Now’s the time to learn all about basketball. As a devotee of basketball, your goal is to become the best. However, you cannot know everything there is to know about basketball, and all good players are aware of that fact. So, maybe this article can teach you a thing or two. The wide variety of tips are sure to peak your interest.
It’s easy to focus on offense when learning to play, but your practice time would be better spent on defense. Defense ultimately determines the winner of a game of basketball. Even though everyone loves to watch offense, defense is what wins you most games.
Learn how to hit a free throw shot. It seems easy to do but surely isn’t. Practice frequently using these techniques. First, hold the ball just above your nose, about 8 inches from your face. Picture yourself going through the shot in your mind, with the ball sinking through the net. Then shoot the ball with the trajectory that you visualized.
Always dribble with your head up and looking forward. If you’ve got your eye on the ball while you’re dribbling, you haven’t mastered it yet. Carry your basketball everywhere. You can practice dribbling when you have to walk to the store. If you’re trying to look at the ball then you’re not concentrating on what’s going on down the court.
If you wish to do better with basketball, you have to focus on what you’re good at. Your best talent may not make you the star of every game, but learning to play your best angle will help you contribute more to the team. Know your strengths and keep practicing to get even better.
Make sure that you practice your layups frequently. Layups sometimes wind up being 4 out of every 5 shots in basketball. When you are practicing, run full speed at the goal and make the shot. Practicing the running and jumping method will help you shoot better this way in a game.
Be sure to watch professional games to learn some great tips and tricks to improve your game. Try to go to games, watch televised games, or check out videos of the pros playing. You will quickly notice all the different skills that they have which makes them a great player, then take what you learned and use it to help improve your own game.
Work on pass catches. When you’re practicing, you should drill in being able to catch random throws in addition to passes that are perfect. During a real game, many of the passes that come your way will be off-target and tougher to handle. You and your team mates will be happier if you (and they) are more versatile.
Don’t spend all your time practicing how to confront a zone defense. Always try to anticipate when your opponent is going to switch up their game to catch you off guard. Be sure to practice for this eventuality so you will not become rattled and lose the game.
Play games against yourself in and out of season. Sometimes you cannot find a team of people to play basketball with. That’s fine. Playing on your own can give you the chance to work on isolated areas of your game. Maybe work on those free throws or practice your pivoting. You don’t need other players to work on your skills.
Core Muscles
If you have a child who has expressed interest in becoming a basketball player in high school, make sure he trains his core muscles. Show them how to exercise their hips, lower back and abs. A core that is not strong enough limits the linkage between arms and legs. When your core muscles are strong, you become a more powerful force on the court. This means greater speed and higher jumping skills.
Practice your footwork and control the position of your feet at all times. If you slide onto the baseline, you will lose the ball for being out of bounds. Holding the ball for too many steps and not dribbling will result in a walking call which will cause you to you will lose possession of the ball. You may need to keep your feet planted to avoid getting called for charging.
Good footwork can really help you to get those rebounds. The defender below you will be moving toward you, so find a way to slip around him and get to the ball. This will allow you to score a rebound without getting penalized for a foul.
Try to get the basketball from one side of the court to the other in about five dribbles. This may seem quite difficult at first, but once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you’ll have great speed and stride length. This may mean you can get your team some numbers for a period of time, or you can do easy lay-ups.
Now that you’ve come to the end of this article, you are ready to get out there and play. It is wonderful to learn new things and have them work. Once you have gained new skills and improved old ones with these tips, you can amaze your spectators. Have fun playing basketball!