Basketball is an old sport, originating with Dr. It was created by Doctor James Naismith to keep his students entertained in 1891. It’s now a hugely popular sport. From Dr. Many celebrities have come out of basketball. How do they do it? Reading these tips is an excellent start.

You must learn how to dribble, how a crossover is done and other important ball handling skills. In a crossover, you transfer the basketball from hand to hand. The action must be very swift if it is to be successful. Once you have learned how to do a crossover, you can travel down the court quickly.

TIP! Improving your balance means improving your shots. Of course, pros may make baskets from a great distance while falling off the court, but this isn’t standard.

Free throws are as much mental as they are physical, like other parts of the game. You may know how to make a free throw but if your focus is off, then you will miss. Relax yourself and concentrate on your shot.

Frequently practice passing and catching the passes of others. When you practice, mix it up so that you can catch perfect passes and errant throws. When the pressure is on, not every pass will come straight to you. You can do the rest of your team a favor by practicing how you can best complete imperfect passes.

Don’t spend all your time practicing how to confront a zone defense. While a great portion of a game will be concentrated in the zone, your rivals could opt to go to man-to-man covering to keep you guessing. You might lose your control of the court if the other team use this technique, unless you are ready for this possibility.

TIP! If you wish to do better with basketball, you have to focus on what you’re 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.

Play games against yourself in and out of season. Though basketball is surely a team sport, there may be times when you have nobody to play against. That is okay. There is much that can be accomplished when playing on your own. Work on free throws or practice pivot moves. You can always do something.

In order to get a good shot, good footwork is essential when posting up. While actually being beneath the basket is key, establishing a good position prior to the opposition is even more so. Once there, you have to firmly claim the area as your own. Both of those skills rely on solid footwork.

Perform drills in which you move the ball up the court in just five dribbles. This might seem impossible at first, but if you achieve it, you will have remarkable stride length and speed. This will help you accomplish great layups on those fast breaks.

TIP! Don’t dribble during your drills. While this may be difficult, it gets you used to finding teammates and thinking on the run.

If you are in a defensive position, keep yourself low. This helps your jumps become quicker and betters your reaction to the person before you simpler. Stay in a defensive stance. If you must break your stance to block someone’s shot, return to formation as quickly as you can.

Don’t cease dribbling until you get ready to shoot or pass. Once you stop dribbling, you are extremely limited in your options. If you choose against passing or shooting, you are stuck pivoting in place. That leaves you wide open to double teaming by your opponents and the potential of a stolen ball goes way up.

Be sure you do the sort of off-court exercises that help you during games. Running for short quick bursts at a time will help you become quicker, and running long distance can help with stamina. Additionally, weightlifting and resistance training will help you develop the muscles needed for those long distance shots. This is also good for making you much more relaxed while you’re shooting the ball.

TIP! Need to dupe the opposition? Try the back pass. If you wish to try this pass, get the ball in your dominant hand.

If you’re serious about your game, you should take your diet seriously. Increase your intake of carbohydrates to boost energy levels. You should also consume protein and a limited amount of fat. Great ideas to bring into your diet are wheat breads, peanut butter, chicken and nuts. Try to avoid overuse of salt or sugar in your diet.

You have to know how to change the course of your opponent. This is an ability you need on both defense and offense, since you get to control where your opponent goes in either case. In this way, you can move as necessary without allowing your opponents to direct you.

If you’re playing regulation basketball, you need a hoop that is ten feet high, a large court and ten players. In order to play basketball well, you need to have a lot of knowledge. This article provided you with a good start, so keep learning and practicing to become a master at it.