As far as basketball goes, the best players don’t even know everything about the sport. Not only must you know the basics of basketball, you must also keep up with the many and frequent changes as they evolve. Do you want to beat your opponents more frequently? Make sure to read on so you can learn the techniques to bring your game to the next level.
It’s natural to focus on offensive abilities when practicing the sport of basketball, but your practice time needs to focus on defense. Defense ultimately determines the winner of a game of basketball. Without good defense, a basketball team will lose the match.
Free throw practice is vitally important. This seems like an easy shot, but it is quite hard. Use the following directions to perfect free throws and practice often. First, hold the ball just above your nose, about 8 inches from your face. There may be a number of distractions so you need to focus on your goal. You should then shoot and try following the trajectory you visualized.
Look forward when dribbling. If you must look at the ball while dribbling, you haven’t practiced enough. Always have a basketball handy. Walking to your mailbox? Dribble the ball. If you have to watch the ball, you will be unable to see whatever is going on at court level.
Making free throws are almost as much a mental part of the game as they are a physical part. You must train both your body and your mind. Relax and focus on the net, and you’ll be able to make more.
Watch the pro’s play if you want to improve your game. Try to go to games, watch televised games, or check out videos of the pros playing. When you find a player who has the skills that you want, then watch them and emulate.
You need to practice more than defeating a zone defense. Always try to anticipate when your opponent is going to switch up their game to catch you off guard. If you haven’t trained yourself to counter this, you could lose any control you have over the game.
Strong Core
Basketball players need to build strong core muscles. The core is the following areas: abdominal muscles, lower back muscles and hip muscles. The core connects the lower extremities to the upper extremities. Without a strong core, your performance may be limited. Building a solid core helps maintain the leg strength that lies at the core of a strong game.
To make sure there are no errant passes, use hand signals. It’s frustrating to pass to your teammate at the very moment they’re heading toward the basket. This can be prevented through the use of hand signals. Without a signal, you should not attempt to pass the ball to a player.
If you don’t want someone to steal the ball, dribble hard. This causes the ball to return to your hand more quickly, so the offense has less time to try to get it away from you. 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.
Be sure that you’re able to see clearly. Vision is an integral part of making shots and catching passes. You want to make sure that you see what is going on to the sides of you. Being aware of the entire court will help you to better anticipate who will move where.
To increase the strength of your weaker hand, utilize it for doing everything, including brushing your teeth and opening jars. If you’re able to do more with your other hand daily, you can start controlling it better. Keeping your opponents on their toes is an important part of basketball.
Use the NBA three point line when practicing your shots. The standard line and college lines are much closer. 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.
The only way to gain skill in outside shooting is to make over 100 practice shots every day from various spots on the court. If you wish to get even better at this, try dribbling and then stopping to make a quick shot. While in the air check out your target, but never before that. All these techniques give you the feel of actual game play, and this will help you become more accurate.
Only stop dribbling if you want to shoot or pass. When you stop, your options are limited. If you don’t shoot or pass, you are going to be pivoting with your back foot. This will leave you open for double teaming from opponents and you may lose control of the ball.
Make sure that you are exercising properly for basketball. Running for long distances will increase your stamina, while running sprints will help you with fast-paced moves. To play more physically, lift weights to make yourself a more dominating presence. Practicing will also build your confidence when shooting.
Hopefully, you are more confident with your basketball skill after reading the above tips. These techniques will help improve your game. Don’t ever stop learning and practicing. Take the game to new heights, and keep this advice in mind when you start.