Basketball has been loved by old and young players for years. This being said, many of the greatest fans do not have the level of understanding required to play the game at a level that allows them success on the court. People of every skill level can benefit from the tips in this article.

Get educated on the way to properly pass the ball on a bounce. In order for a bounce pass to be sufficient, the person should receive the ball around their waist. Bounce the ball so that it lands near your teammate. There are, however, other factors that influence the pass.

TIP! Always keep your head up when dribbling instead of focusing on the ball. If you have to ever look at the ball while dribbling, then you haven’t practiced that enough.

Free throws are as mental as physical. You are able to train your hands and legs to free throw well, but if you think you will fail, you will. Stay focused and vigilant to improve your ability to make free throws.

A good way to get your basketball game up to speed is to start trying to see how the pros are playing. You can do this by watching games in person and on television. You will notice great skills from different players that you can practice.

Errant Passes

TIP! A bounce pass is essential to learn. Good bounce passes need to hit the other player waist length when they receive it.

Practice your pass catching often. Don’t just work on waist-level, perfect passes, though, work on receiving tougher passes as well. During the course of a game, you can expect there to be many errant passes. Cover for your teammates’ errant passes by developing the hands to cover their mistakes.

Don’t let the ball go behind your back. This will make you more aware of the court and you won’t be surprised when turnover potentials come up or quick passes. Maintain awareness of open areas on the ball court that may allow you to quickly score a basket.

Basketball players must be fast. You will have the advantage over your opponents if you can really play fast. Playing fast takes practice, though, and steady drilling. Never try though to get too fast that you can’t make any plays. By playing beyond your speed capabilities, you will quickly lose control of the ball, which will lead to bad passes, bad shots, and turnovers.

TIP! Would you like to completely fool the opposing team, making them look silly? The back pass is just the thing! To start, grab the ball using your good hand. The next step is to draw the ball behind you.

It is important to be aware of the location of your feet and just what they are up to. Just touching the baseline is going to get you called out of bounds. If you walk without dribbling, you will be called for walking and this will result in a turnover. If you move either foot while trying to pick, take a charge or set a screen, it will result in a called foul.

Free Throw

Having a pre-free-throw shot routine will help you become dependable at free throws. For example, many people touch their foreheads or tap their chest before making a free throw shot. Just remember it has to be fast and consistent. The reason is, this routine will put your body on alert that the next thing coming is a free throw. This will help insure your success.

TIP! Build hand signals so passes are more successful. It can be frustrating passing to a teammate when you’re both heading to the basket.

Practice passing while looking in the opposite direction. You can really confuse your opponents this way. If you do it right, the look makes members of the opposing team look in the wrong direction, which gives the person to whom you passed the ball plenty of time to make the shot. Practicing this pass can really help to give your team the winning edge.

If you want to dribble the basketball better, you need to practice dribbling with your weaker hand. Opponents are a lot easier to blow by when you can dribble with ease using both hands. Don’t allow yourself to use your dominant hand when practicing. You will get new dribbling skills with your weak hand.

A good defensive strategy will keep your opponent on their toes. Force them to leave their comfort zone. Be aggressive in the moves you execute. Never allow them to decide what plays will be made. By doing so, the opponent will take advantage of you. It’s important, then, to be aggressive and mess up their game rhythms.

TIP! In order to get a good shot, you must use good footwork. You must beat the opposing playing to an open spot.

You should ensure that you can clearly see. While it will allow you to catch passes and read the score, there is more to it than that. Peripheral vision is important during game play. Tunnel vision makes it difficult to play effectively, so try to view the entire court and all players.

If an opponent charges at you, let him run into you. When you do that, you can earn defensive stops, get the ball back, and set up foul shots against the other team. This can hurt the other team’s players psychologically and can also be powerful when you’re creating plays.

Basketball is a very intriguing game regardless of what age you are. To really have a great experience and to fully appreciate the game is to acquire as much knowledge about it. Utilize the techniques discussed in this article to help you better understand the game.