Do you want to be as great as Shaquille O’Neil? Rather than merely dreaming of greatness, how about learning what it takes to really succeed? Read on to learn how to go about doing this.
You must become knowledgeable about hitting a free-throw shot. It seems easy to do but surely isn’t. Practice frequently using these techniques. To start off, hold the ball in front of you. Look at the basket and imagine the ball going in it. Then shoot the ball with the trajectory that you visualized.
Learn how to maneuver a crossover if you have the ball fairly often. Crossovers involve moving the ball from hand to hand. The action must be very swift if it is to be successful. When done correctly, the crossover dribble help you to change direction in order to move down the court efficiently.
Work on improving your strengths to become an even better player. You can contribute to the team by consolidating your best skills, even if these skills do not make you one of the star players. Focus on the skills you have and work to make them better.
Always work on your layups. Four out of every five shots taken in a given game will be layups. Run as fast as possible, while jumping and performing a smooth shot. This running and jumping technique will help you learn how to jump and shoot better during the game.
Zone Defense
Don’t spend all your time practicing how to confront a zone defense. Learn how to play a man-to-man defense and a zone defense to get the best understanding of how the game works. If your practice did not include this, you can quickly lose control of the game.
Do you want to fool the other team? Back passes can give your team the opportunity to score while the other team is still wondering what happened. Hold the ball using your dominant hand. Then, put the ball around your back. Then do a wrist flick in the same direction that you want the ball to end up. This should help to trick the other team.
Play games against yourself in and out of season. Basketball is sport played in teams, but there are times when no one is around to play with you. That’s fine. There is still much you can accomplish playing alone. Practice free throws and layups. There are always things that can be done.
To properly handle the ball, you have to spread your fingers out. This will help you to be sure that it won’t escape your grasp when trying to hold it. Additionally, the palm of your hand should not come into contact with the ball. Only use your fingers to dribble, pass or shoot.
To rebound a free throw, you have to be quick. 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 allows you to grab the rebound legally.
Dribbling hard keeps the ball from being stolen from you. This will make the ball come back to you faster, and the opponent will have a hard time to get it from you. If you are being guarded closely, bring your dribbling to an end and pass the ball to another open team member.
Don’t leave your defensive stance. Use a shuffling side to side motion to ensure you are in position. Don’t cross your feet and no one will get around you.
To turn a normal 2-3 zone into a trapping machine, have your top two defenders (your guards) wait until the point guard has come about ten feet past the time line (midcourt). Then they should run to the point guard and trap him. While this is going on your forwards can be sprinting to the players located on the wings. A pass should be thrown by the point guard for forwards to steal.
Shoot from NBA distances to see your three-point skills improve. The International standard line, as well as college and high school lines are all closer. You are less likely to be guarded, the farther you are from the basket.
Make sure you don’t pick up your dribble unless you are prepared for a shot or pass. When you stop, your options are limited. If you decide not to shoot a basket or pass the ball on, you are only allowed to pivot on the heal that is furthest back. That leaves you wide open to double teaming by your opponents and the potential of a stolen ball goes way up.
Be sure your exercise off the court is going to help you on the court. Distance running will help with stamina and sprinting can help with individual plays. Lifting weights can build the muscle you need for shots and the hustle of the game. Your shooting abilities are greatly enhanced by a more self-assured, aggressive mindset.
Now that you’ve finished this article, you can get out there and practice. You need to be confident and you have to practice. Keep your head up and use what you learned here.