TIP! When dribbling, your head must be up, and you need to look forward. You haven’t practiced enough if you keep looking at the basketball while you’re dribbling.

We all know it takes a lot of practice and dedication to become a basketball star. This is true even if you only want to play for fun. This article will help you better your game.

TIP! In order to be a great shooter, good balance is key. Everyone has seen professional basketball players make a shot from 20 feet away as they are falling.

Know how to dribble the ball in the correct way. Avoid using your palm while dribbling. Instead, use your fingertips. This allows you to control the ball much better while you dribble. Keeping the ball to your side will help it from getting in the way. Never look at the ground. Always look up.

TIP! To get better in your basketball game, focus on your strengths. Your strengths might not make you a star player, but you’ll be contributing a lot to your team.

Always keep your head up when dribbling instead of focusing on the ball. You need more practice if you feel that you cannot dribble without focusing on the ball. Bring your ball along when you go out. Whenever you are walking and it is appropriate, dribble there. Always look ahead when you are dribbling the ball.

TIP! Practice your layup shot often. Since layups account for the majority of scoring in a game.

Improving your balance means improving your shots. While some NBA players are able to launch a ball to the net mid-fall, this is not appropriate for most people. They improvise to do that. Good balance while shooting will lead to landing more baskets.

Core Muscles

TIP! Practice the skill of pass catching. Practice catching errant throws along with perfect passes.

If you have a child that is strength training for basketball, their core muscles should be properly developed. The core is the following areas: abdominal muscles, lower back muscles and hip muscles. Core muscles are the connectors between arms and legs. If the core muscles are weak, basketball performance will suffer. A strong core helps the legs move better, like jumping higher and running faster.

TIP! Do you want to fool the other team? Consider the back pass. Hold the ball using your dominant hand.

If posting up is what you’re doing, you have to have good footwork to get open for a shot. Getting a great position under the goal is the most important. After grabbing the position, you need to hold the area. Practicing your footwork is important to master these skills.

TIP! 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 is the hip area, the lower back, and the abs.

Spread your fingers out to handle the ball properly. This way, you won’t lose the ball when holding it. Keep your palm off the ball too. When passing and shooting the ball toward its target, the sole contact point should be fingers.

TIP! Ask teammates what they admire about your playing skills? Are you skilled at something? It could be your speed, or it could be your back-up abilities. Honest feedback can really help you to narrow in on areas where you might need a little extra help practicing.

Have your games taped so you can play them back later and observe your court presence. While reviewing the tape, look for opportunities you may have missed during the game. Look at how you did and judge yourself. Analyze your skills honestly so you can become the player you want to be.

TIP! It’s important to know where you have your feet and also what they’re doing. If you slide onto the baseline, you will lose the ball for being out of bounds.

Use the foot opposite of the hand you shoot with for a better layup. Use your left foot when shooting with the right hand. That will build your balance and help you stay in the right position.

TIP! To improve ball handling, consider focusing workouts on your forearms and hands. Curling your wrists also help you improve your own dribbling.

You must disrupt and upset the play of your opponent if you want to be successful as a defensive player. You should work to make your opponent feel uncomfortable. Be aggressive in the moves you execute. Which plays are made shouldn’t be up to them. If you let them, you’ll be at their mercy. Instead, take the initiative and disrupt their rhythm.

TIP! Dribble hard if you don’t want the ball taken from you. A hard dribble returns the ball back to you faster, leaving less chance of it being snatched by the other team.

To avoid having the ball stolen, dribble hard. This speeds up the dribbling cycle, which means the person covering you has less of a chance to steal the ball each cycle. If you are being closely guarded, then halt your dribbling and quickly pass the ball to a teammate who is open.

TIP! It is important that you can clearly see everything that is occurring during a game. This is so that you’re able to catch passes, get shots in, and look at the scoreboard.

A good basketball drill to perform is to see if you can get the ball down the entire court in 5 or less dribbles. This may be difficult in the beginning, but if you manage it, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with. This is a vital skill to give you points on fast break opportunities.

TIP! When you are defending, keep your stance low. This will aid you as you jump and make it easier to react to the front man.

Take every charge you can. This helps get the ball for the team and allows another foul on the opponent. Perfecting this play can really give you an advantage on the court.

TIP! To trap with a 2-3 zone, have your guards cover the point guard once he gets a few feet past midcourt. Then your defending guards should encircle the point guard to trap him in place.

In order to ensure that you are always ready to defend, keep your stance at all times. Slide your feet from side to side or push off with your opposing foot so that you are always in position. If you never allow your feet to cross one another you will invariably be a very hard player to get passed.

Strength Training

TIP! If it is possible, keep all action below the knee. The other team’s players will have a difficult time stealing the basketball from you.

Basketball players need to engage in strength training. It’s important to have stamina and strength when playing basketball. Even the youngest kids that play will benefit from the game. When they become teens, try using weights to keep enhancing their exercises. When you’re an adult you have to be sure to do strength training to do well on the court.

TIP! Do off court exercises that will improve your game on the court. For example, building up your stamina will help you play your hardest throughout the game.

You should always bend your knees while dribbling. Standing straight up lessens your ability to control the ball and increases the chances that it will be stolen. You only need to bend your knees slightly to improve your control of the basketball.

TIP! Double dribbling is a major rule, and something that must always be avoided. If you start, stop and then begin again, that is double dribbling.

If you’re training to become a very good basketball player then start changing your diet. Increase your intake of carbohydrates to boost energy levels. You should also consume protein and a limited amount of fat. You want to make sure that your body has enough energy to keep going; think about eating chicken, nuts and whole grain bread. Stay away from salt and sugar as much as possible.

TIP! Try always focusing on the location the ball goes after it exits your teams’ hands or the opponents’ hands. A crucial part of the game is being able to rebound the ball.

Now, you can take some action by using the tips and tricks this article has given you to do. Apply what you have learned in this article to your basketball game. This plan will be successful.