TIP! Learn how to maneuver a crossover if you have the ball fairly often. Moving the ball from hand to hand is a crossover.

What do I need to know about basketball? What do you need to do to improve your skills and play better? This article has lots of base knowledge about basketball so that when you read it, it can help you improve your skills on the court.

TIP! Balance is important when shooting. Even though a professional can hit all sorts of crazy off-balance shots, it is not the ideal method of shooting that you want to learn.

If you want to improve your game, play up your strengths. Your skills might not make you an all-start every time out, but playing up your strengths makes you a great contributor. Understand where you excel, and work on those talents until they are perfected.

TIP! There is a lot of pressure when shooting free throws. You may know how to make a free throw but if your focus is off, then you will miss.

You should practice pass catching regularly. Try to catch all of the passes that are thrown to you. When the pressure is on, not every pass will come straight to you. You’ll be helping out your team a great deal if you can catch their not so perfect passes.

TIP! Make sure to practice catching passes. When you’re practicing, you should drill in being able to catch random throws in addition to passes that are perfect.

One great way to pass good is to drill when you can without dribbling. Playing basketball without dribbling is very challenging, but your entire team will quickly improve their passing skills. Try not to lose yourself in frustration if you do not master it immediately, with the more time that passes with you and your team practicing, the more accurate they will become.

TIP! Don’t spend all your time practicing how to confront a zone defense. The majority of game play might take place in the zone, but that doesn’t mean that the opposing team will not try to catch you off guard.

Don’t pump a lot of iron if you wish to become a jump shooter. It’s important to be strong, but not too strong. Some overzealous shooting guards buffed up too much, and it had an adverse effect on their overall field goal percentages.

TIP! One good way to learn good passing is drill often without dribbling. This helps to develop passing skills with your teammates, making it much more difficult if you’re standing in one spot and not dribbling.

Practice your footwork and control the position of your feet at all times. Stepping your toe in a baseline with a ball in your grip will mean that you’re out of bounds. In addition, if you move your feet and you don’t dribble, you will be called for walking. You may get a foul call if you move your foot while you are attempting to take a charge, pick a charge or set a screen.

TIP! When developing your jumping skills, limit your use of weight-training. Muscle strength can be great for basketball players, but it is actually possible to have excessive amounts for playing on the perimeter.

When doing a layup, start running using the weaker of your two feet. Thus, if you use your right hand for shooting, you need to push off using your left foot. This way you keep your body away from defenders, your momentum going in the direction of the basket and your body stays balanced.

TIP! A great way you can prepare for what happens on the basketball court is to avoid having your back to the ball. You must always be prepared to receive a pass and you need to know where players are on the court.

Playing basketball well means developing good court “eyesight.” You will need it for more than checking the scoreboard or passing and shooting. You want to make sure that you see what is going on to the sides of you. You need to know the location of other players on the court in order to make good passes and avoid turnovers.

TIP! Keeping your fingers spread wide is important for holding onto the ball. This will help prevent the ball from getting away from you while dribbling.

Your defenders need to wait for the point guard to make it 10′ ahead of the time line. Then they need to get to the guard on point to trap him. Your forwards can sprint to block the player on both sides. By doing this, you increase the chances for your big men to steal the pass from the point guard.

TIP! High percentage free throw shooters typically have the same free throw routine prior to each and every shot. This can include the number of times you dribble, how you position your feet, or anything else.

Always bend the knees while dribbling. The ball is harder to control dribbling when you stand up straight. It also leaves you open to a steal from the opposing team. Merely bending your knees a bit can provide you with much better ball control.

TIP! In order to become a better free throw shooter you need to have a good practice routine. If you don’t have one, your accuracy may suffer.

If you wish to do better a shooting three pointers, you should do it from where NBA players shoot from. All other distance lines, high school, college and International, are not as far. 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.

TIP! One of the best ways to always be in proper defensive position is to never break out of the defensive stance. Slide your feet to the sides or push off using the opposite foot to always be in position.

Are you aware of the answers to the questions you have? Are you prepped to hit the court running? Are you able to handle the fact that you’re going to do the best at basketball that you’ve ever done because of this article? Use these tips to become a better player.