Surely you know that the greatest basketball stars had to practice and develop their skills. Even if you happen to be a purely recreational player, you probably still wish to play well. This article is sure to offer you advice on how you can improve your game.

A lot of novice players mostly focus on their offensive skills, but developing good defensive skills will help you become a better player. Defense can make or break a basketball game. If your team doesn’t have a good defense, you’re not going to make it far in a game.

TIP! Be sure to dribble correctly every time. Avoid using your palm while dribbling.

If you want to improve your game, concentrate on your strengths. Your skills might not make you an all-start every time out, but playing up your strengths makes you a great contributor. Knowing what you excel at and then practicing that can help you become perfect at it!

Free throws are as much mental as they are physical, like other parts of the game. You can practice for hours on how to make the shot, but if you over think things or get distracted you will miss every time. Relax yourself and concentrate on your shot.

There are passes that can confuse the other team momentarily. Try using a back pass! To do a back pass, begin by grasping the basketball using your dominant hand. Next, pull the ball behind your back. And last, flick the wrist in the direction you want the ball to go. It’s a great way to trick your opposing team.

TIP! The way to properly dribble is to keep your head up while looking ahead of you. If you have to ever look at the ball while dribbling, then you haven’t practiced that enough.

Watch your shoulders if you obtain a shooting slump. If your shoulders aren’t correct, you may not be able to make the shots. Your shoulders should be facing the hoop. The dominant shoulder needs to be aligned correctly with the rim.

If you’re quick on the basketball court, you have a built in advantage. Make an effort to do all things on the court more speedily than the opposing team. Fast play is a result of heavy drilling. Do not try playing faster than you can. Doing so can cause the game to spin out of control as turnovers and faulty passes are made.

Practice looking the other way when passing. This throws your opponents off. When you do it right, the opponents are going to think you’re moving in one direction. That way, the person you’ve given the ball to has a bit of time to look at the net to taking a shot. You must practice this move with your teammates so that everyone on your team understands what is going on.

Free Throws

If you wish to shoot free throws better, you have to have a routine that’s consistent. If you are inconsistent then your shot will be off. You have to practice time and time again. Just keep repeating free throws, if you want to perfect that technique. If the routine is off in any way, then you’ll miss the shot.

To gain greater dribbling skill, always practice with the weaker hand as well as the more dominant one. If both hands are useful for dribbling, your opponents will not stand much of a chance. Practice with your weak hand by tying your dominant hand behind your back. After a while, your weak hand will be able to dribble better.

TIP! Free throws are as much mental as they are physical. You must be mentally strong to be a consistent free throw shooter.

To rebound a free throw, you have to be quick. The more quickly you get under the basket, the better you chance of grabbing the rebound. This helps you avoid the foul call and also grab the rebound.

If you see a chance to gain control of the ball, take it. This play gets your team possession of the ball and a foul against your opponent. This is a great way to take control of the court and intimidate the other team.

Keep low when you play defense. Staying low will help you to be a more swift opponent when you mirror the man standing in your path. Always stay in the proper stance on defense. When you need to block, quickly get back into your stance.

TIP! Need to dupe the opposition? The back pass is perfect for this. Perform this pass by holding the ball using your dominant hand.

Shoot hundreds of shots every day from every position on the court to improve your shooting skills. Also practice transitioning from dribbling to a quick shot. Try to keep from looking at the rim until you are getting ready to release the ball. All these techniques give you the feel of actual game play, and this will help you become more accurate.

Stop Dribbling

Only stop dribbling if you want to shoot or pass. When you stop dribbling the ball, you only have a limited amount of plays you can perform. If you don’t shoot or pass, you have to pivot on the back foot. This leaves an opening for your opponents to double team and try get the ball away from you.

TIP! You need to be quick to play good basketball. If you want the advantage, you’ve got more quickly.

So, take the initiative and learn some new skills and start practicing and playing better today. You will soon become a better player if you apply the tips you just read in this article. This plan will be successful.