In order to play basketball well, you need to understand how to become a great basketball player. Don’t think you can become the greatest basketball player ever without studying the sport and practicing your skills. Use these tips to improve you game to an expert level.
Find out how to make free throw shots. That’s a shot that appears simple but is actually difficult in reality. Practice a lot with the following method. Place the ball right in line with your face. Look at the basket and imagine the ball going in it. Then, use the trajectory you just visualized and shoot the ball.
You should learn the best way to throw a great bounce pass. This means your pass should be aimed towards the receiving player at the level of his waist. Aim for a firm bounce pass that hits the ground around 3/4 of the distance between you and the intended player. This all depends on many factors.
A smart tip to follow while playing basketball is to always keep your eye on the ball and not away from the play. You must always be prepared to receive a pass and you need to know where players are on the court. Scan the court looking for openings to make a basket.
To generate consistency with layups, leap from the opposite foot from the hand you use to shoot. Thus, if you tend to shoot with the right hand, make sure to jump off with the left. This keeps your body balanced and moving toward the basket and keeps your body between yourself and your defender.
You must disrupt and upset the play of your opponent if you want to be successful as a defensive player. Get them outside their comfort zone. When making a move, be aggressive. This will keep them from being able to choose which plays they will make. If you let them control the game, you will lose. You should make the initial move and throw them off.
You must be able to box out other players when attempting to rebound free throws. Try to anticipate the move of the defender between yourself and the basket so that you can maneuver around him and to the hoop. This will allow you to score a rebound without getting penalized for a foul.
Opposing Team
Dribble very hard to prevent the opposing team players from stealing the ball. This is because the ball returns to you hand faster, so the opposing team has less of a chance to get it. When someone is right on top of you, pass the ball instead of dribbling.
Make it your goal to dribble the ball across the entire court in under 5 dribbles. This will help you to gain speed, stride length and control of the ball. That translates to smooth layups during fast breaks.
If an opponent charges at you, let him run into you. Turnovers are an important part of the game that can end up giving your team the upper hand. This can devastate a competitor psychologically as well as being a powerful play on the court.
In order to ensure that you are always ready to defend, keep your stance at all times. Use your opposite foot to push with or slide your feet around. Remember not to let yourself get crossed up with your feet, which will throw off your balance, making it easier to get around you.
When you are on the defense, the key is to stay as low as you can. You will be able to react more quickly and jump higher because of this. Make sure you always maintain your defensive stance. When rebounding or blocking, you break the stance, but then you must get back in the stance quickly.
To build up your skills with your weaker hand, use it for everything from opening jars to brushing your teeth. By improving your weaker hand’s dexterity, your control over the hand will significantly improve. As a result, your basketball game will significantly improve.
Foster a strong team camaraderie both on the court and off. A cohesive team is an effective team, and basketball teams are no exception. If you know everyone on your team inside and out and you can trust each other completely, your game will improve exponentially.
You need to be able to alter your opponents path. It is irrelevant whether you are playing defense or offense; in both cases, your ability to control the direction of your opponent is critical. Doing so lets you control your path, not them.
Double Dribbling
Be careful not to double-dribble. Double dribbling occurs after a pause in dribbling. If dribbling stops, you must pass or shoot the basketball. You can’t pick up the dribble again. Double dribbling means your team turns the ball over to the other team.
After you understand the inner workers of an automobile, you’ll excellent. That sense of pride is only rivaled by learning how you can improve your basketball game. This can help you to impress your teammates, and help you to win games.