Basketball is for everyone, whether they be man or woman. All different types of people can enjoy an exciting game of basketball. Your friends will definitely be impressed by your moves if you practice. Wait, what did you learn? The following tips will help you hone your craft.

TIP! Make it a point to concentrate on both your defensive and offensive skills. Focusing only on offense does not make you a well-rounded player.

Do not practice solely against zone defense. The majority of the game is in that area, but be careful about a team who changes things up. If your practice hasn’t included this type of scenario, you might lose control rapidly.

Building core muscle is key to playing great basketball. Show them how to exercise their hips, lower back and abs. The core connects the lower and upper extremities, and if a person has a weak core, they will fail to excel in athletic pursuits. A strong, sturdy core allows force from the legs to fuel movements like running and jumping.

TIP! Make sure to dribble properly. Don’t use your palm to dribble, but use your fingertips instead.

When posting up, solid footwork is essential to getting yourself into position to shoot. You always want to beat your opponent to the open spot. After grabbing the position, you need to hold the area. Strong footwork is key.

One good way to always be ready for whatever happens on the court is to never turn your back on the ball. This helps you become aware of the court and lowers chances for surprises from turnovers and quick passes. Always watch for areas opening up where you can go for a quick basket.

TIP! Learn the best way to make your free throws. This may seem like an easy task, but in reality, things prove otherwise.

If you find yourself unable to shoot well, consider your shoulders. When your shoulders are positioned improperly, you will never make the basket regardless of how good your abilities are. Keep your shoulders square in line with the basket. Also, allow your dominant shoulder to line up with the rim.

One of the most vital attributes one needs to play basketball is quickness. If you want the advantage, you’ve got more quickly. You will have to do a lot of drilling to play faster. But do not try to play faster than you are able. By playing beyond your speed capabilities, you will quickly lose control of the ball, which will lead to bad passes, bad shots, and turnovers.

TIP! Balance is important when shooting. You have seen how pros shoot a basket from thirty feet away and fall out of bounds, which is not the right technique.

Practice your footwork and control the position of your feet at all times. If you slide onto the baseline, you will lose the ball for being out of bounds. Holding the ball for too many steps and not dribbling will result in a walking call which will cause you to you will lose possession of the ball. Also, when you’re moving your feet when a screen is being set, you can take a charge or pick to try and get a foul.

Get someone to analyze how you play on tape. Can you see chances that you missed or ways that you could have done better? Be honest when assessing, but avoid being overly critical. At times, it can help to see the truth of who you are, not as you imagine yourself.

TIP! Learn how to block out movement, noise and other distractions when taking a free throw. Training your body is important, but you also have to be mentally ready for the shot.

A solid routine is necessary for improvement in free throw shooting. A routine that is constantly in flux will only open up more opportunities for failure. The easiest way to make sure you’re doing great at free throws is to do repetitions of the same routines time and again. If the routine is off in any way, then you’ll miss the shot.

Do drills where you try and get the basketball up a full-court in five dribbles or less. This will help you to gain speed, stride length and control of the ball. This will help you accomplish great layups on those fast breaks.

Peripheral Vision

Practice noticing what is in your peripheral vision. You don’t need great vision just to keep score. You have to build your peripheral vision. If you’re looking around the whole court and not only at the ball, you’ll be able to look to the defense to see if pressure is coming and you can see who’s open.

TIP! Do not practice solely against zone defense. Zone play will be important, but man-to-man will pop up from time to time, too.

Changing up your pace is something you have to do to make sure the offense is paying attention. When running towards the net, step on your front foot, and start to straighten up your body. This will cause the guard to believe you are slowing, and it will also cause them to straighten up. When that happens, push ahead and run past.

You can now hit the court confident that you will be playing to the best of your abilities. You could potentially have learned a few great techniques that your friends have never heard of. Drill as much as you can but remember that playing basketball should be fun. No matter the case, it’s fun being the winner!