foul out because you aren’t used to playing so long.
Keep your opponents guessing as to where you will be going next. Dart right, lean left, move back and forward too. The more movement you have on the court, they less likely they are to be able to guess what your plans are, allowing you to trick them and make the shot.
To get better at shooting free throws, make sure to keep a consistent pre-shot routine. That could include a set number of dribbles, knee-bends or some other type of movement. 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.
Moving without the ball is an important skill to master if you want to become a better scorer. Standing still while on offense just makes you that much easier to guard. Instead, you should stay active and constantly be moving around. You’ll not only wear down your opponent, but you’ll also get more open shots.
Always know what spots on the court players are good at scoring from. You want to know this about yourself so you can make high percentage shots. You want to know this about teammates so you can pass the ball to them when they are in a killspot and open. When possible, know this about opponents in order to defend them better.
If you want to become a better basketball player, exercise your forearms and your wrists whenever you possibly can. This will significantly help you with your ball handing and control. A strong dribbler always has strong forearms. Practice wrist curls in your exercise routine to improve forearm and wrist strength.
Learn to control the ball when you need to change your pace suddenly. If your are able to plant your feet and then quickly dribble the ball while on the move, you gain a distinct advantage over your opponent. If your defenders think you are slowing down to make a shot, they will straighten up to try to block it.
Never try to score the point at the expense of shutting other players out. You are part of a team which means everyone is valued. It means working together and sometimes playing a minor part in another player’s winning shot. Just remember that your team can’t win if you are the only one to make shots.
Dribble harder if you want to avoid the ball being stolen. The harder you dribble, the faster the ball will return to the cup of you hand. If you have an opponent who is guarding you relentlessly, it is time to pass the ball.
All it takes is using the tips you’ve read here to become a better player. Use what you’ve learned to replace your bad basketball habits with improved skills you’ve gained from this article. When you begin to implement changes, you will find that you never look back on your old self.