Never let bad habits get in the way of making your basketball game all it can be. A bit of advice can go a long way in making you an amazing player. The easy to implement tips below can help you inspire you into becoming an amazing basketball player on the court.
Make your passes quick and precise. This takes practice, but you can improve your passing skills over time. Find someone else who wants to improve their passing and run drills with them. Running up and down the court passing and dribbling will eventually become second nature and help you with your game.
One of the most important things to understand is when to make the shot. Taking a dangerous shot can result in the ball being overturned. If you do not feel comfortable making the shot, pass it to a teammate and either let them make the shot or get into a better position to make the shot.
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.
When you are dribbling the ball, be sure that you are doing so with your head up. If you have your eyes on the ball instead while you are dribbling it, you cannot keep an eye on those defending you. This could lead to them stealing the ball away from you.
To be successful with free throws, you need to be sure you’re taking the best approach. When at the foul line, have your feet about a shoulder’s width apart. Now, use both hands to dribble the ball. Bend your knees and and picture the ball going into the basketball as you take your shot.
When shooting, always arc the shot, never throw straight. You have a much better chance of making your baskets when there is an arc on your shots. If you do not know how much arc to put into your shooting, find one that works best for you during practice and try to consistently produce the same arc during games.
Do not practice solely against zone defense. While a good chunk of the game will most likely be played in zone, your opponent might flip the switch to man-to-man coverage just to change things up and surprise you. Failure to prepare for this type of tactic makes you more vulnerable and hurts your team.
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.
As you develop your ability to shoot a basketball, try practicing on one foot only. This will improve many areas of your play, including accuracy when shooting. As you get better, move to practicing your shot from greater distances. Only after you master the basic techniques will you truly get better at long distance shots.
Ask your teammates what they like about how you play. Do they feel you are really good at something? Perhaps they see you as someone who is fast on the court, or that you’re a really good teammate. Learn what the other people around you see while you are playing and it may open your eyes to new areas for practice.
Where loose fitting shorts and a sports shirt that lets you move. Basketball is a very physical sport. There’s a lot of running, a lot of physical contact, and a ton of jumping. You want to wear clothes that let you move as well as possible. If you don’t, you’ll find your time on the court to be pretty miserable.
If you find yourself unable to shoot well, consider your shoulders. When they are out of alignment, all shots will fail. Your shoulders should always be square towards the basket. Your dominant shoulder must be lined up with the rim.
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.
All it takes is using the tips you’ve read here to become a better player. Use what you’ve learned to replace your bad basketball habits with improved skills you’ve gained from this article. When you begin to implement changes, you will find that you never look back on your old self.
