TIP! Make sure that you’re dribbling the ball correctly. You want to dribble with the tips of your fingers, not your whole hand.

Do you like the sport of basketball but feel as though you do not know too much about it? You are certainly not alone. Lots of folks watch basketball games and marvel at what the professionals can do. In this article, you will learn some professional basketball tricks.

TIP! Improving your balance means improving your shots. Falling when you make a shot is not the right way to shoot.

Find out how to make free throw shots. These shots may seem easy, but they can be quite difficult. When practicing your free throw, concentrate on where you want the ball to go when it leaves your hands. Start out by holding the basketball right in front of you. Use visualization to imagine the goal occurring. Then shoot! Shoot the ball in the trajectory you imagined.

TIP! Make layups a part of your daily practice regimen. Layup shots make up nearly 80% of a game’s shots.

The way to properly dribble is to keep your head up while looking ahead of you. If you need to look at the ball while dribbling, you’ll need to practice more. Bring the basketball with you everywhere you go. Dribble on your way to school. If you’re looking at the basketball, you won’t be able to see what is coming at you.

Practice Catching

TIP! Passing quickly without dribbling is a great way to practice. It is a challenge not to dribble while playing, but it will ensure the accuracy of your team’s passes.

Practice catching passes as often as you can. Practice catching errant throws along with perfect passes. During a real game, many of the passes that come your way will be off-target and tougher to handle. Learning how to catch these errant passes will put you at an advantage.

TIP! If you’re posting up, good footwork is the key to getting open and getting a good shot. Getting a great position under the goal is the most important.

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 physician if you think your injury is serious.

TIP! Pay close attention to your shoulders if you’ve suddenly developed a shooting slump. No matter your skill level, you won’t make shots if your shoulders aren’t in the proper position.

Watch your shoulders and their position if you notice yourself developing a slump in your shooting. When you’re in a shooting slump it usually means that your shoulders are not square to the hoop. You’ll want to ensure that your shoulders are squared up towards the hoops. Your shooting arm’s shoulder also needs to be exactly lined up with the rim.

TIP! Consistency in your approach is vital to becoming solid at free throws. Focus on your shot and eliminate all outside distractions.

Quickness is something you have to have when playing basketball. Developing speed and vision is vital to playing the game well. You have to be steady as you play quickly. But do not try to play faster than you are able. By playing beyond your speed capabilities, you will quickly lose control of the ball, which will lead to bad passes, bad shots, and turnovers.

TIP! To generate consistency with layups, leap from the opposite foot from the hand you use to shoot. What this practically means is that if your right hand is your shooting hand, you need to take off with your left foot.

Be aware of your own actions and the position of your feet. If you have the ball and you step outside the baseline, then you’re out of bounds. If you walk without dribbling, you will be called for walking and this will result in a turnover. A foul will result if you try to take a charge or set a pick and your feet are moving.

TIP! Make your forearms and hands stronger so you can handle the ball better. Do some wrist curls as much as possible and your dribbling should get better.

Have your games taped so you can play them back later and observe your court presence. Can you see where you can improve your form? Are there things you might have done differently? It is important that your assessment is an honest one, but isn’t overly critical. It can help you to see how you really are instead of what you imagine you are.

TIP! Dribble the ball hard to keep it from being stolen. This makes the ball come back to you faster so the people on defense aren’t able to steal it as easily.

If you wish to succeed in a defensive role, you must be able to break your opponents’ concentration. Force them out of their comfort zone. Display aggressiveness in your chosen moves. Do not let them choose the plays to make. This will give your opponent the chance to run over you. You need to adopt an aggressive style and react quickly so you can interrupt the patterns set by your opponents.

TIP! Try to get the basketball from one side of the court to the other in about five dribbles. This may not seem feasible, but once you master it, your speed and stride will be truly impressive.

Dribble with force to prevent the ball from being stolen. This will make the ball come back to you faster, and the opponent will have a hard time to get it from you. When closely guarding another player, cease dribbling and pass it to another play on your team that’s open.

TIP! Be certain that your vision is the best it can be. This will help you to secure the ball during the game.

Do drills where you try and get the basketball up a full-court in five dribbles or less. This will help you to gain speed, stride length and control of the ball. You will have easy layups on fast breaks and you will be able to advance your team easily.

TIP! Building strength improves your basketball game. It’s important to have stamina and strength when playing basketball.

Try to practice a dribble while switching momentum from side to side. Dribbling during game play requires you to adopt a variety of dribbling skills. You’ll have people guarding you on all sides. You must dribble while you make your body lean in various directions. This will help you in bad situations.

TIP! You can make the 2-3 zone a lot more dangerous by having two defenders stay in this zone until a point guard is beyond the time line. At this point, your guards must rush the point guard thus trapping him.

Try using your non-dribbling hand like a barrier between the ball and your opponent. Don’t push your opponent because that is a foul; however, you can use your arm as separator between your opponent and the ball. Hold your arm slightly elevated as you dribble with the opposite hand.

A missed shot from the corner of the basketball court will usually go to the opposite side. This knowledge will help you get more rebounds.

TIP! Keep dribbling until it is time to shoot or pass the ball. When you stop dribbling, then you limit your options.

Make sure your team really meshes together off and on the court. Great basketball games happen when teams work together. If you think you know each of your teammates really well and trust them, then your game improve, and theirs too.

TIP! You should keep the ball below the knees if you’re able to. In this way, opposing team members will have difficulty stealing the ball.

Your position immediately before and after a rebound can help determine whether or not you will keep possession. Jump using both of your feet to gain greater balance and control and grab the ball with two hands. Once you grab the ball, spread your feet out wide as you land to help maintain balance while also keeping the ball tight to your chest.

TIP! Create teamwork both off and on the basketball court. A good basketball team usually comes from having a team that is gelling and in sync with one another.

The bottom line is that while you may like basketball a whole lot, it may be that you lacked some key information about it before today. By this point, you are enjoying a stronger sense of confidence in your abilities. Get out there on the court so you can utilize these learned strategies.