The best way to achieve your goals in the sport of basketball is to always be willing to practice. But you have to make sure you’re practicing the right way, or else you’re wasting time. Keep reading to discover some great basketball tips to help you improve your game.
It is important to know the right way to throw a bounce pass. Bounce passes should not go above or below the receiving players waist. If it helps to measure it out, consider aiming for a mark on the floor about three-fourths of the way between you and your teammate. Many other factors will affect it, too.
Never practice only against the zone. A lot of the game is sure to be played in the zone, but your opponent could change to man-to-man coverage. If you have not practiced against this, you may lose your grip of the game for the remainder of it.
If you want to take jump shots, don’t build your arms up too large. Muscle strength can be great for basketball players, but it is actually possible to have excessive amounts for playing on the perimeter. Some professional shooting guards made their arms so big that it started decreasing their field goal percentage.
Never turn away from the ball so that you can always be prepared for what’s coming. You must always be prepared to receive a pass and you need to know where players are on the court. Also, watch for areas to open up so you can make an easy basket.
Understand your opponent. Pay attention to how they play. Know the dominant hand of every player. Knowing your opponent well helps you be much more effective. A person that knows about defending makes a strong defender.
Watch your shoulders if you obtain a shooting slump. When they are out of alignment, all shots will fail. Be sure that your shoulders square up in front of the hoop. Line up your shooting shoulder with the rim as well.
Practice dribbling with both hands, dribble on both sides of your body and learn to dribble in front of you while taking large strides. If you have two hands that can dribble the ball effortlessly then it becomes easier to get by your opponent. Make an effort to dribble with your weak hand by keeping your dominant hand away from the front. Your weak hand will soon develop better dribbling skills.
Upset and disrupt your opponent’s play. All successful basketball players do this. Don’t let them get comfortable. Use aggression with your moves. Do not let them choose the plays to make. If you do so, then your rivals have the control. Instead, take the initiative and disrupt their rhythm.
You can prevent other players from stealing the ball from you by dribbling hard. This causes the ball to return to your hand more quickly, so the offense has less time to try to get it away from you. If someone is close to you and is really good at guarding you, pass to another person that’s open.
Practice moving the ball from one courtside to the other in just 5 dribbles of the ball. This may seem like an impossible challenge, but it will increase your stride length and your speed. It can mean easier lay-ups when dealing with fast breaks and it can help your teammates for just a moment.
You need to take a charge anytime you can. Turnovers are an important part of the game that can end up giving your team the upper hand. This may completely break the competition down.
Strength Training
Strength training can be a major help in basketball. You need both strength and endurance if you are going to excel. Even youngsters can strengthen their arms and legs to improve game play. As they grow and become teenagers, weight-lifting can be beneficial. As an adult, strength training becomes vital in order to play your best basketball.
Until the moment you are prepared to shoot or pass, you must dribble constantly. If you stop dribbling, then you don’t really have that many options. If you cannot pass or shoot, you can only pivot with your back foot. That leaves you wide open to double teaming by your opponents and the potential of a stolen ball goes way up.
Create a barrier between the ball and your opponent with the hand you are not using for dribbling. However, you’re not actually going to push with this hand; instead, you’re going to separate yourself using this hand. This move helps to keep the ball protected and you in control of it.
Be sure to practice shooting from a variety of spots on the court. Balance and grip are the first two things to practice. It’s possible to shoot when not properly balanced, but the accuracy of such shots is diminished. The valve that’s on the basketball can be used to improve your grip. Put the middle of your shooting hand over the basketball’s valve.
You have to have a good pivot to play well. You must practice your footwork until pivoting correctly is second nature. Work on your stance and your post-pass reaction moves.
In order to beat a zone defense you must be able to get ball penetration into the lane. Passing a defender with the ball causes the defenders to collapse inward. If you are close enough in, you could try a shot. If you spot an open teammate, pass the ball so that they have an easier shot.
Be aware of your shortcomings as a player. Don’t lie to yourself. Focusing on practicing your foul shots if you miss those a lot. If you play weak within the paint, work on short shots and try training to play much more physically. Always focus on your deficiencies in order to improve your overall skill set.
The tips from this article will help you play better basketball, no matter your skill level. With one simple tip, your skills can improve. You can play much better basketball by using the tips provided.