
When you wish to better your basketball game, you must practice. But you have to make sure you’re practicing the right way, or else you’re wasting time. The helpful hints in the following text will help you get that ball into the basket time and time again.
Dribble the ball correctly. When you dribble a basketball you have to use the fingertips instead of the hand’s palm. This helps you to control the ball better. Be sure to dribble beside your body instead of in front of yourself. Bounce the ball at a level even with your waist. Don’t look down, always look up.
Practice your free throw shot. This looks easy, but it is actually very hard to do. You should practice as often as possible with this technique. First, keep the ball in front of you and at eye level. There may be a number of distractions so you need to focus on your goal. Next, shoot with just the trajectory you saw.
Make sure you dribble properly by keeping your head held up, facing forward. If you have to keep your eye on the ball when you’re dribbling, practice can remedy that. Always have a basketball handy. Dribble as you walk to the market. Maintaining unbroken visual contact with the ball makes it difficult to be aware of your surroundings.
If you get possession of the ball a lot, you must learn the crossover technique. Switch from one side to the other while dribbling. The action must be very swift if it is to be successful. Once you have learned how to do a crossover, you can travel down the court quickly.
Practice your layups a lot. Layups comprise approximately 80 percent of all shots. When practicing this technique, run toward the goal and shoot. Perfecting this skill will enable you to get to the rim effortlessly during a game.
Watch Professionals

Watch professionals play to learn from their techniques. Watch professionals play or go check out talented local teams to see who has the moves that you want to learn. Each player has their strengths and you can learn a lot from each one.
A good way to improve team passing to use a no dribbling drill, that is to play the game without dribbling at all. It is a challenge not to dribble while playing, but it will ensure the accuracy of your team’s passes. The accuracy of passes will greatly improve over time and the drill will become a lot easier.
Play basketball games with yourself during the season and before it. Even if you can’t get a bunch of people together to play, you can still practice on your own. That is not a problem. You can accomplish a lot by practicing alone. Practice pivoting or doing free throws. Many things can be practiced.
Understanding your opponent is a good way to shut him down on defense. Watch tapes and be sure you’re paying attention to scouting reports. Learn who the left handed players are and who the right handed ones are. Once you start to get to know the other team, you can do a lot better when you’re on defense. A defender that has knowledge will be a strong one.
Be aware of your own actions and the position of your feet. If you step on the baseline, you will be out of bounds. The ball will be turned over on a walking call if too many steps are taken with no dribble action. Avoid lifting your feet when you are screening or in position for a charge or the foul will be called on you instead of your opponent.
If you need some help seeing where you need work, try to get a friend or relative to record your games. On tape, you can see all the opportunities you passed and how things could have gone better. Evaluate what you see honestly, but don’t be too hard on yourself. Analyze your skills honestly so you can become the player you want to be.
Whether you simply enjoy basket or live, breath, and eat the sport, you are sure to find value in what you’ve read. Focus on one area at a time and enjoy the steady success. You can improve your game in every way, just like professional.