No one would attempt to fix a car’s transmission without knowing how to do it. The same goes for working on your basketball skills. This article details many of the tips the experts use to make their game as good as it is.

TIP! Learn to crossover if you get the ball often. A crossover happens when you switch hands the ball is in.

Figure out how to perfect your free throw. This is something that seems simple, but in reality it can be hard. Put this technique into practice as often as you can. Place the ball right in line with your face. Keep looking at the goal while visualizing the basketball going through the hoop. Then repeat that when you take the shot.

When dribbling, make sure you hold your head high and look straight ahead. If you must look at the ball while dribbling, you haven’t practiced enough. You can practice dribbling almost anywhere. Try dribbling even when walking to a store. Remember, if you are directly staring at the ball, there’s no way for you to see what’s happening on the court.

TIP! To be a great basketball player you need to work on your balance. You’ve seen the pros fall out of bounds when trying to shoot 30 feet from the basket; this is a bad move.

Pay attention to what you are good at. The best talent you have isn’t going to have you starring in every highlight reel, but having a good skill set can benefit your team. Understand where you excel, and work on those talents until they are perfected.

Observing what the professionals do can be a great way to improve your game. Watch some games on TV, view videos of professional games, and go to some games. By doing this, you will quickly find that players all have their unique subset of skills, allowing you the best chance to see what areas are the best fit for your personal game.

TIP! You can learn to trick the opposing team. Back passes can give your team the opportunity to score while the other team is still wondering what happened.

Improve your passing abilities by challenging yourself to perform drills without actually dribbling. While this may be difficult, it gets you used to finding teammates and thinking on the run. Don’t get upset if it seems hard, this will improve your team’s passes over time.

If you want to be a master of the jump shot, do not make weight lifting a priority. You do need muscle conditioning and strength, but you can have too much when it comes to shooting field goals. Some pro shooting guards make their arms large enough to decrease their own field goal percentage.

TIP! Asking for feedback from coaches and teammates about your playing is important in order to become a stronger player. Can you get better at something? You might be quick, or you might always be around to support them.

See if your teammates admire something in particular about your game play. Can they tell you what you’re really good at? Perhaps you have an excellent understanding of defensive strategies or you are the fastest player on your team. You can learn a lot about your skills by knowing how others see you on the court.

Build your core strength and focus on your legwork when you train for basketball. When you have strong core muscles, your body will be better balanced and will move faster. You must work out your hip, back and abdomen muscles. Jump rope like a boxer to improve your fancy footwork.

TIP! The key to ball control is to spread your fingers out. That will ensure that it doesn’t get away from you as you hold it.

Watch your shoulders and their position if you notice yourself developing a slump in your shooting. When you’re in a shooting slump it usually means that your shoulders are not square to the hoop. To help improve your shot, focus on squaring up on each of your shots. Your dominant shoulder should also be lined up perfectly with the rim.

Make sure you know what is going on with your feet. This can help you avoid going out of bounds or making a bad pass. Taking too many steps without dribbling means a walking call and another turnover situation. Also, moving either foot when trying to set a screen, pick or take a charge results in a foul call.

TIP! When you’re working out, concentrate on core strength building and your footwork. Your body will be more stable and easier to move when you have strength in your core muscles.

A good defensive strategy will keep your opponent on their toes. Don’t let them get comfortable. The more aggressive you are the better. Do not allow them to pick and choose their plays. By doing so, the opponent will take advantage of you. Instead, disrupt their rhythm by making the first move.

Workout to increase flexibility and strength in your hands and forearms. Wrist curls are great for bettering your ball handling in basketball to the point where you could practically do it sleepwalking. Never assume you can just stand somewhere, catch and then shoot. You have to start moving the basketball around to get things to happen.

TIP! Practice dribbling with your weaker hand. Utilizing both hands to dribble the basketball and switching effortlessly is key to advantage over an opponent.

A good drill to try is the five dribble drill. You try to get the ball the entire length of the court in only five dribbles. This can seem impossible, but if you do it, you’ll get incredible speed and length. This may mean you can get your team some numbers for a period of time, or you can do easy lay-ups.

Basketball is similar to fixing a car alone where you have an unmatched sense of pride. That sense of pride is only rivaled by learning how you can improve your basketball game. This can help you to impress your teammates, and help you to win games.