Follow These Tips To Make Yourself A Better Basketball Player

by | Jan 6, 2021 | Basketball

TIP! When dribbling, make sure that you look forward and keep your head up. If you are looking at the ball for any reason while dribbling, you have not put in enough practice.

Where should I start when learning about basketball? What should I learn to become a better player and appreciate the game more thoroughly? Keep reading if you are interested in learning more about basketball, whether you are a player or a fan of this great sport.

TIP! Watch the pro’s play if you want to improve your game. You can do this by watching games in person and on television.

Make sure that you’re dribbling the ball correctly. Don’t use your palm to dribble. Instead, use your fingertips. This method gives you much more control of the ball. Dribble off to the side waist high. Keep your eyes up, not on the ground.

TIP! Don’t pump a lot of iron if you wish to become a jump shooter. Although it’s true that strong muscles are beneficial, additional bulk can impede your ability to play effectively along the perimeter.

Practice your layups a lot. In a typical game, up to four-fifths of all shots are layups. When practicing this technique, run toward the goal and shoot. Knowing how to run and jump quickly and smoothly will assist you in knowing how to leap and shoot more effectively while playing.

TIP! Would you like to learn how to fool your opponent? Try a back pass. Hold the ball in your strong hand to start the pass.

Do not practice by playing against the zone defense. Zone play will be important, but man-to-man will pop up from time to time, too. When you don’t know how to defeat it, you will lose.

TIP! Make sure your fingers are apart from one another when dribbling. That makes it less likely that you lose control of the ball.

Keep your skills sharp in the off-season by playing different challenging games. Basketball is usually a team sport, but just because you can’t find others, doesn’t mean you have to just stop thinking about it. No problem! You are able to do a lot with solo games. Whether focusing on foul shots or how to pivot with the ball, you can look for ways to improve. There is always something to practice.

TIP! You can play a great defensive game if you know the opposition well. Monitor scouting news and watch footage of other teams in action.

Try using hand signals to ensure that your passes are received. Often in basketball, a player makes a pass at the exact same time the receiving player heads to another part of the court. You can stay away from doing this if you use a hand signal to see if someone is ready for a pass. Without a signal, there shouldn’t be a pass.

TIP! Concentrate on your shoulders if you have gotten into a shooting slump. No matter your skill level, you won’t make shots if your shoulders aren’t in the proper position.

During your workouts, concentrate on improving your footwork as well as your core strength. You will stay balanced if your core is strong. Work your ab, back, hip and buttocks muscles. You will improve your speed and footwork if you jump rope like boxers do.

TIP! It can help you when you pass through your legs. Practice dribbling the ball between your legs.

If your shooting is in a slump, take a look at your shoulders. If your shoulders aren’t properly positioned, your shot is not going to go in. Make sure your shoulders are always square towards the hoop. Your shooting arm’s shoulder also needs to be exactly lined up with the rim.

TIP! Your off-court practice should mimic your on-court playing. For example, you can improve individual plays with sprinting.

If you are being heavily guarded, a pass between your legs might help. Practice this by bouncing the ball hard between your legs as you take a step forward or back. If this move is something you master, you’ll have an advantage when you go out to play a game.

Free Throws

TIP! For example, a misfired shot launched from the corner of a basketball court usually hits the net, bounces off the site, and lands on the opposite side. In this situation, you must anticipate the path of the ball to gain possession of the rebound.

A consistent routine will help you to achieve great free throws. Inconsistent shooting will lead to inconsistent results. A great way to get better at free throws is to practice, practice and then practice the same routine some more. You are likely to miss your shot if you’re not settled into your routine.

TIP! Landing with a wide stance after catching a rebound will make it easier for you to retain you balance. Make sure that your hands are on both sides of the basketball, and that you hold it close to your chest.

Good footwork can really help you to get those rebounds. You need to seek out a way to quickly slide around your opponent and be able to quickly react to the ball. This will get you a rebound without having to commit a foul.

TIP! If you are aware of a weakness in one of your opponent’s hands, make them work with that side. Make them use the hand that their weaker with by cutting off the path on their strong side.

In your drills, you should attempt to move the basketball the length of the court in fewer than half a dozen dribbles. This may seem quite difficult at first, but once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you’ll have great speed and stride length. It will allow you to execute easy layups.

TIP! All great basketball players must master pivoting. It is important that you are able to pivot quickly and smoothly without taking your focus away from the game.

To become a better three-point shooter, make sure you attempt shots from where the NBA three-point line would be. All the other three point lines are much closer than the NBA line. Being able to shoot successfully from the NBA range will give you a great advantage.

TIP! Dribble as hard as you can when practicing. When you hard bounce the ball, it’ll move fast and stay protected.

Don’t stop dribbling until you are ready to pass or shoot. Standing there without dribbling takes away most of your options on offense. If you don’t shoot or pass, you are going to be pivoting with your back foot. The chances of the ball being stolen is high, and you might be double teamed as well.

TIP! When you’re playing defense, one of the best things you can do is force your opponent to the sideline. If you let someone shoot down the middle, you lose control.

Have you had all of your questions answered? Are you prepared to get on the court and start playing? Do you want to really improve your game based on the great information presented here? Use these tips and you’ll soon see yourself improve drastically.