Do you find yourself fantasizing that you are one of the best players of all time? Don’t just aspire to be great; learn the things that will make you great. Keep on reading and see how your dreams of playing ball can become reality in the near future.

You need good balance when you shoot. Your knees should be bent with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders. Those who do this are improvising. Balance needs to be maintained to consistently make successful shots.

TIP! Practice your free throw shot. This kind of shot seems easy, but it really is not.

Focus on your strengths to get better at basketball. Your talent might not make you a star; however, learning your strengths will help you become a better team player. Understand your strengths and use it to your advantage to help your team win!

Your mind plays as big a part in making a free throw as your actual body does. Without a strong mindset, your body simply goes through the motions to take the shot. Take a deep breath, relax and imagine you are at practice to help yourself make the shot.

Core Muscles

TIP! To be a great basketball player you need to work on your balance. While the all-time greats have shown time and time again how they can shoot while off-kilter, this is not the ideal way to score.

If you have a high school level basketball player for a kid, be sure their core muscles are properly trained. The core muscles are the hips, lower back muscles and the abdominal muscles. Your performance is going to be sub-par if you don’t have strengthened core muscles. By developing a strong core, your legs will follow suit.

Footwork is what gets you ready for a shot. You do, of course, need to be near the basket, but finding the right spot without getting blocked is essential. If you are just stepping into position, you now have to secure the spot. Each of these skills is reliant on good footwork.

Never try to push through pain after an injury. Basketball is physically demanding, and injuries are relatively common. Trying to tough it out and keep playing, even if you are experiencing discomfort, can exacerbate an injury even more. Be sure to seek medical care if you have a serious injury.

TIP! Make sure to practice your layups whenever possible. A huge percentage of successful shots are layups.

Ask your fellow teammates if they have an opinion of your skills in the game. What do you need to focus in on and practice more? Perhaps you are great backup or fast on your feet. See what others view as your own natural skills, then be sure you retain and develop them more.

Play a good defense by knowing your opponent. Make sure that you’ve watched tapes that show the other player. You can also check out scouting reports. Figure out which people are right or left handed. Knowing an opponent’s dribbling, passing and shooting styles gives you a definite edge on defense. The more knowledgeable a defender is, the stronger he is.

When you’re trying to work out, you should build up your core strength while getting your footwork perfected. This allows your body to be in balance and be more explosive on the court. Your muscles in your buttocks, hips, abdomen, and back should be worked. Jump rope like the boxers do to increase your footwork speed.

Shooting Slump

If you’ve developed somewhat of a shooting slump, focus on your shoulders. When you’re in a shooting slump it usually means that your shoulders are not square to the hoop. Your shoulders should always be square towards the basket. Your dominant shoulder should also be lined up perfectly with the rim.

In your drills, you should attempt to move the basketball the length of the court in fewer than half a dozen dribbles. It isn’t impossible, it just takes practice. Being able to do this lets you lead your team on a fast break and gets you to the rim that much quicker.

TIP! Even professional basketball players spend a lot of time watching other people play basketball. Go to a bunch of professional games in person, watch them on television, or just get online to search for basketball videos.

Increase your weak hand’s capabilities by using it for everything you normally would not. If your ability to use that hand starts to improve, the benefits to your basketball playing talents will be substantial. This also can significantly help your basketball game.

Practice dribbling while you switch your body’s momentum from one side to the other. During game time, you’ll find yourself dribbling from all sorts of positions. It would be great if you are always able to go full speed ahead, but more times than not you will need to move and flow with the defense in front of you. You must know how to dribble the ball no matter what your body is doing. This can help you out of jams.

If you are a basketball player you should be eating a healthy diet. Playing basketball uses a lot of energy, so it is important that you eat a lot of carbs, lean meats and protein. For example, you might incorporate whole grain products, lean means, nuts, and peanut butter into your meals. Sugar can give you an energy spike but it fades rather quickly, so try to stay away from sugary foods.

Double Dribble

Be sure not to double dribble. Double dribbling occurs after a pause in dribbling. Once dribbling is done, you must either shoot or pass the ball. Resuming your dribble is not allowed. If you double dribble the ball will be given to the other team.

After a rebound has occurred, the spot where you are positioned will dictate whether possession is retained. If you need to get up with power, use the strength of both legs when you jump and both arms to grab the ball. Following a rebound, land with feet spread wider apart than shoulder width. In this way, you can stay balanced and hold the ball close.

TIP! Never turn away from the ball, so that you can always stay ready for anything. Always knowing where the ball is will make sure that you are ready if it quickly comes your way.

Now that you have read the above article, you have some tips for the next time you practice. In order to do well you will need to develop a consistent routine which will better your playing skills. Keep this advice in mind and show your skills off.