Basketball is more than just something you play in intramural sports or in your P.E. class. You can play at the park or even at your own home. If you enjoy basketball, find out all you can in order to play better. The article that follows will help.
When learning the game of basketball, it’s easy to get caught up in offensive play. But you should also give plenty of attention to defense. Defense is how you win a basketball game. Offense gets more attention, but the team is going to lose without a strong defense.
Dribbling the ball the right way needs to be done. Don’t use your palm, use your fingers. Dribbling this way improves your ball control dramatically. You should be dribbling the ball at your side instead of in front of your body. The ball should always be dribbled at waist level. Keep your head up and do not look at the ground.
Dribble while keeping your head upward and looking ahead. Looking directly at the ball means you aren’t good at the game yet. Take the basketball around off-court wherever you are. Keep dribbling the ball even while you’re doing your errands. If you’re looking at the basketball, you won’t be able to see what is coming at you.
To be a better basketball player you should concentrate on the things that make you great. While you may have a particular skill that isn’t going to make you stand out as the star player, honing it can help you become an integral part of your team’s success. Know what you are good at, then practice it until you’re absolutely perfect at it!
Practice your layup shot often. Layup shots make up nearly 80% of a game’s shots. Don’t just walk through a layup drill. It is key to go at game tempo to practice the timing needed to maintain accuracy. This running and jumping technique will help you learn how to jump and shoot better during the game.
You can improve your skills by paying attention to how the pros play. Go to actual games or watch on TV. Watch great players to learn the specific skills that make them exceptional.
Don’t limit your practice to just playing against the zone defense. The majority of the game is in that area, but be careful about a team who changes things up. When you don’t know how to defeat it, you will lose.
Never turn away from the ball so that you can always be prepared for what’s coming. Always knowing where the ball is will make sure that you are ready if it quickly comes your way. Maintain awareness of open areas on the ball court that may allow you to quickly score a basket.
Proper handling of the ball requires that your fingers be spread apart. This makes sure that it does not escape away from your grip. Also, keep your palm off the ball. When passing and shooting the ball toward its target, the sole contact point should be fingers.
To be a good dribbler, and a more versatile player, you have to develop not only your dominant hand but your weaker side as well. You will be able to get past your opponent more easily if you can use either hand to dribble the ball. To help develop your weaker hand, avoid using your dominant hand. This will help you use that hand more easily and improve your dribbling with that hand.
Being a successful defensive player means upsetting and disrupting your opponent’s play. Make them feel uncomfortable and to where they’re second guessing their next move. Be aggressive in the moves you execute. Keep them from deciding what moves to make. This will give your opponent the chance to run over you. Rather, you make the initial move and break up their flow.
If you are in a defensive position, keep yourself low. Doing so improves your reaction time with regards to your opponents’ actions. You always want to have a strong defensive stance on the court. If you break form in an attempt to shot block, return to the proper form as soon as you can.
You should keep the ball below the knees if you’re able to. This makes it more difficult for the opposing players to get control of the ball from you. You need to bend your body somewhat to accomplish this. It will, however, increase your overall effectiveness, as you are making the ball much harder to steal.
Use the hand that doesn’t have the ball as a block. However, you’re not actually going to push with this hand; instead, you’re going to separate yourself using this hand. Just keep it up slightly while dribbling with the other hand.
Do exercises that will assist you in becoming a better player. Running sprints can make you faster on individual plays, while long-distance running helps you make it through a game with good stamina. Weightlifting or resistance training improves your muscle tone. You will also gain aggression and confidence that will help you when shooting.
You need to control your nerves when shooting the ball. The basket should be the your main focus. Try training your eyes to go back towards the rim when shooting. However, when performing a layup, shift your eyes to watch whatever spot on the backboard you intend to bank your shot off of.
If you’re in possession of the ball, learn when you should be passing the ball to a player with a better shot and when you should be taking the shot yourself. You don’t want to be the player that cost your team the game due to your selfishness.
You have to have a good pivot to play well. Practicing pivoting will be able to help prevent you from tangling your feet or getting disoriented. Practice this frequently without the ball, and then with the ball.
No matter if you like to watch the game or play it, learn all you can. Now that you’ve read all the way through this article, put it to good use! The more you know, the better player you’ll be.