Have you ever pictured that you’re Michael Jordan, LeBron James or some other player on the court? Instead of just aspiring to be a great, why not continue to learn more techniques and strategies that can help you out. Keep reading here and you’ll figure out what can be done to accomplish this.
It’s easy to focus on offense when learning to play, but your practice time would be better spent on defense. Basketball games are won because of good defense. Offensive skills are usually the most impressive ones but defense is something every team should work on.
Figure out how to perfect your free throw. This seems like an easy shot, but it is quite hard. Practice often using the following technique. Start out by holding the basketball right in front of you. Look at the basket and imagine the ball going in it. Next, take your shot seeing the ball move in the trajectory you envisaged for it.
Free Throws
Free throws are as much mental as they are physical. You are able to train your hands and legs to free throw well, but if you think you will fail, you will. You are more likely to make more successful free throws if you relax and focus on the basket.
A good tip about passing is try doing it without dribbling the ball. It’s hard to play without dribbling, however, it can help you and your team create more accurate passes. This is very challenging at first, but eventually it will really improve your entire team’s passing game.
Interested in tricking your opponents? Try using a back pass! Hold the basketball with your writing hand. Then you will want to pull the ball into position behind your back. The last step is to flick your wrist in the direction you want the ball to move. Doing this will trick your opponent.
It is best to take a break if you sustain an injury while playing. You can easily tear a muscle or even break a finger while playing. Continuing to play when you are in pain can make an injury worse. Anytime you have a serious injury, you should seek medical attention.
The key to ball control is to spread your fingers out. This will help you to be sure that it won’t escape your grasp when trying to hold it. Avoid putting your palm on the ball, too. You should try your best to only hold onto the ball with your fingertips when passing and shooting.
Get someone to analyze how you play on tape. You can see where you can improve and what plays you missed. It is important that your assessment is an honest one, but isn’t overly critical. Sometimes it’s beneficial to look at yourself the way you really look and not just like you think you look.
Opposite Direction
Try practicing looking in the opposite direction when you pass. This will easily confuse your opponents. Not only will they not see the pass coming, they may think a pass is going in the opposite direction. This can be a great play if it is done correctly.
To improve your dribbling skills, practice dribbling with your weaker hand. Dribbling with both hands helps you gain the upper one. Hold the dominant hand behind the back and make certain you use just the weak hand. This will help you use that hand more easily and improve your dribbling with that hand.
Hopefully, this article has given you something to think about. Go into each practice ready to work, and know that with consistency you will improve your game. Show people what you got, and make sure you always remember the advice that you’ve read.