TIP! Learn proper dribbling. When dribbling the basketball, use your fingertips rather than the palm of your hand.

Practice is vital to your success as a basketball player. You shouldn’t be practicing things you do wrong, though. Use these tips to take your game to levels you never though possible before. You can do it.

TIP! Learn the best way to make your free throws. The execution of a free throw is not as simple as it may appear.

It is important to focus on both offense and defense when learning to play basketball. In the end, it’s defense that consistently wins you games. If your team doesn’t have a good defense, you’re not going to make it far in a game.

TIP! Dribble while your head is up and your eyes are forward. If you are looking at the ball for any reason while dribbling, you have not put in enough practice.

Free throw practice is vitally important. These shots may seem easy, but they can be quite difficult. Practice a lot with the following method. Begin by holding the ball directly in front of your face. Keep your eyes on the goal and visualize the ball going into the goal. Then, use the trajectory you just visualized and shoot the ball.

TIP! Know your strengths and they’ll help you become a better player. If you can rely on your strengths, you will become a better player.

When dribbling the basketball you should keep your head up. Looking at your ball when you dribble indicates that you haven’t practiced enough. Bring the ball no matter where you go. Dribble as you walk to the market. If you are looking at the ball, you cannot see what is happening down the court in front of you.

TIP! Want to trick the other team? The back pass is perfect for this. Perform this pass by holding the ball using your dominant hand.

Practice basketball in season and out of season. You may not always be able to find someone to play with you. This is perfectly acceptable. You can still accomplish a lot when playing solo. Practice free throws and layups. You can always do something.

Core Muscles

TIP! Unseen passes can be avoided when proper hand signals are used by teammates. One of basketball’s most frustrating elements is the concept of sending a quick pass onto a teammate who has just moved in a different direction.

Basketball players need to build strong core muscles. The core muscles are the hips, lower back muscles and the abdominal muscles. Your performance is going to be sub-par if you don’t have strengthened core muscles. A strong core helps you jump higher and run faster.

TIP! In order to get a good shot, good footwork is essential when posting up. Getting a great position under the goal is the most important.

Hand signals can help you to stay away from making bad passes. One of the most challenging aspects is trying to send the ball to your teammate as they are going for the basket. Avoid this using hand signals to see if they can get the pass. Without a signal, the ball controller shouldn’t make a pass.

TIP! Understand your opponent. Watch games if you can and look at their tendencies.

You may get injured while practicing or playing. Don’t try to play if you are hurt. Basketball is hard to play well even when you are healthy, so don’t push it. Continuing to play when you are in pain can make an injury worse. See a doctor if the injury is serious enough.

TIP! Focus on your footwork and core strength when working out. A strong core allows you to be more balanced during games.

Ask your fellow team members which of your skills that they admire. Are you skilled at something? Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to develop your skills to become an all around better player. Find out what others think your natural abilities are, and be certain to keep developing those skills.

TIP! Be aware of your own actions and the position of your feet. You want to make sure you don’t step over the bounds by even a teeny bit.

Passing the ball through your legs is a useful maneuver if the opposing team is right on top of you. Practice dribbling the ball between your legs. Once you get the move down, you can use it to gain a tactical advantage.

TIP! If you need some help seeing where you need work, try to get a friend or relative to record your games. You may see things differently as you observe the game and notice things you missed in the game.

Make layups count by taking off with the foot that is opposite to your shooting hand. Thus, if you use your right hand for shooting, you need to push off using your left foot. This will keep your body properly balanced with forward momentum.

TIP! Keep changing up your pace to help keep your opponents on their toes. As you are heading towards the net, straighten up and plant down your foot.

Don’t break out of defensive stance always remain in the proper defensive position. Slide your feet from side to side or push off with your opposing foot so that you are always in position. Never cross your feet and your opponents will find you a difficult player.

TIP! Developing your muscle strength and flexibility will make you a better basketball player. Those who do very well at this sport have a combination of stamina and strength.

To enhance your skills at shooting the ball from the outside, run drills every day from different locations on the court. For even better results, practice the run-up to your shot in addition to the actual shot. Focus on the target when airborne, but never before. This simulates what actually happens in a game and improves your accuracy.

TIP! Use your weak hand for brushing your hair, doing up your belt and opening bottles so you can build up its strength. If you can train yourself to be ambidextrous, you will gain complete control of that hand.

Whether you play basketball all the time or just once and awhile, the above tips will be of help. Begin with a single concept and see the improvements take hold. You can make every shot count, pass better, rebound like a pro and overall improve how you play every day.