It’s easy to see why millions of people adore basketball. However, it is a physically demanding sport. Regardless of whether you are the best or not, you can still have fun playing basketball. Continue reading to learn how to play the game to the best of your ability.
Make sure that you practice teamwork when you are on the court, or people may have a hard time dealing with you. You may want to impress others on the court, and this may give you the idea that you should shoot the ball yourself, but it would be best to pass the ball to someone who is open.
Perfect your free throw. This seems like an easy shot, but it is quite hard. Practice often using the following technique. Start by holding your basketball right in the front of your own face. Picture yourself going through the shot in your mind, with the ball sinking through the net. Shoot the ball how you imagine it going in.
Practice dribbling the ball on a number of different surfaces. As you get used to how the ball reacts, you will be able to adjust your game accordingly. How you handle the ball can make or break the game. Turnovers lead to points that your team may not be able to recover from, so your skills in this area need to be solid.
To get a jump shot off without having it blocked, release it at your nose or even higher. If your release point is at your chest or even your chin, it is much easier for even a shorter defender to block it. A higher release point means that your shot is more likely to go over that defender.
When dribbling, try to make your moves below your knee joints. This will mean you have to bend over to dribble the ball and move, but there are advantages. It creates a little more personal space, making the ball harder for an opponent to steal. It also makes it far easier to shake off an opponent for a drive, a shot or a pass.
A solid routine is necessary for improvement in free throw shooting. A routine that is constantly in flux will only open up more opportunities for failure. To better perfect free throw techniques, try using repetition via practicing one routine repeatedly. If you do not practice this shot consistently, you may miss it during an actual game.
Stick with full court basketball during practice. It might be fun to play some half court ball games, but you aren’t teaching your team how to deal with the full court. Plus, the rules of a half court game may be quite different than a full court game. It’s best to practice what you’ll be doing during game time.
Having the proper stance when playing defense is going to help you with all of your defensive moves. You will be much quicker to counteract offensive moves and you will be much harder to get by if you maintain the proper stance. Whenever you are practicing, train your body to get in the proper defensive stance so that it seems natural to you.
To inbound a basketball when no one is open and your defender’s back is to you, you can pull a trick — just toss the ball lightly off the defender’s back. Then step inbounds with both feet and grab the ball and go. The ball just has to touch a player inbounds before you can touch it again.
Balance is an important aspect in basketball, especially when taking a shot. When shooting, make sure you are balanced both side to side and from front to back. Do not be leaning away from the shot or lunging forward. If you keep your balance on shots, you will make baskets more consistently.
To improve 3 point shooting, practice from NBA distance, at least. High school lines, international standard lines, and college lines are much closer. Learning how to shoot from the NBA three point line can help you get better looks at the basket.
Never watch the opponents feet, always watch their chest instead. Many players have learned how to fake out opponents with their feet, so it is better to focus your attention on their chest. It is much more difficult to fake upcoming movements with the chest than it is with the eyes or feet.
Bounce passes cause the defender to bend over to try to get the ball from you, often leaving them off balance. This is a great way to pass the ball to a teammate, allowing you to spin around your defender while they have no balance, leaving you open to take a shot.
The only thing you should ever pay attention to outside of the rectangle of the court is your coach yelling. Don’t mind what the fans are cheering or booing, or even how many people are in attendance. Certainly never listen to your parents. Your coach let you on the team and decides your playing time, not mom and dad.
The perfect shot begins with how you position your body. Your knees need to be slightly bent and your feet need to point directly at the basket. You will get a good arc to your shot only if you have your knees properly bent, so be sure to do this every time you shoot.
Now are you prepared to take on the game and show off your skills? First, put these tips to good use. Get motivated and hit that court! You will soon see changes for the better in your game.
