Many people love basketball. Many people enjoy watching the NBA on television, playing on their own teams, or just shooting some hoops at the park. Nearly everyone that plays wishes to become a great player and win the game. The following article has excellent tips that will show you how to better your basketball playing skills.
Learn to correctly dribble the ball. Use the fingertips, not the palm, for the best dribbling. You retain much more ball control this way. Avoid dribbling in front of you and only dribble to the sides of your body. Keep your eyes up, not on the ground.
Make sure you are looking forward and looking up as you’re dribbling. You haven’t practiced enough if you keep looking at the basketball while you’re dribbling. Take the basketball to all the places that you go. You can practice dribbling when you have to walk to the store. If you’re looking at the basketball, you won’t be able to see what is coming at you.
Shooting has much to do with proper balance. While the all-time greats have shown time and time again how they can shoot while off-kilter, this is not the ideal way to score. They are going with the flow when this occurs. By learning how to stay properly balanced, you can improve your game.
You should often work on your layups. Eighty percent of the shots taken in a game are layups. When you practice, run toward the net, and then get a high jump in so you can smoothly shoot. Perfecting this skill will enable you to get to the rim effortlessly during a game.
Free throws have a huge mental element to them. You may know how to make a free throw but if your focus is off, then you will miss. Take a deep breath, relax and imagine you are at practice to help yourself make the shot.
Practice Catching
It is important to practice catching the ball from others as much as passing. You want to practice catching perfect passes and bad passes. When the game is going on, every pass isn’t going to make it to its target. Learning how to catch these errant passes will put you at an advantage.
You must know your opponent in order to be tough on defense. Review videotapes and monitor scouting reports. Also know which is their dominant and weak hands. When you know some of the other player’s moves, you’ll have a leg up during a game as you’ll be able to predict what he is going to do. Knowledge is power, even in basketball.
When trying to improve your strength to have better basketball footwork, work on building up your core. A strong core allows you to be more balanced during games. Focus on your hip, abdomen, and back muscles. Much like boxers do, you have the ability to bolster your footwork and agility by using a jump rope.
In order to do the best you can with layups, you’ll want to take off with the foot that is opposite of your shooting hand. If you play to use your right hand to shoot, you’ll want to use your left foot to take off. That way, the body stays balanced while it moves toward the hoop.
If you wish to shoot free throws better, you have to have a routine that’s consistent. If you’re consistent, your shots will be too. Repetition is an excellent way to improve your ability to make each free throw. Stick with a routine until you can perfect it. If your routine is off, then you will miss the shot.
Accept a charge when you can. A charge leads to a turnover by the opposing team and gives you the ball back. This can devastate a competitor psychologically as well as being a powerful play on the court.
As you can see, there are many things you can do to improve your skills. It can be easy when you practice. Anytime you practice it makes you a better player, and whenever you have the opportunity to do so, do it. Whether it is practice with your team, playing a pickup game with friends or even just playing with younger players for fun, it all adds up to better skills and sharing the love of basketball.