Most people don’t try to do something unless they have taken their time to learn about it first. Great basketball players are not born that way, they work at being better players and continue to learn and practice. The following tips will help you learn how to play your best.
Make sure that you’re dribbling the ball correctly. When dribbling the basketball, use your fingertips rather than the palm of your hand. This helps you to control the ball better. Dribble to the side of your body rather than directly in front of you, bouncing at waist level. Keep your head up, do not stare down towards the ground.
Free throw practice is vitally important. This kind of shot seems easy, but it really is not. Put this technique into practice as often as you can. First, hold the ball just above your nose, about 8 inches from your face. Look at the basket and imagine the ball going in it. Bend your knees to control the arc of the ball.
Practice your layups a lot. Almost 80% of shots will be layups. When you practice, you need to be able to run toward the basket at full speed, then shoot while jumping in the air. Practicing your running and jumping as a single motion will improve your technique faster than practicing them separately.
Learn how to throw a proper bounce pass. It needs to get to the player at their waist. Try bouncing it about three-quarters to them. This all depends on many factors.
You should practice pass catching regularly. Try to catch all of the passes that are thrown to you. In the heat of the game, not every pass is going to hit the bulls-eye. You’ll be helping out your team a great deal if you can catch their not so perfect passes.
Zone Defense
Do not only practice zone defense plays. While you might see a zone defense mostly, a team can switch defenses to man-to-man quickly in order to confuse you. If your practice hasn’t included this type of scenario, you might lose control rapidly.
A great way to learn how to pass is by doing drills often with no dribbling. This is very hard to accomplish, but it forces you and your fellow players to work on accurate passing skills. Keep your emotions in check if quality passing is not happening right away as it takes time to perfect this part of the game.
Lifting weights too much can actually take away from your jump shot. While muscle mass is good for any basketball position, perimeter play requires less than other positions. You might see a decrease in your goal percentages if your biceps become too large.
If you’re injured when playing basketball, don’t push through the pain. You can easily tear a muscle or even break a finger while playing. Continuing to play when you are in pain can make an injury worse. Be sure to seek medical care if you have a serious injury.
Never have your back to the ball so that you’re ready for anything in a basketball game. This will help you stay on top of quick changes in possession or plays attempted by your opponent. Make sure you also have the court in your line of vision as well, so you know when and where you can drive in for the score.
One thing to consider if your shooting percentage drops is that your shoulders may be inconsistent when you are shooting. When the shoulders are wrongly positioned, your shot is unlikely to succeed. To help improve your shot, focus on squaring up on each of your shots. Your dominant shoulder must be lined up with the rim.
Learning to fix your own car would bring you a great sense of accomplishment. Pride that is not easily matched but can be bolstered by learning and reading about how you can improve your game. This can help you and your team score more.