The fundamentals of basketball are fairly easy to learn. The basic strategies of the game can be acquired in a few minutes time. Once you get started, though, you will undoubtedly want to learn more, and this article is a great starting point.
Pay attention to what you are good at. You can contribute to the team by consolidating your best skills, even if these skills do not make you one of the star players. Know what you are good at, then practice it until you’re absolutely perfect at it!
It is tempting to concentrate just on offense when just staring out, but defensive practice is absolutely vital. Defense is essential to winning these games. Even though everyone loves to watch offense, defense is what wins you most games.
Perfect your layup technique. Four out of every five shots taken in a given game will be layups. Practice running while dribbling, jumping and shooting as smoothly as you can. Drill the jumping technique regularly so you can do layups very smoothly and always stay in control of where the ball is going.
When dribbling, focus on what’s in front of you by keeping your head up. You need more practice if you feel that you cannot dribble without focusing on the ball. Take the basketball around off-court wherever you are. Walking to your mailbox? Dribble the ball. If you’re looking at the basketball, you won’t be able to see what is coming at you.
A bounce pass is essential to learn. Bouncing the pass to the receiver should be at their waist. Try bouncing it about three-quarters to them. At the same time, take into account any other extraneous factors that may affect the pass.
Learn to crossover if you get the ball often. Switch from one side to the other while dribbling. It should be done quickly. When done correctly, a good crossover dribble assists you in being efficient and helping you change direction when you need to.
Ask your teammates what they like about how you play. Can you get better at something? They may say that you are a great team defender or are always playing with excellent speed. Determine what others like about your game and fine tune those skills.
Know your strengths and they’ll help you become a better player. Your best skills may not be center-stage every game, but knowing how to play the best angles can help you give more to your team. Ask others to help you identify your strengths and practice until you fully master these skills.
Watch your shoulders and their position if you notice yourself developing a slump in your shooting. You won’t be able to make a shot if your shoulders aren’t in the right position. Make sure your shoulders are always square towards the hoop. If your right hand is your dominant hand, your right shoulder must be aligned with the rim. For left-handedness, the opposite is true.
Watching the pros play is a great way to see how great basketball players use their skills in the game. It is important that you see how other people play the game. You will see that each great player has certain skills that make him great and you can practice what you see him doing.
Learn how to dribble and pass between your legs in case you are being guarded very tightly. To practice, simply bounce the basketball between your legs while stepping either forward or backwards. If you get this down, you will have a major advantage on the court.
Ask your fellow teammates if they have an opinion of your skills in the game. What areas are your strong points? They may say you’re fast or that you share well. Develop your strengths even further and look for ways to improve your weaknesses.
A consistent routine will help you to achieve great free throws. Inconsistency will ruin your shots. If you want to perfect free throw shooting, pick a routine and repeat it continuously. If you have a glitch in the routine, you are likely to miss your shot.
You must know your opponent in order to be tough on defense. Study video tape on your opponent and read over any scouting reports. For example, you might look to see which players favor their left side and which have dominant right hands. Once you understand the opposition, you will now how to mount your defense. Strong defenders are knowledgeable defenders.
To get a rebound of a free throw that one of your teammates is taking, you need to be sly with your feet. Guards will be attempting to stop you, so get around them. Now you can achieve a proper rebound and not commit a foul.
Basketball players must be fast. Try playing faster than the opponents for a better advantage. If you want to play the game fast, you need to drill continuously. Make sure you never play past the speed you are comfortable. Playing beyond your speed cause the game to get out of control with various turnovers and errant passes.
If an opponent charges at you, let him run into you. A charge leads to a turnover by the opposing team and gives you the ball back. This can be devastating to the other team.
Maintain a lower position as you play defense. You will be able to react more quickly and jump higher because of this. Remain in a good defensive stance always. If you must break your stance to block someone’s shot, return to formation as quickly as you can.
Alter your pace to confuse the opposition. When running toward the hoop, plant your leading foot and start to straighten up. The guard may think you’ve slowed down and may try to straighten themselves. When that happens, rush forward and power past them.
Increase your weak hand’s capabilities by using it for everything you normally would not. If you’re able to become more ambidextrous, you are going to be able to better control it on the court. This will help you with your basketball game also.
Strength training can be a major help in basketball. Strength and stamina are both needed to excel at basketball. Even young children can benefit from strength training. When they become teens, try using weights to keep enhancing their exercises. During the adult years, strength training is vital to keeping on-court performance at a high level.
One way to misdirect your opponent is to dribble in a rhythm, then break that rhythm. By mixing up your regular dribbling rhythm with a faster pace, you will throw your opponent off guard, perhaps leaving you with an open shot or pass. The speed is important, but it works in tandem with the sound to disorient the player who is guarding you.
To convert the typical 2-3 zone to a trapping machine, get the best pair of defenders available to wait just until the opposing point guard reaches roughly ten feet beyond the mid-court line. Then they need to get to the guard on point to trap him. Your forwards should sprint to cover the other players on the outside. This will cause the point guard to throw a pass that will allow your forwards to steal.
Try different shots from different places on the basketball court. Practice your grip and balance first. Off-balance shooting can happen, but it’s not as accurate. The valve that’s on the basketball can be used to improve your grip. Spread your dominant hand over the ball, positioning the valve in the middle of your hand; this is the center of the ball.
When dribbling, bend your knees. The basketball is much harder to control if you stand tall and the opposing team can snatch it more easily. You will have better ball control with bent knees.
Your diet is key to being a better player. If you’re playing regularly, you need energy-loaded carbs as well as some fat and protein. Peanut butter and nuts are great choices. Try not to use too much salt or sugar.
To make your shooting skills better, shoot from all around the court. To get even better, try to practice dribbling and quickly shooting. Look at your target while you’re in the air, but not before that. Doing so allows you to move more precisely and with greater accuracy.
Take control of opposing players’ movements. This is an ability you need on both defense and offense, since you get to control where your opponent goes in either case. The will help you get to where you want to go and will deter them.
Practice making shots from a lot of different places on the court. Begin with practicing your grip and balance. While it is possible to shoot off balance, it isn’t always accurate. You can use the valve to find your perfect grip. Put the middle of your palm over the valve.
Try to force your opponent to rely on their non-dominant hand. If that player is right-handed, move in the player’s direction on your left foot. This will force the player to switch hands. Keep your head on a parallel with the player’s chest. This will make your stance low and enable you to snatch the ball away.
If someone shoots from the corner of the basketball court and misses, it will bounce over the net onto the opposite side. Attempt to catch the resulting rebound by watching the angle from which it was shot.
Maybe you are new to basketball. Perhaps you have played the game ever since you were that wee tyke on the court. No matter the case, the information below can help you play better. Use this advice when you get on the court next time.
To help maintain your balance when catching a rebound, try to land with your feet shoulder width apart. You want to bring the ball tight into your body with both hands. Do not swing your elbows around or you may be hit with a foul.
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