What things should I learn about the game of basketball? What sorts of skills must you learn to enhance both your performance and your enjoyment of the game? Keep reading if you are interested in learning more about basketball, whether you are a player or a fan of this great sport.
Balance is essential to shooting. While some NBA players are able to launch a ball to the net mid-fall, this is not appropriate for most people. They improvise to do that. Good balance while shooting will lead to landing more baskets.
Watching the pros play is a great way to see how great basketball players use their skills in the game. Go to a bunch of professional games in person, watch them on television, or just get online to search for basketball videos. You’ll notice that each player has a skill that they are great at. Choose a move that you like and start practicing it.
Do not only practice zone defense plays. Most of the game is played in zone, but your opponent may try to switch things up to do man-to-man coverage. You may lose control of the game if you aren’t prepared.
If you want to be a jump shooter, avoid pumping iron excessively. Muscle flexibility is more important than muscle mass. Certain pro guards ended up increasing their arm size so much that their shooting started to suffer.
If you have a high school level basketball player for a kid, be sure their core muscles are properly trained. This is the hip area, the lower back, and the abs. A good core leads to a solid foundation and that is required to be very good at basketball. By developing a strong core, your legs will follow suit.
Your fingers should always be spread out when handling the ball. This will help you to be sure that it won’t escape your grasp when trying to hold it. Try to keep your palm off of the ball as well. Your fingers must be the only things contacting it when you shoot or pass the ball at the target.
If you are shooting as well, pay attention to the position of your shoulders. When you’re in a shooting slump it usually means that your shoulders are not square to the hoop. To help improve your shot, focus on squaring up on each of your shots. The shoulder that is dominant should be perfectly aligned with the hoop rim.
Have someone taper your games and then watch it to see how you look on the court. You should be able to see what you missed or can do better. Evaluate what you see honestly, but don’t be too hard on yourself. There are times when it pays to view yourself realistically.
Try practicing how to pass while looking in another direction. It can be very confusing to your opponents. By looking in the opposite direction, your teammate has a few extra seconds to make the shot. It’s a great play if done properly.
To land your layups, jump off the foot opposite the hand you shoot with. What this practically means is that if your right hand is your shooting hand, you need to take off with your left foot. That will build your balance and help you stay in the right position.
Free Throws
Develop and use a consistent routine for shooting free throws. Inconsistency will ruin your shots. You can shoot better free throws by making sure you use the same exact routine every time, and of course practice. If you have a glitch in the routine, you are likely to miss your shot.
Try to get the basketball from one side of the court to the other in about five dribbles. Although this might seem tricky in the beginning, this can really help your game if you can master this skill. This is a vital skill to give you points on fast break opportunities.
Playing basketball well means developing good court “eyesight.” This will help you to secure the ball during the game. Great peripheral vision is an asset. Having good court awareness to see everything around you lets you see plays develop before they happen, either by warding off the defenders or getting the ball to open teammates.
To convert the typical 2-3 zone to a trapping machine, get the best pair of defenders available to wait just until the opposing point guard reaches roughly ten feet beyond the mid-court line. The guards must then rush the opposing team’s point guard and create a trap. As your guards are doing this, send your forwards out to the outside opponents. Your point guard must then launch a pass in a way that is easy for your forwards to steal.
Continuously dribble the ball until you have an opening to pass it to one of your teammates, or you are prepared to shoot. You do not have many options after you stop dribbling. If you decide not to shoot or pass, all you can do is pivot on your rear foot. If you cannot shoot or pass the ball, you are in danger of getting the ball taken away from you.
Has this article answered your questions? Are you now ready to play some B-ball? Is becoming an amazing player on the horizon for you now? Then get out there and start practicing and playing and showing what you have just learned.