What should I know about basketball? What do you need to do to improve your skills and play better? This article will provide you with great tips that will come in handy the next time that you go to play a game of basketball.
Dribble the ball the right way. When dribbling the basketball, use your fingertips rather than the palm of your hand. Using your fingers allows you to better control the basketball. Dribble the ball around the height of your waist, and over to one side. Look up, not down.
Don’t pump a lot of iron if you wish to become a jump shooter. Even though having strong muscles is great for the inside game, being on the outside it can harm you when shooting the ball. Shooting guards that end up with bulked up arms sometimes find that it affects field goal percentages.
Play basketball against yourself even during the off-season. Though basketball is surely a team sport, there may be times when you have nobody to play against. That’s OK! It is possible to get a lot done even when playing alone. Work on free throws and pivot moves. You don’t need other players to work on your skills.
Core Muscles
Basketball players of all ages benefit from exercises that strengthen their core. Focus on hips, lower back and abs. Core muscles are the connectors between arms and legs. If the core muscles are weak, basketball performance will suffer. The stronger your core, the higher you will jump.
When an injury occurs while you are playing ball, don’t keep playing with pain. It’s easy to be hurt when playing basketball. By “playing through the pain” you take a huge risk that the injury will become much worse. If the pain is bad, visit a doctor.
Always have an awareness of the location and movement of your feet. You will be called out of bounds if even one toe is touching the baseline as you hold the ball. If you take several steps while holding the ball, you could be called for traveling. You can’t move a foot when you take a charge, pick or screen either, or it’s a foul.
Watch your own recorded games, and look for weak areas. Looking at tapes can help you identify strengths and weaknesses. Evaluate what you see honestly, but don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes it’s beneficial to look at yourself the way you really look and not just like you think you look.
Have you found the answers you seek? Are you ready to take the court by storm? Has this article given you the feeling that you’re able to become a better player? Practice a variety of skills every day to improve your overall game.