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

Do you want to be as great as Shaquille O’Neil? You can move closer to making your dreams come true by developing skills and techniques to improve your play. Read on to learn what you can do to excel at basketball.

TIP! Perfect your free throw. These shots may seem easy, but they can be quite difficult.

Make sure you learn how to shoot free throws. There are usually a lot of distractions when you are shooting free throws so you need to concentrate. When practicing your free throw, concentrate on where you want the ball to go when it leaves your hands. Put your weaker hand in front of the ball and center your stronger hand over the air valve in the basketball. Keep looking towards the goal and think about the ball getting into that goal. Then shoot the ball with the trajectory that you visualized.

TIP! When dribbling the basketball you should keep your head up. If you must look at the ball while dribbling, you haven’t practiced enough.

When dribbling, your head must be up, and you need to look forward. You should never be looking at the basketball while dribbling. You can practice dribbling almost anywhere. Practice in your home and wherever you walk. Don’t look while dribbling, because you won’t be able to see what’s going on.

TIP! To get better in your basketball game, focus on your strengths. Your skills may not turn you into the star player, but knowing how to make the most of your skills will make you a more valuable player.

A good tip is to practice your layups on a daily basis. Layups comprise approximately 80 percent of all shots. It’s critical to practice running towards the basket at full speed and following up with a good jump and smooth shot. Drill the jumping technique regularly so you can do layups very smoothly and always stay in control of where the ball is going.

TIP! If you want to take jump shots, don’t spend time pumping iron. Strong muscles are certainly useful for basketball, but you can overdo it if you plan to play on the perimeter.

Practice the skill of pass catching. You want to practice catching perfect passes and bad passes. During the course of a game, you can expect there to be many errant passes. So you should do the team a favor by knowing how to take in any kind of a pass that comes from someone.

Core Muscles

TIP! Never play through an injury on the court. You can easily tear a muscle or even break a finger while playing.

If you have a high school level basketball player for a kid, be sure their core muscles are properly trained. The core muscles include the lower back, hips and abdonimals. The core links both the lower and upper extremities. Without a strong core, they will have limited athletic performance. Strong core muscles help you with many movements associated with basketball.

TIP! The key to ball control is to spread your fingers out. This will help prevent the ball from getting away from you while dribbling.

If you get hurt during a basketball game, don’t try to play while in pain. Basketball is challenging physical sport and you can get injured. By “playing through the pain” you take a huge risk that the injury will become much worse. See a doctor if the injury is serious enough.

TIP! Make sure you know what is going on with your feet. An errant toe to the baseline while holding the ball will result in an “out of bounds” call.

Ask your fellow team members which of your skills that they admire. Do you do something really good? It may be that you are quick on your feet or that you are always there to back them up. Improve the skills where you tend to be a bit weaker while maintaining your stronger skills.

TIP! A good drill to try is the five dribble drill. You try to get the ball the entire length of the court in only five dribbles.

Speed is everything in the sport of basketball. You’ll have an advantage if you’re faster than an opponent. You need to really drill to get to the point where you can play fast. Never try though to get too fast that you can’t make any plays. If you play basketball past your own speed ability, then you can lose control of you game with bad passes and needless turnovers.

TIP! Take charges whenever possible. Letting the other guy run into you stops the game without having to use a time out, and adds another four to the opponent’s total.

Ask someone to take a video of you playing and watch it. You’ll likely see ways that you can improve. Don’t be too critical, but do be honest. At times, it can help to see the truth of who you are, not as you imagine yourself.

TIP! Practice shooting hundreds of shots during each training, and you quickly improve shooting skills. Taking quick shots during practice will help you during the game when the pressure is on.

These tips should give plenty of things to work on to improve your game. You need to practice a lot and believe in yourself. Keep all of the good advice you encounter in mind so that you can make it clear that you are very talented.