So you want to improve your basketball playing skills and don’t know where to begin. The good news is that here you will find excellent advice that the pros use to help them get better at basketball. Continue ahead to the following article that shows you what the pros do in order be a better basketball player.
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.
Observing what the professionals do can be a great way to improve your game. It is important that you see how other people play the game. By doing this, you will quickly find that players all have their unique subset of skills, allowing you the best chance to see what areas are the best fit for your personal game.
Stamina is key to playing a good ball game. Basketball games are filled with running back and forth along the court. By increasing your stamina, you can stay in the game longer. One way to increase your stamina is by running a few miles each day, followed by a cool down workout.
When trying to pass the ball to your teammate, the chest pass is one of the most effective. To do the chest pass, have your knees bent while you step into the pass. Then, make sure your thumbs are facing down and that the ball is coming off of your fingertips.
Want to make the other team not know what’s going on? Trick them using a back pass. To work it, place the ball in your most dominant hand. Pull it behind you. The last step is to flick your wrist in the direction you want the ball to land. This should be helpful in tricking them team.
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.
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.
To give yourself a big advantage in any game of basketball, study the moves of your opponents. Players often have certain moves that they repeat or a certain approach that they favor. If you can make a plan to disarm their favorite move or approach, you can often outplay them.
Master the stop and shoot. Basketball is so much about movement that sometimes the most effective manner to get clear of an opponent is to surprise them with no movement at all. Master dribbling up court fast and when you hit a mark you’re comfortable with, stop short, pull up and shoot. Your opponent will find it tough to stop their forward movement, so you’ll have a clear look at the basket.
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.
In order to become a better free throw shooter you need to have a good practice routine. Failure to use consistency may make your shots less accurate. You have to practice time and time again. Just keep repeating free throws, if you want to perfect that technique. If your routine is off, then you will miss the shot.
A great way to make sure you’re in a good position defensively is to keep yourself in the defensive stance. Slide sideways and use your back foot to push off in order to maintain the defensive stance in stride. Keep your body constantly facing toward your opponent in order to ensure the best possible defense.
In order for a basketball team to play well together each player should be good at passing the ball. If you can’t make a simple pass then it is much easier for the opponent to defend you. Not only will passing help advance the ball down court quicker, it sets up your teammates for wide open shots.
To set an effective screen, make sure that your feet are slightly wider apart than your shoulders and your arms are crossed on your chest. The wider feet give you balance, and the crossed arms take away the temptation to reach out and bump the player as he goes by — which is a foul.
If someone is taking a shot from the center of the court, it is likely that the ball will bounce off the net or backboard straight back at them. Keep this in mind if you want to catch the rebound and score some points after they miss the shot.
If you are like most basketball players, you want as much playing time as possible. One way to pretty much guarantee an increase in playing time is to always work hard and hustle during both practice and in a game. Don’t be hesitant about diving after a loose ball. Your butt may often be on the ground, but a coach will notice your intense efforts and will choose you over a player who doesn’t have your drive and work ethics.
As stated in the above article, to become a better basketball player and better your skills you need great advice. Every good basketball players have received great advice at one time or another, and the tips you learned here will help to improve your game. Get out on the court and practice those skills!
