TIP! Practice your free throw shot. That’s a shot that appears simple but is actually difficult in reality.

Basketball is something that people find to be fun and lots of people love it. But, excelling at the game is not simple. While genetics and being athletic may help you to do a little better, anyone can be good at basketball. The following article will give you some great basketball tips.

TIP! Learn how to maneuver a crossover if you have the ball fairly often. A crossover happens when you switch hands the ball is in.

Always dribble with your head up and looking forward. Looking directly at the ball means you aren’t good at the game yet. The ball can go with you when you go anywhere. Practice in your home and wherever you walk. By looking forward instead of at the basketball, you are able to see the happenings on the court.

TIP! Learn how to throw a proper bounce pass. Bounce passes should not go above or below the receiving players waist.

Practice layups often. Up to eighty percent of the baskets attempted in a game are layups. When you practice, be sure to run at the goal with full speed, jumping and shooting in a smooth series of motions. This method will teach you to improve your jumps and shots throughout the game.

TIP! You should practice against a variety of defense types, not just zone. While a great portion of a game will be concentrated in the zone, your rivals could opt to go to man-to-man covering to keep you guessing.

You can improve your skills by paying attention to how the pros play. Watch pro games on TV, or attend games in person. Every truly great player has unique skills that you can learn from.

TIP! Would you like to learn how to fool your opponent? Try a back pass. To properly perform this pass you will need to have the ball in your dominant hand.

Play solo basketball in the months leading up to the season, as well as during the season itself. Basketball is usually a team sport, but just because you can’t find others, doesn’t mean you have to just stop thinking about it. There is nothing wrong with that. You can still get a lot accomplished with solo games. Work on free throws or three pointers. This will help improve the hard parts of your game.

TIP! If you’re looking to be the best defensive player that you can be, you’ll want to know your opponent. Review videotapes and monitor scouting reports.

Basketball players of all ages benefit from exercises that strengthen their core. Core muscles include the hips, abs, and lower back. The core connects the lower and upper extremities, and if a person has a weak core, they will fail to excel in athletic pursuits. If your core is solid, you will have greater strength in your legs. This helps with fast running and high jumping.

Free Throws

TIP! Always know where your feet are and what they are doing. Just touching the baseline is going to get you called out of bounds.

You must have a consistent practice routine if you want to learn to shoot free throws well. If you aren’t consistent, you won’t make the basket. You have to practice time and time again. Just keep repeating free throws, if you want to perfect that technique. A break in your routine will foul the shot.

TIP! Try practicing how to pass while looking in another direction. Your opponents can really get confused by this, as well.

You need to constantly disrupt your opponents in order to be a great defensive player. Focus on getting them out of the comfort zone. When you are guarding, do so aggressively. Don’t allow them to control the match. If don’t play aggressively, you opponent will run you down. It’s important, then, to be aggressive and mess up their game rhythms.

TIP! To be a good dribbler, and a more versatile player, you have to develop not only your dominant hand but your weaker side as well. If both hands are useful for dribbling, your opponents will not stand much of a chance.

Improve both forearms and hands to improve ball control. Curling your wrists also help you improve your own dribbling. One thing that is important to remember is that it is difficult to be static and be a scorer. You must move the ball to have things happen.

TIP! Dribble very hard to prevent the opposing team players from stealing the ball. This is because the ball returns to you hand faster, so the opposing team has less of a chance to get it.

Dribble harder if you want to avoid the ball being stolen. A hard dribble returns the ball back to you faster, leaving less chance of it being snatched by the other team. When closely guarding another player, cease dribbling and pass it to another play on your team that’s open.

TIP! Take charges whenever possible. This play gets your team possession of the ball and a foul against your opponent.

A good basketball drill to perform is to see if you can get the ball down the entire court in 5 or less dribbles. This might not seem possible, but if you can do it your speed and length will strengthen. If you master this, you will be able to quickly take layups.

TIP! To trap with a 2-3 zone, have your guards cover the point guard once he gets a few feet past midcourt. After he crosses the midcourt line, they should run and trap him.

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. This can give them an opportunity to run up to that point guard to trap them. Simultaneously, make sure you own forwards are free to sprint to the opposing players who are out on the wings. This will cause the point guard to throw a pass that will allow your forwards to steal.

TIP! Increase your weak hand’s capabilities by using it for everything you normally would not. Using both hands when playing is an important skill if you can develop it when you’re not playing.

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 help you get even better, practice dribbling the ball and quickly pulling up for a shot. Avoid looking at the basketball goal while dribbling the ball. You will increase your level of accuracy and create an experience closer to real game play.

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

Use workouts to better your game. Work on sprints to make you faster and build your stamina. Resistance training or weightlifting builds better muscles for shots. This is also good for making you much more relaxed while you’re shooting the ball.

TIP! Make sure your off-court exercise is appropriate to help your on-court game. Sprinting will help you develop speed, while running long distances will help you develop great stamina.

Do you want to impress your friends with your basketball skills? Perhaps a little practice of what you read should come first. Psyche yourself up and run out onto the court to play! You’ll soon realize you’re a much better player by using these tips.