TIP! The way to properly dribble is to keep your head up while looking ahead of you. If you need to look at the ball while dribbling, you’ll need to practice more.

For years, basketball has been a popular sport all across the world. To become a star in basketball, you need a strong work ethic and lots of practice. Read this article to get the information you need to play basketball.

TIP! Your balance is an important aspect to consider when you are shooting. Sometimes you’ll see professional players fall out of bounds while making a shot from afar, but this doesn’t work at all times.

Crossing over is a vital skill to have for handling the basketball. This term refers to switching the hand you use. Speed determines the success of the crossover move. A good crossover dribble can give you the opportunity to switch directions and progress on the court much faster.

Receiving Player

TIP! Play by yourself to practice. Even though you play on a team, practicing alone can be helpful.

You should learn the best way to throw a great bounce pass. It is best when the ball hits the receiving player near the waist. Remember you should bounce the ball approximately three-quarters of the distance between yourself and the receiving player. It does depend on a variety of other factors, however.

TIP! Seek advice from your teammates about how you play the game. What do you need to focus in on and practice more? Perhaps you are great backup or fast on your feet.

Do not practice solely against zone defense. Your opponent may change their game up to keep you on your toes. If you haven’t trained yourself to counter this, you could lose any control you have over the game.

TIP! A great way you can prepare for what happens on the basketball court is to avoid having your back to the ball. You must always be prepared to receive a pass and you need to know where players are on the court.

If you’re posting up, good footwork is the key to getting open and getting a good shot. You must beat the opposing playing to an open spot. If you are just stepping into position, you now have to secure the spot. The key to this relies on having good footwork.

TIP! Your fingers should always be spread out when handling the ball. That makes it less likely that you lose control of the ball.

Make it your goal to never turn away from the ball on the court. This can help you to avoid surprises by fast passes, help you keep an eye on the rest of the court, and allow you to spot potential turnovers. Pay attention to open areas for passes, too.

TIP! Knowing your opponent is the best way to play a tough defensive game. Review tapes and keep up with scouting reports.

You can play a great defensive game if you know the opposition well. Study video tape on your opponent and read over any scouting reports. Pay attention to dominant hands. Knowing an opponent’s dribbling, passing and shooting styles gives you a definite edge on defense. The strongest defenders are those who have information.

TIP! To maximize your layups, take off with the foot that opposes your shooting hand. When shooting right-handed, take off using the left foot.

Ask a friend to record your games so that you can see how yourself in action. This way, you have the opportunity to go through your play at a later time and see your mistakes. Stay honest when you’re assessing yourself, but don’t over criticize yourself either. It can be an eye-opener to see how you’re playing the game really, not just what you picture it to be.

TIP! Use small weights and resistance training to build the muscles in both forearms and hands. An exercise to help develop your basketball skills is to perform wrist curls.

You need to work on your forearms and your hands to handle the ball more efficiently. Do some wrist curls as much as possible and your dribbling should get better. Don’t believe you will be able to simply plant yourself someplace, receive the ball and sink a shot. You have to start moving the basketball around to get things to happen.

TIP! When on defense, try to keep yourself low whenever you can. You will become faster and react faster.

Practice drills where you strive to make it across the full court within 5 dribbles. This will help you to gain speed, stride length and control of the ball. You will find that it becomes easier to score and make layups.

TIP! If you want to improve your three-point shooting, try and do it from the NBA distance, at a minimum. All the other lines are closer.

When the opportunity arises you always want to take a charge. Letting the other guy run into you stops the game without having to use a time out, and adds another four to the opponent’s total. This does great harm to an opponent’s psyche, and is a truly powerful play.

TIP! Shoot from every point on the court thousands of times a day to get better. To improve even more, practice preparing for a shot quickly after dribbling the ball.

To become a better three-point shooter, make sure you attempt shots from where the NBA three-point line would be. The standard line and college lines are much closer. Nailing shots from the NBA line can really help improve your overall shooting skills.

TIP! Keep the action beneath your knees, if you can. In this way, opposing team members will have difficulty stealing the ball.

You have to practice hard every day if you desire to step up your outside shooting game. Try to practice a hard dribble followed by a quick shot. When you are off the ground, keep your eye on the basket, but not earlier. Your accuracy will get better and you’ll have a better idea of what real game conditions will be like.

TIP! Use the hand that doesn’t have the ball as a block. You can’t push the person guarding you, but you can hold your arm out gently.

Practice shots from all regions of the court. First, practice your balance and grip. Shooting when off-balance isn’t impossible, but it isn’t effective either. You can perfect your basketball grip by using the ball valve. Using your dominant hand, spread your fingers out and place your hand on top of the valve while making sure it’s centered.

TIP! Practice all kinds of shots from every court location. The first thing you should do is practice your grip and balance.

With these tips fresh in your mind, go out and enjoy a game. Put in the necessary time to read additional articles, and watch videos. Keep learning more than just this article. Keep the advice handy as you better your skills.