TIP! Know how to dribble the ball in the correct way. Don’t use your palm to dribble.

Do you wish you were like a famous ball player, such as Lebron James or Michael Jordan. Don’t just aspire to be great; learn the things that will make you great. Keep reading to learn more.

TIP! Find out how to make free throw shots. This looks easy, but it is actually very hard to do.

Free throw practice is vitally important. The free throw shot might seem simple, but it can actually be pretty difficult. This technique should be practiced often if possible. Hold the ball level with your face. Concentrate on the basket and visualize the basketball going in. You should then shoot and try following the trajectory you visualized.

TIP! Keep practicing your layups. During any game, layups make up about 75 percent of the game.

When dribbling the basketball you should keep your head up. 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 when you’re walking to the shops. If you are looking at the ball, you cannot see what is happening down the court in front of you.

TIP! To hold the ball right, spread your fingers out. This makes sure that it does not escape away from your grip.

You must have good balance to shoot well. Sometimes you’ll see professional players fall out of bounds while making a shot from afar, but this doesn’t work at all times. This is simply an improvised move. Keep your balance so you can consistently win points.

Bounce Pass

TIP! You need to be quick to play good basketball. Try to play faster than your opponents for an advantage.

Every great player understands how to properly perform a bounce pass. Executed properly, a bounce pass will connect with the receiving player at the waist. Letting the ball bounce close to the other person will help the accuracy of your pass. There are, however, other factors that influence the pass.

TIP! You want to always be aware of foot placement and what you’re doing. An errant toe to the baseline while holding the ball will result in an “out of bounds” call.

Hand signals can help stop you from turning the ball over. It can be frustrating to attempt to pass the ball to a team mate as that person is heading toward the basket. You can avoid this by using hand signals if a player is able to take a pass. Without a signal, the ball controller shouldn’t make a pass.

TIP! Get someone to analyze how you play on tape. On tape, you can see all the opportunities you passed and how things could have gone better.

Always have an awareness of the location and movement of your feet. Just touching the baseline is going to get you called out of bounds. If you take several steps while holding the ball, you could be called for traveling. If you move either foot while trying to pick, take a charge or set a screen, it will result in a called foul.

TIP! Making a pass from between your legs is sometimes a good option when the opposing team is right on top of you. Try practicing this by bouncing your ball hard in between your legs while stepping forward or backward.

Video tape your games, and then review your technique later. Are you able to see missed opportunities or ways in which you could have improved? Do not waste time criticizing yourself. Just make an honest assessment. You can learn a lot by watching your plays instead of just trying to remember what you did.

TIP! Practice dribbling with both hands, dribble on both sides of your body and learn to dribble in front of you while taking large strides. Opponents are a lot easier to blow by when you can dribble with ease using both hands.

Work on passing through your legs to add another skill to your arsenal. Bounce the ball very hard through your legs while stepping to the front or the back. Mastering this technique can give you a significant advantage.

TIP! Perform drills where you attempt to get the ball up full-court in 5 dribbles or less. It isn’t impossible, it just takes practice.

Practice passing while looking in other directions. This should befuddle your opponent. This will give the person that you passed the ball to a chance to make their move before your opponent can correct from their mix up. It can be a really powerful play.

TIP! It is important that you can clearly see everything that is occurring during a game. You will need it for more than checking the scoreboard or passing and shooting.

Do drills where you try and get the basketball up a full-court in five dribbles or less. This may seem quite difficult at first, but once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you’ll have great speed and stride length. This can mean easy lay-ups on fast breaks, or just give your team numbers for a moment.

TIP! In order to ensure that you are always ready to defend, keep your stance at all times. You will always be in a defensive position if you slide your feet one way and then the other and push off using your opposing foot.

An excellent way to have proper defensive posture is to remain in the correct stance. Shifting your weight back and forth between your feet will help you to stay in position. Don’t allow your feet to cross, and this will make you a hard defender to beat.

Strength Training

TIP! When dribbling you want to keep your knees bent. The basketball is much harder to control if you stand tall and the opposing team can snatch it more easily.

To increase your basketball playing abilities, consider strength training exercises. You need both stamina and strength to be a good player. Even younger kids will benefit from strength training. When they become teens, try using weights to keep enhancing their exercises. As an adult, strength training becomes vital in order to play your best basketball.

TIP! Only stop dribbling when you are prepared to shoot or pass the ball. You are limited once you cease dribbling.

Now that you have read the information here, you can now jump in. You need to become consistent when you’re practicing, and you have to be confident in what you’re capable of. Keep your head up and use what you learned here.