Whether you play competitive basketball or pick-up games at the local gym, you can improve your game. Focusing your attention on your skills goes a long way toward making you a more effective player. If you want to become a better player, you are sure to appreciate these tips.
Don’t spend all your time practicing how to confront a zone defense. While much of the game is played in zone, the opponent can flip to man-to-man coverage, changing everything and surprising you. If your practice did not include this, you can quickly lose control of the game.
If you want to correctly handle the ball, you need to know where to place your fingers. That makes sure that you don’t lose the ball when you hold it. Also, keep your palm off the ball. You should only let the fingers touch the ball during passing or shooting.
Speed is everything in basketball. You will have the advantage over your opponents if you can really play fast. You will have to do a lot of drilling to play faster. Though, you should never attempt to a play faster game than your abilities permit. If you play basketball past your own speed ability, then you can lose control of you game with bad passes and needless turnovers.
In order to be successful with layups, the foot that is opposite from shooting hand is the one you should take off from. When shooting right-handed, take off using the left foot. This keeps your body balanced and moving toward the basket and keeps your body between yourself and your defender.
Free Throw
In order to become a better free throw shooter you need to have a good practice routine. If you’re not consistent you’ll find yourself missing free throws. You should work on your free throw techniques as much as possible until they become a second nature. If you have a glitch in the routine, you are likely to miss your shot.
Dribbling the ball fast and hard will help you to keep better control of it. A hard dribble returns the ball back to you faster, leaving less chance of it being snatched by the other team. 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.
Try to get the basketball from one side of the court to the other in about five dribbles. This may seem to be too difficult at first, but once you’re able to do it you’ll have a lot of speed and stride length. In games, this drill will become useful when you have fast break opportunities.
A good way to stay defensive is to have a defensive stance. Slide both feet side to side, or just push off using the opposite foot. If you never allow your feet to cross one another you will invariably be a very hard player to get passed.
Strength Training
In order to improve your game, make sure you do plenty of strength training. When you play basketball you need a lot of stamina and strength to keep going through the entire game. Small kids who play stand to reap real benefits from strengthening their legs and arms. Adding weights in stronger increments is effective as the child becomes a teenager. Adult players must use strength training to prevent loss of mobility, speed, and power.
To trap the opposing players in a 2-3 zone, have the defending guards hold back till the opposing point guard has moved beyond the midcourt line by about ten feet. Then, they ought to trap the point guard. At the same time, have your forwards on the blocks sprint out to the players on the wings. This can cause the point guard to pass the ball in a way that your teammates can easily steal.
Switching up your dribbling rhythm can really throw the defense off. Smooth dribbling interrupted by a quicker dribble is a great way to catch the opponent off-guard and go in for a shot. Both the change in speed and sound will confound the player who is guarding you.
Create teamwork both off and on the basketball court. A good basketball team usually comes from having a team that is gelling and in sync with one another. Trusting your teammates is key to becoming a good team and also bettering your own skills, and that leads to your team winning lots of games!
You have to change the path of your opponent. Whether you are playing offense or defense, it is important to control the moves of your opponent. That will ensure you control the game.
As you come off a rebound, come down with legs that are spread out wider than the broadness of your shoulders. This will increase your balance. Keep your elbows out to protect the ball and keep it close to your chest. Always keep your elbows in check because an errant elbow can cost you a foul if an opposing player is hit with it.
Where you are before and following a rebound is going to mean the difference between possessing the ball or giving it to the other team. When you jump, use both legs to give yourself a boost. When the ball has rebounded, you want both feet to be more than shoulder width apart so that you can keep your balance.
By learning important tips and taking them to the practice court, eventually you will see how much better you get at this game. Keep reading other resources so you can build up your game skills. Find out everything you can, and you can improve your game.