If you arrived here looking for great tips on how to play better basketball, then you’re in the right place. It doesn’t matter whether you’re new to the game or experienced, anyone can benefit with knowing some simple tips. Read on and learn, you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
For lightening fast dribbling, just like the pros, only use your finger tips on the ball. When you use all of your fingers, your dribbling will be much slower. Make this a part of your daily practice sessions until it becomes second nature to dribble with only the tips of your fingers.
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.
Practicing with your team is important, but don’t overlook the value of daily practice on your own. Set up a daily practice time for yourself and stick to your schedule. Practice footwork, shooting, and dribbling. It is also important to include strength training and endurance training in your practice schedule.
If you are trying to create a charging foul against the other team, make sure you plant your feet to the ground. Don’t shuffle them or lean into the dribbler coming at you. If you do either of these things, you’ll actually be called for a blocking foul instead of getting a charge.
Frequently train yourself on your pass catching moves. You want to practice catching perfect passes and bad passes. During the game, not all passes will go where they’re intended. You’ll be helping out your team a great deal if you can catch their not so perfect passes.
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.
Always be aware of where you have your feet and what you are going to do with them next. If you slide onto the baseline, you will lose the ball for being out of bounds. Not dribbling when you take more than a few steps will result in a walking call as well as a forfeit of the ball. You may get a foul call if you move your foot while you are attempting to take a charge, pick a charge or set a screen.
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 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.
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.
To get offensive rebounds in basketball, you have to learn how to follow the basketball off the rim. Get used to watching people shoot, and see how the ball caroms off. Then get used to anticipating those bounces, so you can get around the defender before he even thinks to box you out.
To rebound a free throw attempt by the other team, you get the advantage of having four people on the lane, as opposed to three for the other team. Take advantage by boxing out, putting your body on the person next to you and moving him away from the basket. This gives you the best chance at grabbing a board.
Perform exercises to strengthen the muscles in your forearms and hands in order to maximize your ability to handle the ball. Try doing some wrist curls as they are particularly effective in honing your dribble skills. Don’t just think you’re able to stand around, catch the ball and then shoot it. You must move the ball to have things happen.
Aim your overhead pass to be caught at chin level or higher. An overhead pass gives you the ability to get the greatest length from your pass. It is a good option for a turnover breakaway. You can also use the overhead pass to get the ball to a player who has a strong inside position.
Now that you read the above article, nothing should hold you back from becoming a better basketball player. All it takes is knowledge and practice your skills. If you practice what you just learned today, there is no reason why you cannot better your skills to help you succeed at basketball.