Never let bad habits get in the way of making your basketball game all it can be. A bit of advice can go a long way in making you an amazing player. The easy to implement tips below can help you inspire you into becoming an amazing basketball player on the court.
Learn proper dribbling. When you dribble a basketball you have to use the fingertips instead of the hand’s palm. This provides you with much more ball control. Dribble to your body’s side instead of doing it out front, and bounce the ball at your waist’s level. Always look up and never look down at the ground.
Never pass the ball and stand still. This is a mistake most often made by those new to the game of basketball. Once you’ve passed the ball, you need to work to get into the best position possible to be passed to again or to grab a rebound from a shot.
When rebounding, start moving as soon as the shooter uncoils. When you react and move quicker, you better anticipate their moves and get more rebounds. When they start to uncoil, start contact by blocking them out. Make sure to do the same thing on offense since the shooter will most likely try to uncoil after the rebound. This can boost your number of rebounds.
Watch professional basketball players on television. When learning basketball, it’s essential to see what the best out there do. Listen to what the announcers are saying, too. Quite often, they’ll point out smart plays and unique moves that were exceptionally done. These call-outs will help you improve your skills just by watching.
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.
When you are playing in a game, try your best to forget your misses. Nothing good can come from you dwelling on the last shot you missed or the last 20 you missed. Each shot is a new opportunity to score. Stay clam and keep trying even if you miss a few. Dwelling on the miss will lead to you overreacting and missing even more.
Keep your footwork in mind while playing defense. Taking short steps will give you a better foothold on your opponent. Remember to push off your front foot. When you take long steps, it is more difficult to defend against a driving opponent. Check your distance from your opposing player by extending one arm.
Jump on the ground and dive for those loose balls. Don’t be afraid to hit the ground hard and get a little hustle on. Not only will this help the team, but the coach will surely notice your improved effort. Team moral is always a good thing to keep in high numbers.
Where loose fitting shorts and a sports shirt that lets you move. Basketball is a very physical sport. There’s a lot of running, a lot of physical contact, and a ton of jumping. You want to wear clothes that let you move as well as possible. If you don’t, you’ll find your time on the court to be pretty miserable.
To play your best game of basketball, it is important to keep focused. Even when the action is not near your position, remain aware of the action and be ready to move fast. A positive attitude combined with being fully focused on what you are doing can give you the competitive advantage.
Be careful about trying to block shots. In most organized leagues, blocking the shot on the way down or when in the imaginary cylinder above the net results in a goaltending call. This just gives the opponent the attempted points, whether they would have made the shot or not anyway.
To master dribbling, try the 10-5 drill. Start with your right hand and power dribble for 10 seconds. Slow it down for five seconds, then switch hands and repeat. This helps your arms learn about the changes in dribbling pace associated with a competitive game, building muscles and giving you strength.
A bounce pass is a good option if you are being heavily defended by one opponent. A defender who does not see the bounce pass coming will be thrown off his game. Keep your bounce passes as simple as possible to avoid a turnover. This maneuver helps get the ball to a teammate who is in a better position to score.
All it takes is using the tips you’ve read here to become a better player. Use what you’ve learned to replace your bad basketball habits with improved skills you’ve gained from this article. When you begin to implement changes, you will find that you never look back on your old self.
