Basketball is a pastime that is much loved by people of all age groups and social strata. Sadly, not everyone has a sufficient grasp of the sport to get all they possibly can from playing and watching it. Fortunately, the article that follows is replete with valuable tips and information to help turn anyone into a basketball expert.
Learn what a crossover is and how to do it. A crossover means moving the ball between your hands. Speed determines the success of the crossover move. Once you’ve learned how to use it, the crossover dribble makes it easy to navigate the court in a more effective way.
When shooting the basketball, it is important to maintain good balance. Jumping and leaning to the right or the left can result in a missed goal. Learn to jump straight up while maintaining your balance for best results. You can practice this by running and shooting the ball during your practice time.
When dribbling, make sure to keep your head straight up. If you find that you keep looking down at the ball, you haven’t practiced dribbling enough. You need to gain the advantage of being able to see the court while dribbling. Then you can surprise your opponent with smart passes and quick drives to areas where they are not.
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.
You want to be prepared for any type of defense the other team plays. While a great portion of a game will be concentrated in the zone, your rivals could opt to go to man-to-man covering to keep you guessing. Be sure to practice for this eventuality so you will not become rattled and lose the game.
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.
Try yoga to improve your basketball game. You might not want to tell your teammates about it, since some of them are going to likely laugh. However, the increased flexibility and agility you get helps prevent injuries or at least leaves able to get back up quicker when you get knocked down. Don’t laugh; Kareem Abdul-Jabaar used it to extend his NBA career.
Never play through an injury when playing basketball. This is a physically challenging game, so you may end up hurt much worse. Trying to play through the pain could just cause more damage. Anytime you have a serious injury, you should seek medical attention.
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.
Knowing how to handle the basketball is an important step in becoming a good player. Work hard to perfect your dribble with your weaker hand. The ability to dribble the ball well with both hands will keep opponents guessing. When you are able to take off dribbling to the right or the left, opponents will have a hard time predicting where you will go.
To shoot a basketball outdoors, you have to be ready for the conditions. On the blacktop, the wind can send your shot off, so as you start shooting around beforehand, get used to factoring that wind in by aiming to one side or the other. This will boost your accuracy.
Practice moving the ball from one courtside to the other in just 5 dribbles of the ball. This will help you to gain speed, stride length and control of the ball. Being able to do this lets you lead your team on a fast break and gets you to the rim that much quicker.
To become a better rebounder in basketball you need to understand how to box out your opponent. The best way to box out your opponent so you can grab the ball off a missed shot is to get your body in front of him or her. Make sure you shield this person from the basket, this lets you grab the carom off the backboard and rim.
If you want to be a better jump shooter, learning the proper way to jump is one way to improve. It is extremely important your jump does not drift from side to side. If you begin to drift your shooting arm will lose aim at the basket. Jumping straight up and coming straight down will increase your accuracy and consistency.
To help improve your basketball playing skills you will need to learn how to jump higher. One way that you can get better at this is by doing calf raises. Improving the strength of your legs, especially your calves will help you get more lift. Not only do you need to jump higher, you also need to be quicker, too.
The popularity of basketball is undeniable, and the sport itself can provide a terrific outlet for folks of all age groups. The best way to extract the most enjoyment from basketball is to learn everything possible on the subject. With any luck, you have found that the piece above has helped you get started doing precisely that.
