TIP! You need to keep your balance if you’re shooting. Everyone has seen professional basketball players make a shot from 20 feet away as they are falling.

It is tough to over-exaggerate how much people love basketball. If you really want to enjoy the game, either from watching from your seat or being on the actual court, it is important to understand the game thoroughly. Continue on and get educated on basketball.

TIP! Perfect your layup technique. 80% of all shots in a game are usually layups.

Make sure you are dribbling the right way. Avoid using your palm while dribbling. Instead, use your fingertips. This allows you to control the ball better. Dribble off to the side waist high. Keep your eyes up, not on the ground.

TIP! Free throws require as much mental focus as physical skill. Training your body is important, but you also have to be mentally ready for the shot.

Figure out how to perfect your free throw. There are usually a lot of distractions when you are shooting free throws so you need to concentrate. This technique should be practiced often if possible. Hold the ball level to your face. Focus on the basket and picture the ball slipping into the net. You should then shoot and try following the trajectory you visualized.

TIP! One good way to learn good passing is drill often without dribbling. It’s hard to play without dribbling, however, it can help you and your team create more accurate passes.

The way to properly dribble is to keep your head up while looking ahead of you. If you start staring at the ball while you dribble, you know you need to practice more. Wherever you go, take your ball with you. Keep dribbling the ball even while you’re doing your errands. Always look ahead when you are dribbling the ball.

TIP! One of the keys to becoming a great basketball player is developing core muscles. The core muscles are the hips, lower back muscles and the abdominal muscles.

Start out with proper balance before attempting to take a shot. Sometimes you’ll see professional players fall out of bounds while making a shot from afar, but this doesn’t work at all times. They are going with the flow when this occurs. Having a good foundation under you while shooting will always yield better results over time as you keep on practicing and honing your skills.

TIP! Have other players give you information about what they think are your strengths and weaknesses. Do they feel you are really good at something? They may say you’re fast or that you share well.

To get better in your basketball game, focus on your strengths. Your skills may not turn you into the star player, but knowing how to make the most of your skills will make you a more valuable player. Know the things you’re great at and keep practicing until there is no one better than you.

TIP! When you’re trying to work out, you should build up your core strength while getting your footwork perfected. When your core is strengthened, you will have more balance and be able to move more swiftly.

Bounce passes are extremely efficient when done properly. The bounce pass needs to reach the player at waist level. Letting the ball bounce close to the other person will help the accuracy of your pass. But, a series of other considerations can require you to make adjustments.

TIP! When your shooting isn’t accurate, check out your shoulder position. When you’re in a shooting slump it usually means that your shoulders are not square to the hoop.

If you’re going to be a jump shooter, don’t lift too many weights. Even though having strong muscles is great for the inside game, being on the outside it can harm you when shooting the ball. Some professional shooting guards made their arms so big that it started decreasing their field goal percentage.

Core Muscles

TIP! Dribbling hard keeps the ball from being stolen from you. A hard dribble returns the ball back to you faster, leaving less chance of it being snatched by the other team.

If you have a kid wanting to play basketball in high school, be certain that they are properly training their core muscles. Core muscles include the hips, abs, and lower back. The lower and upper extremities are linked by the core, and athletes with a weak core will exhibit limited performance. Building a solid core helps maintain the leg strength that lies at the core of a strong game.

TIP! Strength and flexibility training can help your skills in basketball. You need both strength and endurance if you are going to excel.

Avoid errant passes by using hand signals. It can be frustrating to attempt to pass the ball to a team mate as that person is heading toward the basket. You can get around that when you use hand signals, if a player can receive a pass. Without a signal, players shouldn’t attempt to pass.

TIP! To boost your ability with the weaker hand, try to use it for all daily tasks. If you gain more mastery of it in all walks of life, you improve overall control.

When posting up, solid footwork is essential to getting yourself into position to shoot. Although it’s important to have a physical presence underneath the basket, it’s more important that you get in a good place before your opponent can. When you are in position, you must secure your spot. Strong footwork skills help to build both types of skills.

TIP! Keep the action beneath your knees, if you can. This will make it harder for opponents to get the ball away from you.

Ask teammates what they admire about your playing skills? You may have a certain skill that you have perfected. Maybe you are nimble or you are reliably there to support them. Honest feedback can really help you to narrow in on areas where you might need a little extra help practicing.

Free Throw

TIP! Keep your dribbling in a rhythm until you want to throw your opponent off guard. You can for instance suddenly speed up your dribbling to get past an opponent and get the edge you need for a shot.

In order to be more reliable shooting free throws, practice your routine. For example, many people touch their foreheads or tap their chest before making a free throw shot. Following the same routine gives your body will maintain muscle memory for more consistent free throw shooting.

TIP! You need to be able to alter your opponents path. Regardless of your position, having this control allows you to limit the other player’s options.

If you are being heavily guarded, a pass between your legs might help. This will make it very hard for your defender to get it. This is a tricky move, but it will provide you a good advantage when you play.

TIP! You must know how to pivot correctly when playing basketball. Practicing pivoting will be able to help prevent you from tangling your feet or getting disoriented.

You need to put a damper in your opponent’s plan if you want to be successful with defending. Focus on getting them out of the comfort zone. Display aggressiveness in your chosen moves. Other players should not influence the plays you make. If you do so, then your rivals have the control. Instead, make the first move and interrupt their rhythm.

TIP! You want to try to force your opponent out of bounds when playing defense. A player has many more options when not on the sidelines.

When the opportunity arises you always want to take a charge. This helps get the ball for the team and allows another foul on the opponent. This can make for good psychological warfare.

TIP! For players with advanced skills, the act of dribbling is a mental and physical ability. You can control the ball spin and where it will land by where you feet and legs are planted.

Alternating your pace is critical to keeping the defense guessing. Plant a foot and start to straighten your body. Your opponent will see you as stopping, then will also stop themselves. Push forward and blast by them.

TIP! Never let up on defense by keeping pressure on the player with the ball. If you’re close up to him, he can only dribble or at most hold the ball five seconds.

If you want to build the dexterity of your weaker hand, start using it for everyday tasks like shining your shoes or opening doors. If you can become more dexterous with it in all aspects of your life, you will be bettering your control of it. As a result, your basketball game will significantly improve.

TIP! Maintaining a high state of awareness allows you to master challenging moves. This means you need to avoid playing around when practicing.

Basketball has an inherent energy that makes it one of the most exciting sports to watch. This being said, if you don’t understand the basics of the game, it is difficult to connect with what you are seeing. After reading this article, you should have a better understanding of the great sport of basketball.