Have you ever thought that you’d like to be a professional basketball player someday? Rather than just wanting to be great, why don’t you learn techniques to help you get better? Keep reading to learn more.
It is tempting to concentrate just on offense when just staring out, but defensive practice is absolutely vital. Defense is what stands between you and a win. Offense is often what gets the glory, but most winning basketball teams play great defense.
Make sure you spend your time focusing on your strengths. Your talents might not make you a star, but when you make the most of your strengths, you might better contribute to your team. Ask others to help you identify your strengths and practice until you fully master these skills.
Receiving Player
Learn how to throw a proper bounce pass. This means your pass should be aimed towards the receiving player at the level of his waist. A good estimation is to target the ball to bounce at about 3/4 of the distance that the receiving player is. There are other variables to consider though.
It is important to practice catching the ball from others as much as passing. You need to be able to retrieve perfect passes and not so perfect passes. In the heat of the game, not every pass is going to hit the bulls-eye. You can do the rest of your team a favor by practicing how you can best complete imperfect passes.
If you have a kid that wants to play basketball in high school, be sure they’re working on their core muscles. The core muscles are the hips, lower back muscles and the abdominal muscles. The core is the muscle group that links the arms and legs together. If their core strength is poor, then so will their athletic performance be. The stronger your core, the higher you will jump.
If you’re injured in a basketball game, don’t attempt to play while in pain. Basketball is physically demanding and you can easily get hurt. Pushing through the pain often results in a more serious injury. If you have a very serious injury, talk to a doctor.
If your shooting is suffering, take a close look at your shoulders. When you’re in a shooting slump it usually means that your shoulders are not square to the hoop. To help improve your shot, focus on squaring up on each of your shots. The shoulder that’s dominant needs to be lined up with the rim perfectly.
If the opposing team is guarding you to much, you can try a pass between your legs. Step forward and back while dribbling the ball between your legs hard. If you get this down, you will have a major advantage on the court.
Free Throw
Get into a consistent routine to improve your free throw shots. If you aren’t able to be consistent then you’ll be off when you shoot. Practicing your free throw again and again is the only way to perfect it. If the routine is off in any way, then you’ll miss the shot.
Work on making your forearms and hands stronger in order to improve ball handling. Try doing some wrist curls as they are particularly effective in honing your dribble skills. Good playing is not only instinctive, it takes hard work and discipline. You have to get the ball around, too.
Dribble very hard to prevent the opposing team players from stealing the ball. The ball bounces faster, giving the guard less time to steal. If your opponent is playing you up close, stop what you’re doing and quickly look to find and open teammate to pass the ball to.
Improve your basketball skills by incorporating strength training into your fitness regimen. Stamina and physical strength are required for basketball excellence. Even little kids who play basketball will develop more overall body strength. If you have been exercising regularly for years, it might be time to introduce weights into the mix. When they become adults, strength training is critical to maintaining solid court performance.
Keep low when you play defense. This will let you get to the jump quicker and let you react to your opponent easier. Always stay in the proper stance on defense. If you break the stance to shot-block, then recover the proper form immediately after the pass or shot.
You have to practice hard every day if you desire to step up your outside shooting game. Also practice transitioning from dribbling to a quick shot. Only lift your head up to check out the target once you are in the air. This simulates what actually happens in a game and improves your accuracy.
Now that you know what needs to be done, go practice and become the best player you can be. Practice hard and with consistency. Over time, the work you put in will translate to confidence on the court. Keep these tips in mind and show off your newly acquired skills.