Have you wanted to learn more about playing basketball, but have not known where to get good information? There are others in your shoes! Most basketball fans wonder about the techniques the pros use to play so well. Check out the advice below for some pointers that are used by the best players in the world.

Dribbling the ball the right way needs to be done. When dribbling the basketball, use your fingertips rather than the palm of your hand. This allows you to control the ball much better while you dribble. Dribble to the side of your body rather than directly in front of you, bouncing at waist level. Keep your head up and do not look at the ground.

TIP! Shooting has much to do with proper balance. You’ve seen the pros fall out-of-bounds and shoot a basket up to 300 feet away, however, this isn’t proper technique.

It is vital that you learn to crossover the basketball while dribbling. In a crossover, you transfer the basketball from hand to hand. You must do it fast for best success. When executed properly, a crossover dribble lets you alternate directions suddenly so that you can move down the entire court quickly.

Any good basketball player needs to know how to make a layup. Layups sometimes wind up being 4 out of every 5 shots in basketball. When practicing it is important to run at full speed toward the goal, then jump and shoot smoothly. Practicing this technique helps you learn to make layups during a game.

Jump shooters should not also be iron pumpers. You do need muscle conditioning and strength, but you can have too much when it comes to shooting field goals. Some pro shooting guards make their arms large enough to decrease their own field goal percentage.

TIP! Make layups a part of your daily practice regimen. A huge percentage of successful shots are layups.

Would you like to fool the opposing team? Try doing what is known as a back pass. Use the dominant hand whenever trying a behind the back pass. Then, bring the ball back behind you. Lastly, flick your wrist in the direction that you want the ball to land. You can use this action to deceive your opponents.

In order to get a good shot, good footwork is essential when posting up. Focus on positioning yourself more quickly than the opposing player is just as important as having someone beneath the hoop. Once you get into your position, you need to secure it. These skills require solid footwork.

Use the foot opposite of the hand you shoot with for a better layup. So, your left foot should be the one you take off from if you use your right hand to shoot. Your body will develop good coordination and you keep your defender at a distance.

Free Throws

If you wish to shoot free throws better, you have to have a routine that’s consistent. If you don’t have one, your accuracy may suffer. The easiest way to make sure you’re doing great at free throws is to do repetitions of the same routines time and again. You will probably miss your shot if the routine you use is not perfect.

Now that you have read this article, you probably know a lot more about basketball than you did before. Now that you finished reading it, you can take what you learned, and play more like the professionals. Get started playing basketball with this advice.