TIP! It’s natural to focus on offensive abilities when practicing the sport of basketball, but your practice time needs to focus on defense. Defense can make or break a basketball game.

You can find people enamored with the sport of basketball all around the world. You can play at your local park or in your driveway. Learn more about the game of basketball from this article.

TIP! Crossing over is a vital skill to have for handling the basketball. This move entails transferring the basketball from your left hand to your right hand and back again.

Learn how to maneuver a crossover if you have the ball fairly often. This technique passes the ball back and forth from the right hand to the left hand. Your crossovers should be fast, which is why it is important to practice them. Once you have learned how to do a crossover, you can travel down the court quickly.

TIP! Watch how the pros play basketball. Go to as many pro games as possible, watch them on TV, or watch videos of them playing.

Every great player understands how to properly perform a bounce pass. If done properly, the pass will land near waist level with the opposite player. If it helps to measure it out, consider aiming for a mark on the floor about three-fourths of the way between you and your teammate. There are other things to keep in mind, though.

TIP! If you have a kid that wants to play basketball in high school, ensure they’re training core muscles in the right way. The core muscles include the lower back, hips and abdonimals.

It is important to practice catching the ball from others as much as passing. While you are practicing, you should be sure to drill yourself on catching errant throws, as well as catching those perfect passes. During the course of a game, you can expect there to be many errant passes. So you should do the team a favor by knowing how to take in any kind of a pass that comes from someone.

TIP! Never play through an injury on the court. Basketball is challenging physical sport and you can get injured.

Improve your passing abilities by challenging yourself to perform drills without actually dribbling. It is hard to play basketball without dribbling, and demands accurate passing and teamwork, so it will be a challenge. Don’t get upset if it seems hard, this will improve your team’s passes over time.

TIP! Quickness is a key skill in basketball. Try to play faster than your opponents for an advantage.

Spread your fingers out to handle the ball properly. This will help you to be sure that it won’t escape your grasp when trying to hold it. Keep your palm off the ball too. Fingers should be the only point of contact as you pass or shoot the ball at its target.

TIP! To become a reliable free throw shooter, always go through the same routine before each shot. This can include the number of times you dribble, how you position your feet, or anything else.

Pay close attention to your shoulders if you’ve suddenly developed a shooting slump. When your shoulders are positioned improperly, you will never make the basket regardless of how good your abilities are. Make sure your shoulders are always square towards the hoop. The shoulder that is dominant should be perfectly aligned with the hoop rim.

TIP! When you are passing the ball, get used to looking in the other direction. Doing this is a great way to confuse your opponents.

If you want to make the most of your layup, push up from the foot that is opposite the hand you will shoot from. Practice shooting using your right hand, then jump off your left foot. This can help you to remain balanced, continue moving toward the hoop, and will keep your body between the defender and yourself.

TIP! Practice dribbling with your weak hand as much as possible. Being able to effortlessly dribble with both hands gives you the ability to run both sides on an opponent and keep them off guard.

If you want to better your dribble, start practicing with your weaker hand. When you are ambidextrous, you’ll be a better player. Practice with your weak hand by tying your dominant hand behind your back. Soon enough you will develop those weak hand dribbling skills.

TIP! To play good defense, you have to upset and disrupt your opponent. Force them out of their comfort zone.

If you don’t want someone to steal the ball, dribble hard. A good hard dribble brings the ball back to you much faster, leaving less time for the opponent to steal it from you. If you are being guarded closely, halt your dribble and pass to an open teammate.

TIP! Workout to increase flexibility and strength in your hands and forearms. Wrist curls are especially effective at making you better able to handle a basketball like you could dribble sleepwalking.

You can make the 2-3 zone a lot more dangerous by having two defenders stay in this zone until a point guard is beyond the time line. At this point, your guards must rush the point guard thus trapping him. With the forwards blocking outside, you have a good shot at intercepting a bad pass. The point guard will make a pass that forwards can steal.

TIP! Sly feet will help you get the rebound of your team mates free throw. The more quickly you get under the basket, the better you chance of grabbing the rebound.

Always bend the knees while dribbling. If you don’t bend your knees, you are more susceptible to having the ball stolen by the other team. Just a little bending at the knees can make a huge difference in your overall ball control.

TIP! Dribbling the ball fast and hard will help you to keep better control of it. This will make the ball come back to you faster, and the opponent will have a hard time to get it from you.

To improve 3 point shooting, practice from NBA distance, at least. The standard line , high school and college lines are all going to be closer. You are less likely to be guarded, the farther you are from the basket.

TIP! Improve your basketball skills by incorporating strength training into your fitness regimen. Being physically tough is as important as having the stamina to keep up with the game.

Practice dribbling while switching the momentum of your body from side to side. During game time, you’ll find yourself dribbling from all sorts of positions. Perhaps you will have open court; however, you might have bunches of opposing team members all around you. You have to figure out how you can dribble while you’re working with your body leaning. By nailing this skill, you have a better chance to avoid a turnover.

TIP! You should make sure when practicing dribbling that you shift from one hand to the other. When you’re playing a game, you have to dribble when you’re in a lot of different situations.

After reading the above article you should have an idea on what it takes to follow the game of basketball. As with any sport, getting better takes hard work and a willingness to learn. As you become more confident during game play, you will perform better. It’s time to shoot some hoops!