TIP! Many people forget that defense is as important as offense during practice. Defense is essential to winning these games.

Basketball is played by people of all ages. Basketball can be played at the park, driveway or at the local rec center. If you love basketball, this content allows you to perfect your game.

TIP! Try learning how to hit free throw shots. As easy as these shots may seem, they are rather hard.

Practice your free throw shot. This may seem like an easy task, but in reality, things prove otherwise. Use good technique when shooting foul shots. Place the ball right in line with your face. Keep your eyes on the goal and visualize the ball going into the goal. Then shoot the ball with the trajectory that you visualized.

TIP! If you handle the ball often, you need to learn how to do a crossover. Switch from one side to the other while dribbling.

Know your strengths and they’ll help you become a better player. Your talents might not make you a star, but when you make the most of your strengths, you might better contribute to your team. Knowing what you excel at and then practicing that can help you become perfect at it!

TIP! Don’t just practice playing against a zone defense. Zone play will be important, but man-to-man will pop up from time to time, too.

If you are posting up, strategic footwork is important to becoming open and making a good shot. Focus on positioning yourself more quickly than the opposing player is just as important as having someone beneath the hoop. If you are just stepping into position, you now have to secure the spot. Strong footwork skills help to build both types of skills.

TIP! Never play through an injury when playing basketball. Basketball is challenging physical sport and you can get injured.

A good basketball player is really quick on his feet. Gaining agility and speed will give you the upper hand when playing a game of basketball. In order to play fast, you must practice drills. Do not play beyond you capabilities, however. When you play too fast, you can lose control and that means turnovers.

TIP! Focus on your footwork and core strength when working out. This allows your body to be in balance and be more explosive on the court.

Where are your feet? When you are in possession of the ball, touching the baseline will get you out of bounds. Taking excessive steps while not dribbling results in a call of walking as well as a turnover. Also, moving a foot when setting up a screen can result in a foul.

TIP! A good way to see yourself playing is to have someone record your games. Are you able to see what you’ve missed or things that you could improve on? Be honest in your assessment but not overly critical.

A good way to see yourself playing is to have someone record your games. On tape, you can see all the opportunities you passed and how things could have gone better. Be honest with yourself, but avoid being too critical. It can be an eye-opener to see how you’re playing the game really, not just what you picture it to be.

TIP! Practice looking the other way when passing. Doing this is a great way to confuse your opponents.

You need to put a damper in your opponent’s plan if you want to be successful with defending. Getting them to do things they aren’t accustomed to doing is ideal. Your defensive moves must be aggressive and executed properly. Do not allow them to decide which plays to make. The more aggressively smart team is usually the one who wins. You should make the initial move and throw them off.

TIP! You need to practice dribbling with your weak hand in order to be a more effective player. If you can dribble equally well with each hand, it is simpler to get past your opponents.

Workout to increase flexibility and strength in your hands and forearms. Wrist curls are especially effective at making you better able to handle a basketball like you could dribble sleepwalking. Basketball requires its players to move quickly, shoot accurately and pass well. Good dribbling skills will help you always stay in movement.

TIP! Take charges whenever possible. Taking charges gives you an opportunity to get defensive stops, get the ball and lay the groundwork for fouls.

Dribble hard to avoid ball stealing. 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 you are being guarded closely, halt your dribble and pass to an open teammate.

TIP! If you want to boost your weaker hand skills, use it whenever you can, be it opening jars or just brushing your teeth. If you can become more dexterous with it in all aspects of your life, you will be bettering your control of it.

Be sure your vision is unobstructed. This will enable you to make good shots as well as catching passes that come your way. Peripheral vision must be razor-honed. If you look across the whole game and not just focus on the ball, you can see oncoming defensive pressure in advance, as well as open teammates.

TIP! Work on dribbling the ball while switching the momentum of the body from side to side. Real game dribbling has a lot of variety.

Accept a charge when you can. The charge lets you build a defensive stop and get control of the ball. Not only that, your opponents may become confused or frustrated and stop playing their game plan.

TIP! Keep dribbling in a particular rhythm until you think it’s time to trick the opponent. A steady dribble interrupted by a fast dribble will take your opponent by surprise and give you the advantage.

Stay low when playing defense. This will help you be quicker on the jump and react to the man in front of you easier. Remain in a good defensive stance always. If you break the stance to shot-block, then recover the proper form immediately after the pass or shot.

TIP! Your diet is key to being a better player. Increase your intake of carbohydrates to boost energy levels.

If you want to improve your outside shooting skills then you need to take hundreds of shots each day from all over the court. To help you get even better, practice dribbling the ball and quickly pulling up for a shot. Avoid looking at the basketball goal while dribbling the ball. This will mimic game conditions and help improve your accuracy.

TIP! You must know as a ball handler how to read when to take a shot and when you should be passing. It’s better to assist a goal, than the team to lose a play.

Whether for casual play, for competition, or just for a shoot around, improving your basketball skills will make it more fun to play. Reading this article is great only if you use what you have learned here. If you can better your game, why not do so?