Do you dream of being as skilled at basketball as LeBron James or Michael Jordon? Rather than merely dreaming of greatness, how about learning what it takes to really succeed? Read on to learn what you can do to excel at basketball.
It’s easy to focus on offense when learning to play, but your practice time would be better spent on defense. Basketball games are won because of good defense. Offense gets attention and praise, but when you lack good defense, any team can lose.
Be sure to get lots of practice on layups. Layups account for up to 80 percent of the shots taken during a game. Practice running while dribbling, jumping and shooting as smoothly as you can. Running and jumping well in practice means better jump shooting in actual games.
Don’t bulk up if you want to be good as a jump shooter. Although it’s true that strong muscles are beneficial, additional bulk can impede your ability to play effectively along the perimeter. Some guards increase their upper body to the point of harming their field goals.
Free Throws
Perform skills, practice your ball handling and shoot free throws when you are practicing alone. Sometimes you cannot find a team of people to play basketball with. There’s nothing wrong with that. You can still practice when playing alone. Maybe work on those free throws or practice your pivoting. You can always practice.
If you become injured when playing basketball, stop immediately. It’s easy to be hurt when playing basketball. Pushing through the pain often results in a more serious injury. Be sure to talk to a doctor if you feel that the injury isn’t going away.
Video tape your games, and then review your technique later. You may see things differently as you observe the game and notice things you missed in the game. When looking at the tape, don’t be too critical, but be honest. It can help you to see how you really are instead of what you imagine you are.
Do your free throw shooting the same way every time. Whatever you do, from bending your knees to dribbling three times, do every time. If you make your routine consistent, your body will eventually know how to make the shot every time.
You need to work on your forearms and your hands to handle the ball more efficiently. For example, you can improve dribbling skills by adding wrist curls to your routine. Good playing is not only instinctive, it takes hard work and discipline. Learning how to pass the ball ensures that you can get the ball safely to a teammate who has better position on the court.
If you wish to get a free throw rebound from a teammate, you have to stay on your toes properly. The defender below you will be moving toward you, so find a way to slip around him and get to the ball. You won’t foul as you catch the rebound this way.
Dribble harder if you want to avoid the ball being stolen. This is because the ball returns to you hand faster, so the opposing team has less of a chance to get it. If you are being guarded closely, halt your dribble and pass to an open teammate.
Do drills where you try and get the basketball up a full-court in five dribbles or less. Although this might seem tricky in the beginning, this can really help your game if you can master this skill. You will have easy layups on fast breaks and you will be able to advance your team easily.
Once you are in your defensive stance, remember to hold your ground. Use a shuffling side to side motion to ensure you are in position. Keep your feet from crossing to make it hard for your opponent to get by you.
Now that you know what needs to be done, go practice and become the best player you can be. You need to be confident and you have to practice. Show others that you have skills and keep the things that you went over here in mind at all times.
