There’s always room for improvement in basketball. Things are always changing, and you must learn the sport as well as learn with the times. Want to do better than the competition is doing? If you really want that edge, take a good look at the article below.
It’s natural to be drawn towards offense as a novice, but the pros know defense is where the game is won or lost. Basketball games are won because of good defense. Offense may be splashier, but lacking a solid defense, any team is sure to lose.
When dribbling the basketball you should keep your head up. You haven’t practiced enough if you keep looking at the basketball while you’re dribbling. You can practice dribbling almost anywhere. Practice in your home and wherever you walk. If you are staring at the ball, there is no way you can know what else is happening on the court.
Successful free throws require you to be mentally and physically strong. Making the right physical motions is easier than having the right mind set. Relax yourself and focus on the hoop.
Bad Passes
Make sure to practice catching passes. When you practice, be sure to do drills that improve catching wild throws and making great passes. This will help you catch those bad passes during a game. Help your team by learning to catch those bad passes, as well as those perfect passes.
Remember to practice a lot of different possibilities so that you will not limit your game. Usually, a big part of the game is probably going to be in zone; however, the opposing team can suddenly switch to man-to-man to catch you off guard. You may lose control of the game if you aren’t prepared.
Use hand signals to avoid errant passes. One of the more frustrating aspects of basketball is making a pass to a teammate at the same time they head to the basket. This can be prevented through the use of hand signals. If the person doesn’t make a signal the person shouldn’t get passed to.
Opposing Team
Boost your defensive abilities by studying the opposing team and its players. Watch tapes of their games and see how others move on the court. You should know if a player is right or left handed. When you know more about the opposing team, you will play a better defense. Strong defenders are knowledgeable defenders.
For more consistency in making those free throws, stick with the same sequence of motions before you take each shot. Whatever you do before each shot, from dribbles to body motions, should be the same each time. As long as you make it quick, if you have a consistent routine, your body will remember how to make those free throws after you go through your ritual.
If the other team has a good defense, passing the ball between your legs is a good option. Practice this by bouncing the ball hard between your legs as you take a step forward or back. If you get this down, you will have a major advantage on the court.
To improve ball handling, consider focusing workouts on your forearms and hands. For example, you can improve dribbling skills by adding wrist curls to your routine. Do not remain in one place. It’s not likely that you will be able to successfully catch and shoot without moving. While this does happen on occasion, you should be moving in order to execute the play.
When you dribble, bend your knees. Standing while dribbling will make it much easier for the opponent to steal the ball from you. Slightly bending your knees improves ball control significantly.
If you wish to do better a shooting three pointers, you should do it from where NBA players shoot from. That is the furthest distance that you would ever have to shoot from to score a three. If you can hit from NBA range, you can get open looks at a deeper range than a defense is probably going to mind you (until you start hitting).
Hopefully, these great tips have given you confidence. They were put together so you can become better at the game. You should never stop learning new techniques and perfecting old ones. Use the information from above to take your skills to a new level.