People of all ages and social strata the world over love basketball. Anyone at any age will love this game. When you’re playing, you have to cooperate with others and you have to be a good sport no matter what happens. The article below is essential if you wish to learn more about basketball.

TIP! Learn proper dribbling. Use the fingertips, not the palm, for the best dribbling.

Dribble properly. Use fingertips to dribble. Using your fingers allows you to better control the basketball. Dribble the ball around the height of your waist, and over to one side. Never look at the ground. Always look up.

Bounce Pass

TIP! Balance is essential to shooting. You’ve seen the pros fall out-of-bounds and shoot a basket up to 300 feet away, however, this isn’t proper technique.

You should learn the best way to throw a great bounce pass. In order for a bounce pass to be sufficient, the person should receive the ball around their waist. If it helps to measure it out, consider aiming for a mark on the floor about three-fourths of the way between you and your teammate. Many other factors will affect it, too.

Free throws require as much mental focus as physical skill. You may know how to make a free throw but if your focus is off, then you will miss. Relax as you focus on making the shot, and soon you’ll be making more free throws.

TIP! Free throws are as much mental as they are physical. You can practice for hours on how to make the shot, but if you over think things or get distracted you will miss every time.

Don’t limit your practice to just playing against the zone defense. Your opponent may change their game up to keep you on your toes. Failure to prepare for this type of tactic makes you more vulnerable and hurts your team.

A great way to learn how to pass is by doing drills often with no dribbling. It is difficult playing without dribbling; however, it helps the team make better passes. This is very challenging at first, but eventually it will really improve your entire team’s passing game.

TIP! Watching the pros can help you pick up on certain skills for improving your game. It is important that you see how other people play the game.

Keep your weight lifting to a minimum as a jump shooter. Muscle strength is great for any position in basketball, you can have too much when it comes to perimeter play. As a shooting guard, having bulky arm muscles can actually reduce the number of successful shots.

Make better passes through the use of coordinated hand signals. One of the most challenging aspects is trying to send the ball to your teammate as they are going for the basket. This can be prevented through the use of hand signals. If the signal is absent, do not pass to that player.

TIP! Lifting weights too much can actually take away from your jump shot. Muscle strength can be great for basketball players, but it is actually possible to have excessive amounts for playing on the perimeter.

In order to handle the ball correctly, spread your fingers out. This will help you to be sure that it won’t escape your grasp when trying to hold it. Keep your palm off the ball too. Your fingers must be the only things contacting it when you shoot or pass the ball at the target.

It is important to be aware of the location of your feet and just what they are up to. When you are in possession of the ball, touching the baseline will get you out of bounds. The ball will be turned over on a walking call if too many steps are taken with no dribble action. You may get a foul call if you move your foot while you are attempting to take a charge, pick a charge or set a screen.

TIP! Always be aware of the locations of your feet and what they’re doing. If you slide onto the baseline, you will lose the ball for being out of bounds.

If the other team has a good defense, passing the ball between your legs is a good option. Bounce the ball very hard through your legs while stepping to the front or the back. Mastering this skill will provide you with a major advantage on the court.

Ever wonder why basketball is so popular? For simple reasons like it is a lot of fun, and very easy to learn. If you’re a basketball fan, the above tips cannot be given a price tag. Have fun playing the game, and use these tips to improve your skills on the court.