Basketball is a sport that people of all ages can play. It is a professional sport, and it can also be a sport people do just to get a good workout in. If this is a sport you’d like to learn a little more about, then read through the following tips.

Make sure you are looking forward and looking up as you’re dribbling. Looking at your ball when you dribble indicates that you haven’t practiced enough. The ball can go with you when you go anywhere. Dribble the ball as you go about your day doing errands like walking the dog. If you look at the ball, you’re unable to see what’s going on down the court before you.

To better your basketball rebound when on the dribble drive, try running to the front of the rim. When you’re in dribble drive penetration, try following your teammate to the rim. You can retrieve the ball if they miss. It’s a great time for rebounding since the defense tends to collapse on the drive, which they can forget to block out. It also lets you get more offensive rebounds and points.

If you are trying to figure out how to improve your ability to pass in basketball, think visualization. Visualizing where the player you’re going to pass to is going and will be by the time the ball reaches him is crucial. Being able to predict the exact spot will result in amazing passes!

Footwork is an important skill to practice daily if you want to improve your basketball game. Players with exceptional foot work can move around their opponents at will. It is essential to include both slow paced running and fast sprints in your practice sessions. You can practice first without a ball and then add dribbling to your footwork sessions.

When you rebound in basketball, make sure you make contact before your opponent.

You’ll be in control of what occurs if you are the first to make contact when boxing out. Hit them first before they get a chance to make contact with you so that you can get leverage. Be sure to anticipate and be sure you’re always first. This will provide you with an edge.

Balance is vital to good shooting. Having good balance will allow you to keep better control of the ball as well as play a better defense. These are not practiced skills, they are just flukes. When you shoot, you should always be properly balanced, which will help you make more baskets more consistently.

Watch professional basketball players on television. When learning basketball, it’s essential to see what the best out there do. Listen to what the announcers are saying, too. Quite often, they’ll point out smart plays and unique moves that were exceptionally done. These call-outs will help you improve your skills just by watching.

Proper aim is crucial when trying to make baskets. Ideally, you should aim for the small square found on the backboard. Doing this increases your chances of the ball actually going down the basket. Avoid trying to aim for the next; you are less likely to be successful when doing so.

Where loose fitting shorts and a sports shirt that lets you move. Basketball is a very physical sport. There’s a lot of running, a lot of physical contact, and a ton of jumping. You want to wear clothes that let you move as well as possible. If you don’t, you’ll find your time on the court to be pretty miserable.

To play solid defense, if you are guarding the person with the ball, keep your eyes on the basketball. If you look at his eyes instead, he will fake a pass one way, just by looking in that direction, and then dribble around you the other way. The ball can’t lie about where it’s going.

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.

To get an amazing arm workout, dribble the ball on a patch of dirt. This will take a lot of power as the dirt absorbs most of the energy you put into the ball when it hits. Do this for a few minutes, but don’t over exert yourself or you could hurt your arm.

When you are on defense, make sure to keep yourself low. You will become faster and react faster. Always maintain a defensive position during game play. When rebounding or blocking, you break the stance, but then you must get back in the stance quickly.

After all is said and done, it’s not too hard to get into basketball. Once you take in what you’ve gone over above, it’s all up to you how far you go with it. Just make sure you know the rules before you hit the court so you have a better chance to win!