Basketball is fun and a great competitive sport. Focusing your attention on your skills goes a long way toward making you a more effective player. Reading through the article here is going to teach you what you need to know, so continue on.
When you are practicing your shooting, take the practice shots you would attempt during the game. You are rarely going to be open for long enough to get your feet planted and line up the shot, so shoot on the move. Practice off dribble and shooting while moving for better results at game time.
Really practice the types of shots that you’d get in a typical game experience. Yes, it’s fun to play HORSE and try crazy shots, but that’s not prepping you for actual game play. You want to get the types of shots you usually see down cold. Practice them over and over.
When shooting a basketball, it is important to stay relaxed and stay focused. Tensing your forearms can result in a missed shot. Additionally, losing focus can cause you to miss a shot that you would normally make. To help keep you relaxed and focused, take a deep breath before shooting.
Make it your goal to dribble well with both of your hands. You’ll obviously start with your strongest hand when learning, but if you want to play basketball well, you’ll need to learn how to switch it up. This way you can keep your body between the ball and your opponent, no matter what the angle.
Work on becoming a more clever basketball player, rather than trying to master a few clever plays. Your opponents will eventually figure out your plays, but will have difficulty if they cannot anticipate your overall playing ability. Learn to be surprising, quick thinking and more agile in your ability to get the ball and work the court.
Be careful not to travel when dribbling the basketball. Traveling occurs when you take too many steps in between dribbles. It’s most likely to happen when going up for a shot. Just one extra step will mean the difference between a score and a turnover, so practice shooting as often as you can.
Beware of picking up bad habits from street basketball games. Street games are often rougher and flashier than team basketball. It’s a game to impress through individual showmanship, not from your work as part of a bigger group. Therefore, you can bring the wrong skills to the table if you base your team play on what you’ve learned from street games. Remember, you are part of something bigger than just you.
Bend your knees as you dribble the ball. This gets you closer to the surface you are dribbling on and causes the distance between ground and ball to be reduced. This gives your opposition less of a chance to steal the ball away from you as you head for the net.
If you are going to get rebounds in basketball, it is important to get between the person you are guarding and the basket. Then back up against that person and start moving him away from the basket. This way, if he tries to go through you or over you to get the rebound, he has to foul you.
Practice your footwork and control the position of your feet at all times. If you step on the baseline, you will be out of bounds. You will get called for walking if you take extra steps and are not dribbling. Moving your feet as you are setting a screen or pick usually results in you being called for a foul.
There are some drills you can practice to help you become a better player. For example, power crossovers: first, dribble with your right hand hard, and then quickly move the ball to your left hand. Repeat while passing the ball back to your right hand. This will make you a better at crossovers.
To stay hydrated while playing basketball outside on a hot day, make sure you drink plenty of water or sports drink before you head outside, and take a bottle with you. When you sweat, you not only lose water, but you lose electrolytes and sodium. Sports drinks like Powerade help you replace those and keep your edge on the basketball court.
Learn to control the ball when you need to change your pace suddenly. If your are able to plant your feet and then quickly dribble the ball while on the move, you gain a distinct advantage over your opponent. If your defenders think you are slowing down to make a shot, they will straighten up to try to block it.
With the right information, playing basketball can be more fun! Keep reading other resources so you can build up your game skills. Gain as much knowledge as you can to improve your enjoyment of the sport.
