Basketball is more than just an activity you run around in during gym class. It can be played anywhere there is open space. If you enjoy basketball, find out all you can in order to play better. The article that follows will help.
It’s natural to focus on offensive abilities when practicing the sport of basketball, but your practice time needs to focus on defense. Basketball games are often won by great defensive play. While offense seems to get the praise, defense must be stellar in order to win.
Core Muscles
Basketball players need to build strong core muscles. These core muscles for basketball include your lower back, hips and abs. Your performance is going to be sub-par if you don’t have strengthened core muscles. If your core is solid, you will have greater strength in your legs. This helps with fast running and high jumping.
If you’re injured when playing basketball, don’t push through the pain. Basketball is hard to play well even when you are healthy, so don’t push it. By “playing through the pain” you take a huge risk that the injury will become much worse. See a doctor if the injury is serious enough.
One of the best ways to play a strong defensive game is to know your opponent. Review tapes and keep up with scouting reports. Remember which player shoots left and which shoots right. When you know some of the other player’s moves, you’ll have a leg up during a game as you’ll be able to predict what he is going to do. One of the most important keys to being a solid defender is an understanding of your opponent.
You need to be quick to play good basketball. Try playing faster than the opponents for a better advantage. In order to play fast, you must practice drills. However, you should not attempt to play any faster than your abilities permit. Playing beyond your capabilities will lead to bad passes and lots of turnovers.
Practice looking the other way when passing. Doing this is a great way to confuse your opponents. If you’re doing it correctly you can fake your opponent out so he/she moves towards that direction and then you pass the ball to a wide open teammate for a shot. If you can master this move, it can really work in your favor.
Your forearms and hands should be strengthened if you wish to handle the ball better. Wrist curls can be effective at helping you to control the ball as if you’ll be dribbling in your sleep. You will not be able to stand in one place and shoot. You need to be able to move the basketball to make things happen.
You must be able to box out other players when attempting to rebound free throws. Try to anticipate the move of the defender between yourself and the basket so that you can maneuver around him and to the hoop. This will allow you to score a rebound without getting penalized for a foul.
Whether you play competitively or for fun, learning to be a better ball player is paramount. Since you’ve devoted this time to reading this article, the next step is to take these new skills out to the court. Knowledge is strength in every venue, including basketball.