TIP! Dribble the ball the right way. You need to use the tips of your fingers rather than your hand’s palm when you are dribbling.

Have you ever watched professional basketball players and envied their skills? Instead of just aspiring to be a great, why not continue to learn more techniques and strategies that can help you out. Keep reading to learn more.

TIP! Any good basketball player needs to know how to make a layup. During any game, layups make up about 75 percent of the game.

Practice catching passes often. When you practice, be sure to do drills that improve catching wild throws and making great passes. During the game, not all passes will go where they’re intended. Be a better teammate by anticipating a bad pass to make sure it doesn’t get into the opponents hands.

TIP! A bounce pass is essential to learn. In order for a bounce pass to be sufficient, the person should receive the ball around their waist.

Completing passes to your teammates is just as important as dribbling the ball. It is difficult playing without dribbling; however, it helps the team make better passes. Don’t get frustrated if it’s hard at first because it will get better over time.

Shoulder Position

TIP! Play by yourself to practice. While basketball is a team sport, sometimes you just can’t find others to play with.

When your shooting isn’t accurate, check out your shoulder position. If you have bad shoulder position it doesn’t matter how great you are the shot isn’t going to go in. Be sure that your shoulders square up in front of the hoop. Line up your shooting shoulder with the rim as well.

TIP! If you’re posting up, good footwork is the key to getting open and getting a good shot. There are two important points you must remember.

Your routines must be consistent for free throws. If you’re consistent, your shots will be too. The easiest way to make sure you’re doing great at free throws is to do repetitions of the same routines time and again. This will help you develop a routine. If that routine goes off, it will cause you to miss your shot.

TIP! Seek advice from your teammates about how you play the game. What are your your best skill areas? They may say that you are a great team defender or are always playing with excellent speed.

Practicing with your weak hand will help to make you a better dribbler. Using both hands to dribble makes you a more effective player, especially when you’re trying to get past your opponent. Practice with your weak hand by tying your dominant hand behind your back. In no time, the weak hand will also be useful for dribbling.

TIP! To help perfect your free throw abilities you should perform a consistent routine. This may mean you want to dribble three times, touch your forehead, bend at the knees, or do anything else.

A good player on defense will annoy the heck out of the opponent and cause the other team to get flustered. Force them out of their comfort zone. Execute your moves with aggression. Do not allow them to pick and choose their plays. If they do, they’ll dominate you. Rather, you move first so that you interfere with their rhythm.

TIP! To increase the efficiency of your layups, begin your takeoff on the foot opposite from the hand you’re shooting with. Use your left foot when shooting with the right hand.

To nab a rebound from a free throw attempt of a teammate, footwork is key. Slip around the defender moving your way and get the ball. This will allow you to score a rebound without getting penalized for a foul.

TIP! To help improve your ball handling skills, start incorporating your weak hand into your dribbling. Being ambidextrous on the court makes it more difficult for defenders to figure out what you will do next.

Prevent the opposing team from stealing the ball by dribbling hard. This makes the ball come back to you faster so the people on defense aren’t able to steal it as easily. When you are being guarded closely, pass the ball.

Peripheral Vision

TIP! If you wish to get a free throw rebound from a teammate, you have to stay on your toes properly. The defender may be coming toward you, so its important to slip away from him and get the ball.

Practice noticing what is in your peripheral vision. Not to just be able to see the scoreboard, but to actually make a shot and catch a pass. You want your peripheral vision to be as good as it can. If you watch the entire game instead of just focusing on the basketball, you will be able to see open teammates and oncoming defensive players.

TIP! One of the best ways to always be in proper defensive position is to never break out of the defensive stance. Slide your feet to and fro or use your opposing foot to push off to maintain your position.

Remain low when playing defense. You will be able to react more quickly and jump higher because of this. Remain in a correct defensive pose always. If you need to leave your feet in order to prevent your opponent from shooting the ball, quickly get back into that good defensive position.

TIP! Mix things up offensively to keep the other team’s defense off-balance. As you approach the goal, plant your foot and then straighten up.

To increase the strength of your weaker hand, utilize it for doing everything, including brushing your teeth and opening jars. Using both hands when playing is an important skill if you can develop it when you’re not playing. This will make you a force to be reckoned with on the court.

TIP! To increase your three-point shooting skill, shoot from where the NBA players range. Remember that high school, college and international standard lines are all shorter than the NBA distance.

To better three-point shooting, try using NBA distance as the minimum. The standard line and college lines are much closer. Hitting from the NBA range makes you get deeper-ranged looks than the defense will be guarding you at.

TIP! To enhance your skills at shooting the ball from the outside, run drills every day from different locations on the court. Try to practice a hard dribble followed by a quick shot.

Shoot from every point on the court thousands of times a day to get better. To improve further, work on fast dribbling just before shooting. When you are off the ground, keep your eye on the basket, but not earlier. This can help you simulate the conditions of the game and also helps you improve accuracy.

TIP! Control the ball at a level that is below your knees. This makes it more difficult for your opponents to steal the ball.

Hopefully, this article has given you something to think about. In order to do well you will need to develop a consistent routine which will better your playing skills. Play your best game of basketball using the information you learned here.