Read on to learn more about basketball. You love playing the sport. However, you aren’t aware of everything, and all players know that. So, maybe this article can teach you a thing or two. Read on to see if there’s anything that can better your game.

When you dribble, look forward, keeping your head up. If you’ve got your eye on the ball while you’re dribbling, you haven’t mastered it yet. Take your basketball everywhere. If you walk to the store, dribble the ball. Maintaining unbroken visual contact with the ball makes it difficult to be aware of your surroundings.

TIP! Don’t bulk up if you want to be good as a jump shooter. Strong muscles are certainly useful for basketball, but you can overdo it if you plan to play on the perimeter.

Shooting has much to do with proper balance. Everyone has seen professional basketball players make a shot from 20 feet away as they are falling. Those who do this are improvising. You need to be balanced properly if you’re going to be making shots, so that over time you’ll be able to always hit the basket.

Learn the way to throw proper bounce passes. It needs to get to the player at their waist. A good estimation is to target the ball to bounce at about 3/4 of the distance that the receiving player is. Practicing your bounce pass is important so that you can use it skillfully during games.

Try using hand signals to prevent passes in error. It can be frustrating making a pass when a player moves away towards the basket. You can get around that when you use hand signals, if a player can receive a pass. No signal, no pass.

TIP! Quality footwork will help you get better shots. Getting a great position under the goal is the most important.

If you experience a slump in your scoring and shooting, your shoulders may be the cause of the problem. Regardless of your skill level, if you don’t have your shoulders positioned correctly, you will miss. Ensure that you line up your shoulders so that they are squared with the basketball net. The dominant shoulder must be perfectly aligned with the rim.

Quickness is something that’s desired in basketball. Speed always gives you an edge over your opponent. Fast play is a result of heavy drilling. Don’t attempt to play more quickly than your skills allow. By playing beyond your speed capabilities, you will quickly lose control of the ball, which will lead to bad passes, bad shots, and turnovers.

To get more out of layups, take off using the foot that;s the opposite of your shooting hand. If you use your right hand to shoot, use your left foot to take off. Your body will be better balanced and moving in the direction of the basket. Your body will also be kept between the defender and yourself.

TIP! Make sure your fingers are apart from one another when dribbling. You will have better luck holding onto the ball as well.

To gain greater dribbling skill, always practice with the weaker hand as well as the more dominant one. Getting by an opponent should be a lot easier if you can dribble using both hands. To help develop your weaker hand, avoid using your dominant hand. Your weak hand won’t be that for long!

You can prevent other players from stealing the ball from you by dribbling hard. The ball returns more quickly to your hand when you do this, giving the opponents fewer opportunities to steal it from you. If someone is guarding you closely, stop dribbling and pass to someone else who is open on your team.

Practice moving the ball from one courtside to the other in just 5 dribbles of the ball. This seems an impossible feat when you start. By working on this drill regularly you develop speed and great, lengthy strides. You will have easy layups on fast breaks and you will be able to advance your team easily.

TIP! If you aren’t shooting the ball well, you need to concentrate on your shoulders. If your shoulders aren’t properly positioned, your shot is not going to go in.

Accept a charge when you can. The charge lets you build a defensive stop and get control of the ball. This can devastate a competitor psychologically as well as being a powerful play on the court.

If you want to stay in a good defensive position, simply avoid breaking out of your defensive stance. You can shuffle your feet to either side, or push with your opposing foot, so you will be ready and in position. Keep your body constantly facing toward your opponent in order to ensure the best possible defense.

Strength Training

TIP! Always be aware of your feet. This can help you avoid going out of bounds or making a bad pass.

Basketball players can greatly benefit from strength training. In order to play well, you will need to work on both your strength and stamina. Younger kids can benefit from boosting their arm and leg strength with proper exercise. Use weights when they get older. When you get to be an adult is when you want to concentrate on strength training to help improve durability on the court.

Keep low when you play defense. This will aid you as you jump and make it easier to react to the front man. Make sure you always maintain your defensive stance. If you find you have to abandon your stance to do some blocking, get back into formation as fast as you can.

The only way to gain skill in outside shooting is to make over 100 practice shots every day from various spots on the court. You should also practice starting with a dribble and then taking a shot. Only lift your head up to check out the target once you are in the air. This will mimic game conditions and help improve your accuracy.

TIP! When moving in for a layup, push off from your weaker foot and lead with your shooting hand. This will allow you to shoot with your comfortable hand.

Never stop your dribble unless you are going to shoot or pass the ball. When you cease dribbling, you’re really limiting your options. If you decide not to shoot or pass, all you can do is pivot on your rear foot. This causes you to be wide open to some double teaming by the other team and increase your chances of having the ball stolen.

Keep dribbling in a particular rhythm until you think it’s time to trick the opponent. Changing your pace quickly can take the other player by surprise and give you an advantage. Both the change in speed and sound will confound the player who is guarding you.

Now that you’ve come to the end of this article, you are ready to get out there and play. It’s great learning new things and watching how they can work for you. Use the information above to help you develop your basketball skills. Enjoy basketball every day!