Anybody who plays basketball would love to become a better player. Perhaps you are here because you would like to better your skills? Or maybe you’re just a newcomer to the sport altogether and interested in just being able to understand it a little bit? Either way, read the following article for excellent tips on the understanding basketball.
When you are practicing your shooting, make sure that you practice shots that you may be required to make during a game. You should try to shoot the ball while moving around, standing still, and right after you receive a pass. You can have someone toss you a ball while you’re running in order to practice taking a shot after the ball has been passed to you.
Successful free throws require you to be mentally and physically strong. You may know how to make a free throw but if your focus is off, then you will miss. Relax as you focus on making the shot, and soon you’ll be making more free throws.
When dribbling, try to keep the ball low to the ground. This makes it more difficult for opponents to steal the ball away from you while dribbling. Keep the ball low and pass it from hand to hand while weaving in and out through your opponents. This will help you maintain control of the ball.
Improve your offensive game by mastering the shot fake. With this move, players think you are going to shoot the ball, so they will jump up. Don’t really shoot the ball yet; instead, use this opportunity to maneuver around them and take your shot. They will be caught off guard and won’t have a chance to defend you.
Completing passes to your teammates is just as important as dribbling the ball. It’s hard to play without dribbling, however, it can help you and your team create more accurate passes. Don’t get discouraged if it is hard initially’ because the gains you will make are sure to be worthwhile.
Do sprints in your practice drills. Basketball is a very active sport for the entire game. And there are times in it when you need to pull up your last bit of energy for an extremely fast sprint to the opposite side of the court. Your body needs to be used to sprinting, even when worn out. You only accomplish this through practice.
As you develop your ability to shoot a basketball, try practicing on one foot only. This will improve many areas of your play, including accuracy when shooting. As you get better, move to practicing your shot from greater distances. Only after you master the basic techniques will you truly get better at long distance shots.
Play basketball against yourself even during the off-season. Sometimes you cannot find a team of people to play basketball with. That’s fine. Playing on your own can give you the chance to work on isolated areas of your game. Practice pivoting and free throw shooting. You can always work on something.
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.
Making a pass from between your legs is sometimes a good option when the opposing team is right on top of you. To practice, simply bounce the basketball between your legs while stepping either forward or backwards. If this move is something you master, you’ll have an advantage when you go out to play a game.
Patience can be a key component to getting the best shot. Taking a perimeter jump shot from near the three point line while early into the offense is probably not the best idea. Instead, get into your half court set and begin looking for the open shot. Look down low for an easy basket or outside for an open three point shot.
A good defensive strategy will keep your opponent on their toes. You should work to make your opponent feel uncomfortable. Make aggressive plays. Which plays are made shouldn’t be up to them. If you let them control the game, you will lose. Rather, you move first so that you interfere with their rhythm.
To turn a normal 2-3 zone into a trapping machine, have your top two defenders (your guards) wait until the point guard has come about ten feet past the time line (midcourt). At this point, your guards must rush the point guard thus trapping him. As your guards are doing this, send your forwards out to the outside opponents. Your forwards should easily be able to steal the pass that the point guard throws.
As you can see from above the game of basketball is a lot of fun and simple to learn. Anyone can play basketball, but in order to play it well you need to master some simple tips, just like the ones you learned about here. Take all this information and use it to help improve your knowledge about basketball.
