Basketball is a fun sport to play when you are really good at the skills necessary to help your team. Perhaps you would like to better your skills and that is why you’re here? If so, the following article offers excellent tips that the pros use to help them better their game and you can use them, too.
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.
When you dribble a basketball, you are supposed to use your fingertips. Many people think you are supposed to use your palm, but this is incorrect. Using the tips of your fingers when you are dribbling the ball will result in you being able to dribble more in a shorter amount of time.
When you dribble, look forward, keeping your head up. You haven’t practiced enough if you keep looking at the basketball while you’re dribbling. Bring the ball no matter where you go. If you are heading down to the market, dribble as you go. If you look your ball, you can’t see the court.
Try practice rebound drills that will help you learn to rebound outside your area in basketball. Great rebounders will try to get the ball no matter its location. Poor rebounders will remain still and watch the ball since they think they can’t reach it. To learn rebounding out of your area, run some drills that causes the ball to go far away from you. One way is to throw it off the back board and go after it.
When you have the ball, make sure you change your direction frequently. The entire court is open to you, and it is important to take advantage of that fact. As you move to the right or the left, make sure you shift your weight accordingly to have the easiest experience moving with the ball.
Make layups a part of your daily practice regimen. Layup shots make up nearly 80% of a game’s shots. When practicing this technique, run toward the goal and shoot. This running and jumping technique will help you learn how to jump and shoot better during the game.
It is not always necessary to dribble the ball. In fact, you should only dribble it when it is part of your play. For instance, you will want to dribble the ball when you are trying to get the ball up the court, to get in a position for passing, or to get the defense off you.
Always remember that to be a great basketball player, you’ve got to be a great athlete first. Put as much time into conditioning your body and increasing your endurance as you do shooting and passing. This will improve your play under even the most excruciating circumstances, making you an invaluable team member.
Never leave the practice court without taking some practice shots. Do some free throws, lay-ups and 3-point throws every practice before you leave. Of course you are doing some shooting during practice, but this additional practice will help you in the long run. Keep practicing your shooting on a daily basis.
When a teammate passes you the ball, make the most out of it. If you have an open shot, go ahead and shoot. If you do not have an open shot or think that you can get open, do the right thing and pass it along to another teammate. They may have the shot that you don’t.
When dealing with high school basketball players, make sure that they get enough sleep every night. The workouts involved for basketball players are pretty strenuous. That is why it is very important that they get enough rest so that their bodies can recover. They should try to sleep about seven hours each night.
One of the best tips for improving your shot is to practice. As simple as it may seem, this really is effective. Once you get a feel of where to stand and how to stand, it will be easier for you to make shots. Have a friend defend you to get better practice.
If you play organized basketball, keep track of your average fouls per minutes played. If you are not a starter who sees a lot of minutes, you want to know this just in case. You might get called on to put in a lot of minutes one game, or play repeated overtimes. The last thing you want to do is foul out because you aren’t used to playing so long.
Always know where the other players are, both on your team and the opposition. You need to know who is close enough to steal the ball from you, who you can pass to and who might be able to rebound if you miss. Staying on top of the game means knowing the lay of the land.
If the basketball game is quickly getting out of hand for your team, find a way to slow the pace down. Your opponent wants to keep the chaos for your team going as it’s causing you all to make mistakes. You need to do the opposite. The minute you have the ball, dribble up court slowly. Or take a time out if you’ve got one available.
After reading the above article you now know the strategies that the pros use to help improve their basketball playing skills. It’s a simple game but in order to help your team win you need to get better. The tips and great advice here will go a long way to helping you improve your game.
