TIP! Practice shooting free throws. As easy as these shots may seem, they are rather hard.

You don’t need a gymnasium or a competition stadium to play basketball. You can play it at home, or at the local recreation center. If you enjoy basketball, find out all you can in order to play better. The article that follows will help.

TIP! Learn how to maneuver a crossover if you have the ball fairly often. This technique passes the ball back and forth from the right hand to the left hand.

Keep your head up when you dribble. Anyone who watching the ball while they dribble surely needs to spend more time in the gym practicing. If you are just getting started, bring your ball with you everywhere. You can practice dribbling when you have to walk to the store. If you have to watch the ball, you will be unable to see whatever is going on at court level.

TIP! There are passes that can confuse the other team momentarily. Try a pass back! Hold the basketball with your writing hand.

A good way to get your basketball game up to speed is to start trying to see how the pros are playing. You can follow the pros in online videos, on TV and you can also attend a basketball game if there is a pro team in your area. When you find a player who has the skills that you want, then watch them and emulate.

TIP! You can play basketball solo before and during the season. There are times you may not find anyone to play with you.

Practice catching passes often. When you practice, mix it up so that you can catch perfect passes and errant throws. When a game is underway, not every throw will be perfect. Learning how to catch these errant passes will put you at an advantage.

TIP! Try using hand signals to ensure that your passes are received. Players can get easily frustrated if they make a pass to players that aren’t available to catch the ball.

Practice playing a man-to-man defense and zone defense. Most of the game is played in zone, but your opponent may try to switch things up to do man-to-man coverage. If you haven’t practiced against it, you could end up losing your grip on the game quite quickly.

TIP! Being able to anticipate your opponent is a key skill. Monitor scouting news and watch footage of other teams in action.

Are you interested in being able to fool the other team? The back pass is just the thing! You want to grip the basketball with your strongest hand. Next, place the ball behind you. After determining which direction you want the ball to go, use a quick flick of your wrist to send it that way. This is a good way to trick your opponents.

TIP! If you’re quick on the basketball court, you have a built in advantage. If you want the advantage, you’ve got more quickly.

If you’re injured when playing basketball, don’t push through the pain. Basketball is physically demanding and you can easily get hurt. Trying to play while injured will just make your situation worse. If it is a serious injury, see a doctor.

TIP! Always maintain a defensive stance when you are trying to properly defend the goal. Slide sideways and use your back foot to push off in order to maintain the defensive stance in stride.

Spread your fingers out to handle the ball properly. The ball will not get away if you always keep your fingers spread when handling the ball. You should avoid having your palm touching the ball. You should only let the fingers touch the ball during passing or shooting.

TIP! Alter your pace to confuse the opposition. When running toward the hoop, plant your leading foot and start to straighten up.

Good footwork will help you get rebounds off your teammates’ foul shots. Defenders will start to move at you, so you need to get around them to grab the ball. This will get you a rebound without having to commit a foul.

TIP! Strength training can improve your game. In order to play well, you will need to work on both your strength and stamina.

Do drills where you try and get the basketball up a full-court in five dribbles or less. Although this might seem tricky in the beginning, this can really help your game if you can master this skill. This translates to simple layups, fast breaks or just a general increase in your team’s numbers.

TIP! To trap the opposing players in a 2-3 zone, have the defending guards hold back till the opposing point guard has moved beyond the midcourt line by about ten feet. This can give them an opportunity to run up to that point guard to trap them.

Basketball players need to engage in strength training. In order to be the best you can at basketball, you need to be strong and hardy. It can help young kids get the exercise they need. As they age, begin adding weights to their exercise routine. Then they will be ready to really learn the skills that really make an excellent player.

TIP! To boost your ability with the weaker hand, try to use it for all daily tasks. If you can become more dexterous with it in all aspects of your life, you will be bettering your control of it.

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 improve even more, practice preparing for a shot quickly after dribbling the ball. Avoid looking at the basketball goal while dribbling the ball. This will help improve your accuracy during a game.

TIP! When dribbling you want to keep your knees bent. Standing straight will make you see that it’s harder to handle and easier for the opposing players to take.

Communicating with your teammates is a vital part of being a good basketball player. Basketball is considered a team sport. Meaning offense and defense is played, not just one on one. You must help one another out. Communicate with them so that they know when you need assistance, so that you all collectively play better.

TIP! To better three-point shooting, try using NBA distance as the minimum. The International standard line, as well as college and high school lines are all closer.

If a shot is taken from the corner and missed, the ball typically ends up across the court from the player. Figure out where it will be and rebound the ball.

TIP! You should keep the ball below the knees if you’re able to. This makes it more difficult for the opposing players to get control of the ball from you.

Create teamwork both off and on the basketball court. Basketball teams can achieve greatness when the whole team blends cohesively. The ability to intuit and appreciate the actions of your teammates can significantly improve your performance as a whole.

TIP! The hand not used to dribble the ball should serve as a wall separating the ball from the opposing players. Don’t push your opponent because that is a foul; however, you may use your free arm to create a barrier that keeps your opponent away from the ball.

Double dribbling is considered a foul. This is when you are dribbling, then you stop and then you begin again. If you have stopped dribbling, you’ll need to either shoot or pass the ball. You’re not allowed to start dribbling again. That’s called a turnover, which will result in you having to hand over the ball to your opponent.

TIP! Dribble in a rhythmic way until you desire to catch the opposing player off guard. By dribbling consistently and then breaking it up into a different rhythm that’s fast, you can trick an opponent so you have more time to shoot.

Whether you’re playing competitions, H.O.R.S.E., or pick-up games, becoming better at basketball can help you enjoy it more. Now that you’ve read this information, take it to the next level by putting what you’ve learned into practice. As you learn more, you’ll start to play better.