Basketball has been around for a long time, since Dr. This happened in the year of 1891. It’s now a hugely popular sport. Michael Jordan comes to mind. Celebrities such as Magic Johnson have made this sport very popular. To get more out of their success, read below.
When dribbling, make sure you hold your head high and look straight ahead. If you have to ever look at the ball while dribbling, then you haven’t practiced that enough. Wherever you go, take your ball with you. Dribble the ball while you’re walking around. Staring at the ball doesn’t allow you to watch the other players.
Learn to crossover if you get the ball often. This is when the ball is moved from hand to hand. You must do it fast for best success. A good crossover dribble can give you the opportunity to switch directions and progress on the court much faster.
If you want to improve your game, concentrate on your strengths. You might not become a big basketball star based on your strengths, but you will be an asset to your team. Know what you are good at, then practice it until you’re absolutely perfect at it!
Keep practicing your layups. Up to eighty percent of the baskets attempted in a game are layups. Run full tilt to the basket, then smoothly jump and shoot. Jump to the net and concentrate on shooting the ball in a specific location on the backboard.
Practice the skill of pass catching. While you are practicing, you should be sure to drill yourself on catching errant throws, as well as catching those perfect passes. When the game is going on, every pass isn’t going to make it to its target. Cover for your teammates’ errant passes by developing the hands to cover their mistakes.
Figuring out the opponent is a great way to do well against a tight defense. Study video tape on your opponent and read over any scouting reports. Know the dominant hand of every player. Knowing an opponent’s dribbling, passing and shooting styles gives you a definite edge on defense. A person that knows about defending makes a strong defender.
Ask someone to take a video of you playing and watch it. Can you see chances that you missed or ways that you could have done better? Assess yourself honestly, but don’t be a harsh critic. A realistic view of yourself can be quite helpful.
Practice passing while looking in the opposite direction. It can be very confusing to your opponents. If you can do this correctly, you’ll be able to free up time for the person that you’ve passed to. This can be a great play if it is done correctly.
Free Throw
Your routines must be consistent for free throws. A consistent routine enables the shooter to have a perfect motion every time. 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 free throw routine is out of whack, you will miss.
Dribbling hard helps you protect the ball. If you dribble hard, the ball will go back to your hand quickly and the offense will not be able to snatch it easily. If you have somebody guarding you very closely, pass the ball to an open teammate.
Only stop dribbling if you want to shoot or pass. After you halt the dribble, your options become quite limited. If you opt to not pass or shoot, you’re left with pivoting on your back foot. Putting yourself in this position makes you more vulnerable to having the ball stolen by the opposing team.
If it is possible, keep all action below the knee. This will lower the chances of your opponent being able to steal the ball. This also allows you to cover large distances across the court, which makes it difficult for opposing players o block you.
The hand not used to dribble the ball should serve as a wall separating the ball from the opposing players. You don’t need to push any opponents since that’s a foul, but try using your non-dribbling arm like a separator for keeping the ball safe. You should try to keep your barrier arm up slightly when you are dribbling.
All you need to have a basketball game is a basketball goal and a few friends. To play your best, you must have good knowledge. Start with the tips presented here and continue to add to your knowledge of basketball.