Tips To Help You Understand The Finer Points Of Basketball


Basketball is very popular. Whether it is watching the championships, playing on a team of your own or just shooting hoops in your own yard, basketball is definitely here to stay. Naturally, if you play, you want to excel at the game. Here are a few things to keep in mind to help you make some great strides towards winning.

Successful free throws require you to be mentally and physically strong. You may know how to make a free throw but if your focus is off, then you will miss. Relax yourself and focus on the hoop.

When you dribble, make sure that you use fingertips instead of palms. This gives you much more control over the ball. Using your palms can cause the ball to go all over the place on the court, whereas using your fingertips keeps it under your control when you have to run.

If you have a child who has expressed interest in becoming a basketball player in high school, make sure he trains his core muscles. They should train their lower back, hips, and abs. A core that is not strong enough limits the linkage between arms and legs. A strong and solid core allows force that is generated via the legs to be used for helpful movements during the game like higher jumps and faster running.

Jump on the ground and dive for those loose balls. Don't be afraid to hit the ground hard and get a little hustle on. Not only will this help the team, but the coach will surely notice your improved effort. Team morale is always a good thing to keep in high numbers.


Always keep your head up while dribbling. You will not be able to see an open teammate if you are looking at the ball. You also will not be able to see what kinds of defenses the opposing team is playing if you are looking at the ball while dribbling.

Read more details about dribbling.

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.

To maximize your layups, take off with the foot that opposes your shooting hand. Jump off your left foot when you shoot using your right hand. This will allow you to be more balanced while moving closer to the basket while keeping your body between the defender and you.

Add stretching to your warm up, cool down, and work out routines. Stretching helps give you a wider range of motion with your arms and legs. That's critical to basketball. It'll allow you to do things with the basketball that others will find impossible, including between the leg dribbling and behind the back passing.

Move without the basketball. Running the baseline has advantages. You can possibly lose your defender in the paint for a second and become open. At the very least you might distract the ball defender's attention for just a second. Even if you can't get open, set a screen for who has the ball.

To help make the offense flow better it is a good idea to alter the pace. When you're moving towards the net, act like you're going to straighten up. The guard is going to think you're starting to slow and will straighten up too. As they do, push forward hard and run by them.

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.

While you should always make your passes as simple as possible, some situations call for more complicated passes. If you have to make a behind-the-back pass, your power is coming from your arm and fingers. If you use the power from your shoulders, your opponent will realize what you're doing and may be quick enough to break up the pass.


To be a great basketball player you must also be a great athlete. Basketball is a physical sport as well as demanding a great deal of endurance. Weight training can make your body tougher physically. Good conditioning is important as well, so warm up with about 15 minutes of running before doing drills.

The hand not used to dribble the ball should serve as a wall separating the ball from the opposing players. However, you're not actually going to push with this hand; instead, you're going to separate yourself using this hand. Just keep it raised a little while you dribble with your dribbling hand.

Don't show up your teammates. Remember basketball is a team sport. If you spend time turning your team against you, you'll find that your opportunities on the court will quickly dry up. Soon you could even be riding the bench. This is a team game that takes trust, so do your best to earn it.

If a team plays a zone defense, make use of a penetrating dribble to get past them. Breaking through your opponent's defenses and getting into the paint will cause your opponent to change what they're doing. If you're in the paint, take the shot. With a teammate open, you can throw out the ball so the player can make an easy shot.

Keep your arm straight in the air when you are blocking a shot. If you angle your arm downwards, you may end up with a foul. Keeping your arm straight will block the ball, keep you safe from harm, and ensure that the person you are guarding doesn't get a free shot on the net.

As you now know, there exist many methods to which you can up your game. In many cases, it takes only a few minutes to practice and adopt a new tactic. The more you practice, the more you'll improve your skills. Take what you have learned here to make the most out of your next basketball game.

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