The wonders of basketball have long been known to many, but there are many people who still harbor curiosity about how to play better. Study of basketball fundamentals and skills techniques can be a great place to begin. Continue perusing this article for some truly fantastic advice on improving your game.
Never pass the ball and stand still. This is a mistake most often made by those new to the game of basketball. Once you’ve passed the ball, you need to work to get into the best position possible to be passed to again or to grab a rebound from a shot.
When you dribble, make sure that you use fingertips instead of palms. This gives you much more control over the ball. Using your palms can cause the ball to go all over the place on the court, whereas using your fingertips keeps it under your control when you have to run.
A great way to learn how to pass is by doing drills often with no dribbling. Playing without any dribbling is very hard, but builds your passing skills. Don’t get upset if it seems hard, this will improve your team’s passes over time.
Shoot at least a hundred free throws every day. Not only does this make you a better free throw shooter, but it helps all your shooting. You can step on a court any day of the week familiar with the sight and sound of you putting the ball in the goal. This gives you serious mental confidence, regardless of how or where you actually shoot.
Good shooters rely on the perimeter shot, so practice getting open to get these key shots. A good play to run is having a post player work the ball down low and then pass it back out once the defense collapses. Run a drill during practice where the only shots you take are those from passes coming from inside the paint.
Be careful about trying to block shots. In most organized leagues, blocking the shot on the way down or when in the imaginary cylinder above the net results in a goaltending call. This just gives the opponent the attempted points, whether they would have made the shot or not anyway.
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Always keep your head up while dribbling. You will not be able to see an open teammate if you are looking at the ball. You also will not be able to see what kinds of defenses the opposing team is playing if you are looking at the ball while dribbling.
There may be sneaky or subversive moves that you can make in an attempt to won a game but they are not worth it. Your teammates and fans deserve a player to be proud of, not one whose actions they have to defend. Be a player that your team and the opposing team can both respect.
Stick with the same routine every time that you do free throws. You have 10 seconds to shoot, so you can use that short period of time as you like. You can bounce the ball a couple times, spin it within your hands, talk to yourself, etc. Try to be creative and find a routine that works best for you. You will eventually get more comfortable with this shot by doing the same routine over and over.
Even though dribbling movement should start with the feet and below the knees, finish or follow through the movements with your whole body. The right combination of eye and arm motions can actually throw your defender off for even a half of a second, giving you the daylight you need to make a play or pass.
To inbound a basketball, you need to be able to learn to fake defenders out. You can use the ball to fake in one direction and then pass in another. Defenders often will jump at your first fake, giving your teammate the chance to get wide open. Use this to beat those opponents who try to cheat the pass.
To become a better rebounder in basketball you need to understand how to box out your opponent. The best way to box out your opponent so you can grab the ball off a missed shot is to get your body in front of him or her. Make sure you shield this person from the basket, this lets you grab the carom off the backboard and rim.
Stay in your defensive stance while defending your basket against opponents. Keep your feet moving to each side or push your opposing foot off so you can keep yourself in position. Don’t ever allow your feet to cross to become a hard player to pass.
Maintain a lower position as you play defense. This allows you to jump faster and increases your reaction time should the person you’re covering do something. Maintain this low stance with arms raised until a shot or high pass is made. When you must break from your stance in order to block shots, make sure to return to form right away.
If a defender is hot on your heels, a one handed pass is a must. If their hands are up high, fake a high throw and then bounce it under their arm. If their hands are instead low, fake a bounce pass and toss it over their arm to the recipient instead.
To be a great basketball player you must also be a great athlete. Basketball is a physical sport as well as demanding a great deal of endurance. Weight training can make your body tougher physically. Good conditioning is important as well, so warm up with about 15 minutes of running before doing drills.
Lots of people already love basketball, but the sport certainly has room for new aficionados to enter the scene. The best method of sharpening your interest in basketball is to learn as much as possible about playing better and about honing winning strategies. Hopefully the resource above has sparked an even greater desire to further the game that so many people love.
Few sports are quite so thrilling to watch and play as basketball. There is something about racing down the court and tossing up a shot that is very exciting. However, you also want to make sure your shots go in. To improve your game, read the advice in the following article.
Make your passes quick and precise. This takes practice, but you can improve your passing skills over time. Find someone else who wants to improve their passing and run drills with them. Running up and down the court passing and dribbling will eventually become second nature and help you with your game.
One of the most important things to understand is when to make the shot. Taking a dangerous shot can result in the ball being overturned. If you do not feel comfortable making the shot, pass it to a teammate and either let them make the shot or get into a better position to make the shot.
If you feel you’ve been spending too much time on the the bench, ask your basketball coach what you can do to help the team the next time you are in practice. Hang on every word he or she says. This will demonstrate your intense interest in helping the team win by improving your own play and should get you more game time!
When learning to dribble, you need to learn to dribble with both hands. This is important because you may have to switch hands when dribbling during a game. Also, learn to dribble behind your back and between an opponent’s legs. This may seem silly, but you may actually use this technique.
When a teammate passes you the ball, make the most out of it. If you have an open shot, go ahead and shoot. If you do not have an open shot or think that you can get open, do the right thing and pass it along to another teammate. They may have the shot that you don’t.
To stay hydrated while playing basketball outside on a hot day, make sure you drink plenty of water or sports drink before you head outside, and take a bottle with you. When you sweat, you not only lose water, but you lose electrolytes and sodium. Sports drinks like Powerade help you replace those and keep your edge on the basketball court.
To develop an accurate shooting stroke, put your dominant hand under the ball and use your other hand on the side of the ball, as a guide. If you develop this consistency, you will be able to follow through with your shooting hand and get a high, looping arc that is more likely to go through the hoop.
Speed and agility is important, but you need to know how to practice to improve those skills. Running yourself ragged by training for long lengths of time or by running long distances won’t benefit your play on the court. Instead, practice sprints and other short bursts of exercise. This better mimics how on the court play really is.
When dribbling, try to make your moves below your knee joints. This will mean you have to bend over to dribble the ball and move, but there are advantages. It creates a little more personal space, making the ball harder for an opponent to steal. It also makes it far easier to shake off an opponent for a drive, a shot or a pass.
