TIP! Shooting has much to do with proper balance. You’ve seen the pros fall out-of-bounds and shoot a basket up to 300 feet away, however, this isn’t proper technique.

Basketball is fun, fast-paced and sometimes frustrating. But, if you want to play your best on the court, you need to be aware of certain things. The tips below will help you master your technique.

TIP! Keep practicing your layups. Layups comprise approximately 80 percent of all shots.

Learn to correctly dribble the ball. You need to use the tips of your fingers rather than your hand’s palm when you are dribbling. Using your fingertips provides you with more control. Dribble along the side of the body, not immediately in front of it, and keep the bounce to the waist level or below. Look up, not down.

Practice Catching

TIP! Want to trick the other team? Back passes are a great way to confuse other players. If you wish to try this pass, get the ball in your dominant hand.

Practice catching passes as often as you can. You should practice catching errant passes, along with perfectly executed ones. In the heat of the game, not every pass is going to hit the bulls-eye. Learn how to catch any sort of throw.

TIP! Never have your back to the ball so that you’re ready for anything in a basketball game. This will give you court awareness and keep you from being surprised by quick passes or turnover potentials.

Do not practice by playing against the zone defense. Always try to anticipate when your opponent is going to switch up their game to catch you off guard. You may lose control of the game if you aren’t prepared.

TIP! 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.

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. Don’t let it frustrate you, just be patient.

TIP! To be a strong defender, you must have the ability to disrupt and interfere with the opponents’ plans. Don’t let your opponent get comfortable out there on the court.

If you want to take jump shots, don’t build your arms up too large. Muscle strength is beneficial for playing any basketball position, but there is such a thing as too much. Shooting guards that end up with bulked up arms sometimes find that it affects field goal percentages.

TIP! Your forearms and hands should be strengthened in order for you to handle the ball better. For example, you can improve dribbling skills by adding wrist curls to your routine.

Need to dupe the opposition? Back passes can give your team the opportunity to score while the other team is still wondering what happened. Hold the ball in your strong hand to start the pass. The next step is to draw the ball behind you. Lastly, flick your wrist in the direction that you want the ball to land. This will confuse the other team into wondering where the ball went.

TIP! You must be able to box out other players when attempting to rebound free throws. You’ll have a defender coming at you and this means you have to figure out what can be done to get around them.

When trying to improve your strength to have better basketball footwork, work on building up your core. Your balance will improve if you strengthen your core. Your muscles in your buttocks, hips, abdomen, and back should be worked. Just like with boxing, you can do a little speed and footwork training with a jump rope.

TIP! You want to strive in practice to bring the ball all the way up the court in no more than five dribbles. This seems an impossible feat when you start.

Launch your layup jumps from the foot that is opposite the hand you shoot with. What this practically means is that if your right hand is your shooting hand, you need to take off with your left foot. Your body will be better balanced and moving in the direction of the basket. Your body will also be kept between the defender and yourself.

Free Throws

TIP! Never break your defensive stance when playing ball. Shifting your weight back and forth between your feet will help you to stay in position.

To help you shoot better free throws you need to come up with a consistent routine. If you aren’t able to be consistent then you’ll be off when you shoot. The simplest way to get better at shooting free throws is through constant repetitive motions when shooting the ball. If the routine is off in any way, then you’ll miss the shot.

TIP! If you want to do well in basketball, you need to build your strength. You need both strength and endurance if you are going to excel.

Work on making your forearms and hands stronger in order to improve ball handling. Wrist curls are great for bettering your ball handling in basketball to the point where you could practically do it sleepwalking. Basketball requires its players to move quickly, shoot accurately and pass well. Strength and flexibility in your hands will allow you to move the ball more gracefully and swiftly.

TIP! To make your shooting skills better, shoot from all around the court. You should also practice starting with a dribble and then taking a shot.

It is important that you can clearly see everything that is occurring during a game. This is so that you’re able to catch passes, get shots in, and look at the scoreboard. You have to build your peripheral vision. If you look across the whole game and not just focus on the ball, you can see oncoming defensive pressure in advance, as well as open teammates.

TIP! Keep dribbling until you’re ready to either pass or shoot. When you stop dribbling the ball, you only have a limited amount of plays you can perform.

This article has shown you why basketball is enjoyed globally. This article has shown you that you also need to know a few things about the sport if you wish to play it well. These tips will ensure you grow as a player.