The love that many people have for this game cannot be overstated. Understanding the nuances of the game helps you to appreciate it in its splendor. Read this article to gain the knowledge that will make watching or playing the game more fun.
Keep your head up when you dribble. If you must look at the ball while dribbling, you haven’t practiced enough. Bring the basketball with you everywhere you go. Dribble the ball when you’re walking to the shops. If you look your ball, you can’t see the court.
Bounce Pass
You should learn the best way to throw a great bounce pass. A bounce pass that’s good is going to end up hitting the other player near their waist. A useful tip is to have the ball bounce roughly 3/4 of the distance to the recipient. There are, however, other factors that influence the pass.
Free throws have a huge mental element to them. You can practice for hours on how to make the shot, but if you over think things or get distracted you will miss every time. Relax yourself and focus on the hoop.
Practice catching passes often. You should practice catching errant passes, along with perfectly executed ones. In the heat of the game, not every pass is going to hit the bulls-eye. Make sure that your teammates also practice this type of pass with you.
You should practice against a variety of defense types, not just zone. You can count on quite a bit of the game being played in zone; however, you should not be surprised if it becomes one-on-one coverage just for the sake of confusion. If you haven’t prepared yourself for that, you might lose your game very quickly.
A good tip about passing is try doing it without dribbling the ball. It is hard to play with no dribbling, but it will help your team make great passes. Even though this is not an easy drill, you will be rewarded for your efforts during game time.
Core Muscles
If you have student that wants to play basketball for their high school team, they will need to spend some time training their core muscles. This will involve their lower back, hips, and abs. The core links together all of the extremities and if it isn’t strong, they will be dealing with a limited athletic ability. Building strong core muscles will allow your to jump higher, run faster and maintain your balance.
If you’re injured when playing basketball, don’t push through the pain. You can easily tear a muscle or even break a finger while playing. If you try to keep playing, you can hurt yourself worse. See a physician if you think your injury is serious.
Have your team mates critique your playing skills. What are your your best skill areas? Perhaps you are quick footed, or you are always ready to lend a hand on the court. Honest feedback can really help you to narrow in on areas where you might need a little extra help practicing.
If your shooting is suffering, take a close look at your shoulders. When the shoulders are wrongly positioned, your shot is unlikely to succeed. Your shoulders should always be squared towards the hoop. Your shooting arm’s shoulder also needs to be exactly lined up with the rim.
Passing between the legs is great when you are being closely guarded. Step forward and back while dribbling the ball between your legs hard. When you get this move down, you will have an advantage.
Practice passing while not looking in the direction of the pass. Doing this is a great way to confuse your opponents. You give your teammate a better chance to make the shot because the opposing player is moving the wrong direction when you pass the ball. When executed properly, this is a powerful play.
Launch your layup jumps from the foot that is opposite the hand you shoot with. Practice shooting using your right hand, then jump off your left foot. This way you keep your body away from defenders, your momentum going in the direction of the basket and your body stays balanced.
To get the rebound from the free throw your teammate is making, you need to do some fancy footwork. The defender in your path will be moving at you, so be sure you’re thinking of how to get past that defender. You won’t foul as you catch the rebound this way.
One way to increase your three-point skill is to practice at the NBA range. All the other three point lines are much closer than the NBA line. If you’re able to get the shot from where the NBA shoots, then you can start working from a range further than the defense expects.
You should practice your dribbling while switching your balance from right to left. Games require you to be able to dribble under all types of conditions. It would be great if you are always able to go full speed ahead, but more times than not you will need to move and flow with the defense in front of you. Learning to dribble effectively will help you in many different situations. This will help you in bad situations.
Stay low and dribble the ball below the level of your knees. The other team’s players will have a difficult time stealing the basketball from you. It will be necessary to bend over, but you should be able to get down the court faster.
Be certain to practice moves off the court that will truly help you on the court. You can run longer distances to build up stamina. To build speed, try doing wind sprints. Both are necessary for playing good ball. Lifting weights and doing resistance training is going to help you to build muscle to take shots. Building your muscles and your confidence will help you game in many ways.
It is impossible to beat the excitement of a basketball match. However, it’s so easy for novices to be lost, wondering what the fuss is all about. We hope this piece has provided the sort of guide that virtually anyone looking to understand basketball better will find useful.