Basketball is exciting and fast-paced; of course people love it. But, to become a better player, you have to be aware of certain things. Here, you will read tips that will help you improve your basketball skills.

It is tempting to concentrate just on offense when just staring out, but defensive practice is absolutely vital. Many times, defense actually wins the game. Offensive skills are usually the most impressive ones but defense is something every team should work on.

TIP! It’s easy to focus on offense when learning to play, but your practice time would be better spent on defense. Defense is how you win a basketball game.

Always work on your layups. Four out of every five shots taken in a given game will be layups. When you practice, run toward the net, and then get a high jump in so you can smoothly shoot. This running and jumping technique will help you learn how to jump and shoot better during the game.

Bounce passes are important in the game of basketball. The bounce pass needs to reach the player at waist level. It’s generally a good idea to pass the ball about three-fourths of the distance between you and the receiving teammate. Of course, there are also other factors involved.

Perfect Passes

TIP! When you dribble, look forward, keeping your head up. If you need to look at the ball while dribbling, you’ll need to practice more.

Make sure that your regular practice includes catching of passes. You need to be able to retrieve perfect passes and not so perfect passes. When playing in the game, it’s rare that every pass will hit a bulls-eye. Cover for your teammates’ errant passes by developing the hands to cover their mistakes.

Do not practice solely against zone defense. While you might see a zone defense mostly, a team can switch defenses to man-to-man quickly in order to confuse you. If you haven’t trained yourself to counter this, you could lose any control you have over the game.

When developing your jumping skills, limit your use of weight-training. Being weighed down by too much bulky muscle can have a negative impact on your jump shot. If your arms are too big, your field goal percentage will go down.

TIP! Knowing how to perform a crossover is a must when you handle the basketball frequently. Crossovers involve moving the ball from hand to hand.

Would you like to completely fool the opposing team, making them look silly? Trick them using a back pass. To accomplish this, grab the ball with the dominant hand. The next step is pull the basketball behind the back. And last, flick the wrist in the direction you want the ball to go. This should trick the opposing team.

Ask fellow team members what they like about your skills on the court. Are you great at any one thing? You could potentially be excellent in one area while you are busy focusing on another, unaware. Find out what others think your natural abilities are, and be certain to keep developing those skills.

A good player on defense will annoy the heck out of the opponent and cause the other team to get flustered. Force them into an uncomfortable zone. Be aggressive in the moves you execute. Do not allow them to pick and choose their plays. This will give your opponent the advantage. Rather, you move first so that you interfere with their rhythm.

TIP! Practice layups often. Eighty percent of the shots taken in a game are layups.

Take charge when the opportunity presents itself. By taking charge you can create a defensive stop so you can get the ball, and allows you to create setups so that the opponent will foul you. This may completely break the competition down.

Basketball can be one the most fun sports to play, but you must know the basics. This article has given you some of the knowledge you need to truly excel. Apply the tips you’ve just been given, and turn yourself into a star basketball player.