Read on to learn more about basketball. You are a player; you love the game. But there’s always room for improvement, and everyone knows that. Perhaps you will pick up a few new ideas from the information provided here. The following article will give you some great basketball tips that you don’t want to miss.

It is easy to be focused on offense when you are learning how to play basketball, but you really should focus your practice on defense. Basketball games are won more often by defense than offense. Offense may score points but defense keeps the other team from scoring points that your team will have to match.

TIP! Practice hitting your free throws. It looks simple to do, but it isn’t that easy.

Lifting weights too much can actually take away from your jump shot. It’s important to be strong, but not too strong. Certain pro guards ended up increasing their arm size so much that their shooting started to suffer.

Seek advice from your teammates about how you play the game. Can you get better at something? Continue to develop the skills that play into your natural abilities. It’s great to get an idea of how your teammates think of your skills, this way you know what areas of the game to focus on.

Whenever you work out, practice footwork and work on your core strength. Your body will be able to move quicker and be more balanced when you have srong core muscles. Don’t forget to also work out muscles in your back, buttocks, abdomen and hips. Your speed and footwork can be improved by jumping rope.

TIP! Make sure you are looking forward and looking up as you’re dribbling. Looking directly at the ball means you aren’t good at the game yet.

Have your games taped so you can play them back later and observe your court presence. Are you able to see missed opportunities or ways in which you could have improved? It is important that your assessment is an honest one, but isn’t overly critical. The reality of your play is often very different from your perception.

Do your free throw shooting the same way every time. This could mean dribbling twice, shaking out your head to loosen your neck or whatever else makes you comfortable. Don’t dilly dally, but do complete your ritual.

Free Throw

TIP! Practice layups often. A huge percentage of successful shots are layups.

A routine can enable your free throw percentage to rise. Failure to use consistency may make your shots less accurate. To better perfect free throw techniques, try using repetition via practicing one routine repeatedly. You are likely to miss your shot if you’re not settled into your routine.

Practice with your weak hand when it comes to dribbling. If you can dribble equally well with each hand, it is simpler to get past your opponents. Tie the main hand you use behind your back so that you have to use the weak hand. This will train your weaker hand to dribble and control the ball well.

Build up your forearms to become a better ball handler. Wrist curls are especially effective at making you better able to handle a basketball like you could dribble sleepwalking. Don’t believe you will be able to simply plant yourself someplace, receive the ball and sink a shot. While this does happen on occasion, you should be moving in order to execute the play.

TIP! Practice using different types of defenses. While a good chunk of the game will most likely be played in zone, your opponent might flip the switch to man-to-man coverage just to change things up and surprise you.

Dribble hard to avoid ball stealing. This is because the ball returns to you hand faster, so the opposing team has less of a chance to get it. If the defense gets to be too much, look to pass the ball to someone who is open.

One good way to play good defense is to stay in the defensive stance at all times. To move, just slide from back and forth with your feet, or use a foot to push off, keeping your stance all the time. Don’t let your feet get crossed and it will be hard to get around you.

Change your pace up to throw the offense off. When you are getting closer to the net, put your foot out and straighten up your body. The guard is going to think you’re starting to slow and will straighten up too. When they do, push ahead hard and outrun them.

TIP! Do you want to fool the other team? Consider the back pass. Use your dominant hand to palm the basketball.

With these tips, you should now feel this new energy to take to the court. Learning new tips is fun, especially when you see how well they work for you. Keep the information learned here close by to help you better your skills. Basketball is fun to play and it’s a great sport to be a part of.