Basketball is something that tons of people worldwide enjoy. You can usually catch someone playing a game at the park on any day. The following information will help you learn more about basketball.

Watch your form while you dribble the ball. When you dribble, use the fingertips, not the palm. Using your fingertips provides you with more control. Always dribble to your side, not your front. Don’t look down, always look up.

TIP! Even professional basketball players spend a lot of time watching other people play basketball. Go to games, watch them on TV and you can also watch videos.

Practice catching passes as often as you can. While you are practicing, you should be sure to drill yourself on catching errant throws, as well as catching those perfect passes. Some passes may be too high, too low or off target, so you should practice receiving passes often. You’ll be helping out your team a great deal if you can catch their not so perfect passes.

If you want to take jump shots, don’t build your arms up too large. While muscle strength is good to have in any basketball position, it is possible to have too much for perimeter play. Some shooting guards that play professionally have such big arms that their field goal rate went down.

Core Muscles

TIP! Would you like to learn how to fool your opponent? Consider the back pass. Use the dominant hand whenever trying a behind the back pass.

If you have a kid that wants to play basketball in high school, be sure they’re working on their core muscles. Focus on hips, lower back and abs. Your performance is going to be sub-par if you don’t have strengthened core muscles. A strong, sturdy core allows force from the legs to fuel movements like running and jumping.

Hand signals will help you avoid those errant passes. One things that’s frustrating in basketball is passing to a teammate while they try heading to the basket. This can be prevented through the use of hand signals. If there is no signal, the player should not make the pass to them.

Quickness is a virtue in basketball. Always stay ahead of the opposition. To speed up the pace of your play, you need to keep practicing. Though, you should never attempt to a play faster game than your abilities permit. If you try to rush your play, and can’t keep up, you will turn the ball over or make unforced mistakes.

TIP! If you have student that wants to play basketball for their high school team, they will need to spend some time training their core muscles. The core muscles are the hips, lower back muscles and the abdominal muscles.

Between the leg passes are usually helpful when another team’s players are riding you hard. You can train for this maneuver by stepping forward or backwards as you bounce the ball real hard in-between your legs. Perfecting this technique will help thwart the opposing team while you’re trying to advance the ball.

Free Throw

A solid routine is necessary for improvement in free throw shooting. If you aren’t consistent, you won’t make the basket. The most effective method to achieve a great free throw is by practicing it repeatedly until you get it right. A break in your routine will foul the shot.

TIP! If you want to correctly handle the ball, you need to know where to place your fingers. This will help you keep a better grip on the ball.

To dribble the ball better, it is important that you practice dribbling with the hand that’s weaker. Opponents are a lot easier to blow by when you can dribble with ease using both hands. If you find it difficult to continue using your weak hand, make your strong hand unusable. Very soon, you will develop dribbling skills with the hand you considered weak.

When the opportunity arises you always want to take a charge. When you do that, you can earn defensive stops, get the ball back, and set up foul shots against the other team. This can be devastating to the other team.

If you want to boost your weaker hand skills, use it whenever you can, be it opening jars or just brushing your teeth. If you can become more dexterous with it in all aspects of your life, you will be bettering your control of it. Soon enough you will see great improvements on the court.

TIP! If you’re shooting isn’t what you’d like it to be, make sure that your shoulders are in the correct position. If your shoulders aren’t properly positioned, your shot is not going to go in.

While you’re dribbling the basketball it is wise to bend your knees. The ball is harder to control dribbling when you stand up straight. It also leaves you open to a steal from the opposing team. Bending your knees slightly will improve your overall ability to control the ball.

Make sure that you are exercising properly for basketball. Sprint running can help improve on-court speed, while distance running is sure to boost your stamina. Additionally, weightlifting and resistance training will help you develop the muscles needed for those long distance shots. The aggression and confidence you get from this can also assist you more than most things if you’re shooting.

It is important to take your diet seriously if you want to be the best player you can be. In order to be skilled at basketball you need to load up on carbs to give yourself plenty of energy. For example, you might incorporate whole grain products, lean means, nuts, and peanut butter into your meals. Stay away from salt and sugar as much as possible.

If a shooter is located at a corner, their missed attempt is likely to waft to the opposite side. Anticipating this can help you score a quick rebound.

To succeed in basketball you should learn how to change the path of your opponent. Whether you are playing defense or offense, you must be capable of controlling the directions of opposing players. This gives you the power to choose where you get to go, rather than letting your opponent have that freedom.

Do not double dribble. This occurs when you halt the dribble once, only to begin dribbling immediately thereafter. If you have stopped dribbling, you’ll need to either shoot or pass the ball. Resuming your dribble is not allowed. A turnover means you will have to give up the ball to the other team.

TIP! Passing the ball through your legs is a useful maneuver if the opposing team is right on top of you. Bounce the ball very hard through your legs while stepping to the front or the back.

Now you should know how to get into basketball even more. Practice often to gain the necessary skills and knowledge needed to play a good game. When you start to play, you should start doing so regularly. And be sure to have some fun out on the court as well.