Lots of people love to play basketball a lot because it’s exciting and fast-paced. However, if you wish to do your best at basketball, you have to learn a few different things first. This is an article packed with tips to help make your game better.

When using the ball a lot, you must relearn a crossover. In a crossover, you transfer the basketball from hand to hand. The action needs to be performed quickly in order to be successful. Once you have learned how to do a crossover, you can travel down the court quickly.

TIP! Practice shooting free throws. These shots look easy on television, but are actually hard when you are doing the shooting.

Always work on your layups. 80% of all shots in a game are usually layups. When practicing it is important to run at full speed toward the goal, then jump and shoot smoothly. This method will teach you to improve your jumps and shots throughout the game.

Bounce Pass

You should learn the best way to throw a great bounce pass. A useful bounce pass will hit the receiving player at waist level. It’s best to bounce the basketball about 75 percent of the way towards your teammate. This all depends on many factors.

TIP! Learn how to block out movement, noise and other distractions when taking a free throw. You must train both your body and your mind.

Successful free throws require you to be mentally and physically strong. You are able to train your hands and legs to free throw well, but if you think you will fail, you will. Stay calm and collected to increase your free throw percentage.

Don’t bulk up if you want to be good as a jump shooter. Muscle flexibility is more important than muscle mass. Many guards in the pros have developed their arm muscles too big, which has really harmed their shooting percentage.

Ask your teammates what they like about the way you play. Find out what they perceive as your best skill. Perhaps you have an excellent understanding of defensive strategies or you are the fastest player on your team. Learn what the other people around you see while you are playing and it may open your eyes to new areas for practice.

TIP! Would you like to pull one over on your opponents? The back pass is just the thing! Use your dominant hand to palm the basketball. Move the ball so that it is behind you.

When you work out, try focusing on building core strength and bettering your footwork. Your body will be more stable and easier to move when you have strength in your core muscles. You must work out your hip, back and abdomen muscles. Jump rope can be used to speed up your feet.

If you slump when you shoot, look at what your shoulders are doing. When the shoulders are wrongly positioned, your shot is unlikely to succeed. Your shoulders should always be squared towards the hoop. Try to line your dominant shoulder up with the rim.

Free Throw

TIP! If there’s no one around to play with, it is okay to play a basketball game by yourself. Though basketball is surely a team sport, there may be times when you have nobody to play against.

To become a better free throw shooter, use the same routine prior to every shot. This could mean two dribbles before taking your free throw, bending your knees, or some other thing you do to get into a rhythm before shooting. As long as you make it quick, if you have a consistent routine, your body will remember how to make those free throws after you go through your ritual.

Try to strengthen your forearms and hands to better handle the ball. Wrist curls work well at helping you handle the ball. Don’t assume that you are able to just stand anywhere, catch the ball and shoot it. While this does happen on occasion, you should be moving in order to execute the play.

If you wish to get a free throw rebound from a teammate, you have to stay on your toes properly. Your defender will move towards you, so figure out how to slither past him and grab the ball. This will allow you to score a rebound without getting penalized for a foul.

TIP! 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.

You can improve a weak hand by using it in daily life. If you gain more mastery of it in all walks of life, you improve overall control. This will begin to spill over into your basketball game as well.

Use the hand you are not dribbling with to keep your defender away from the ball. You don’t need to push any opponents since that’s a foul, but try using your non-dribbling arm like a separator for keeping the ball safe. Just keep it raised a little while you dribble with your dribbling hand.

Be certain to practice moves off the court that will truly help you on the court. Running for long distances will increase your stamina, while running sprints will help you with fast-paced moves. Working out with weights helps to improve your muscles and the physical part of the game. If you can develop your confidence through off-court exercise, this can even help your shooting.

TIP! Passing between your legs can be helpful when the other team is riding you hard. Practice bouncing the basketball forcefully between your legs while stepping forwards and backwards.

As you can now see, basketball is wildly popular. This article has helped to show that continual learning is a part of really excelling at the sport. Use what you’ve learned here to become the basketball player you want to be.