It isn’t difficult to learn the fundamentals of basketball. Basic techniques can be learned in a couple minutes. This advice helps you further your basketball skills.

TIP! Shake things up rather than focusing solely on a zone defense. While a great portion of a game will be concentrated in the zone, your rivals could opt to go to man-to-man covering to keep you guessing.

A lot of novice players mostly focus on their offensive skills, but developing good defensive skills will help you become a better player. Many times, defense actually wins the game. Offense gets attention and praise, but when you lack good defense, any team can lose.

It is important that you perfect dribbling the ball. Don’t use your palm to dribble. Instead, use your fingertips. Dribbling this way improves your ball control dramatically. You should be dribbling the ball at your side instead of in front of your body. The ball should always be dribbled at waist level. Never look at the ground. Always look up.

TIP! Don’t bulk up if you want to be good as a jump shooter. Though muscle strength is great to have with any sport, it is very possible to be too buff for serious game play.

Want to trick the other team? How about the behind the back pass? To do this pass, hold on to the ball with your dominant hand. The next step is to draw the ball behind you. Next, snap your wrist in the direction you want the ball to be moved to. Doing this will trick your opponent.

If your son or daughter wants to play high school basketball, they need to work on core muscle training. Hips, abdomen and back must be worked on. Your performance is going to be sub-par if you don’t have strengthened core muscles. Building a solid core helps maintain the leg strength that lies at the core of a strong game.

TIP! Would you like to completely fool the opposing team, making them look silly? Try a back pass. Use the dominant hand to hold onto the basketball when trying this pass.

Have other players give you information about what they think are your strengths and weaknesses. What areas are your strong points? You may be quick with your footwork or are always there for backing them up. By understanding what your teammates see as your best skills, you can ensure that you keep a strong focus and hone these abilities even more.

Learn how to dribble and pass between your legs in case you are being guarded very tightly. You can practice this technique by stepping forward or backward and bouncing the ball with force between your legs. If you manage to master this, you will have a tremendous advantage during games.

TIP! If you have a child that is strength training for basketball, their core muscles should be properly developed. Show them how to exercise their hips, lower back and abs.

Practice passing while not looking in the direction of the pass. This should befuddle your opponent. If you do it right, this draws your opponents’ focus the wrong way. When done smoothly it can be a game changer.

Be sure that your site is good. This is so that you’re able to catch passes, get shots in, and look at the scoreboard. Peripheral vision must be razor-honed. If you scan the entire court, not just the location of the ball, it is possible to anticipate defense moves in advance and see which teammates are open.

TIP! Keeping your fingers spread wide is important for holding onto the ball. You are more likely to hold onto the ball this way.

You can strengthen you weaker hand by using it as much as possible, for instance open jars or even brush your teeth. These tasks help to make your weaker hand feel more natural when you use it on the court. As a result, your basketball game will significantly improve.

Try to contain the action to the area below your knees. This is going to make things harder for your opponents if they want to steal the ball. You need to bend a bit more for this to succeed, but you will be able to traverse the court rapidly while keeping opponents at bay.

TIP! When exercise, concentrate on perfecting footwork and strengthening your core muscles. By developing strong core muscles, you will be able to recover quickly and keep your balance.

Use your non-dribbling hand as a barrier between your opponent and the ball. It’s a foul to push your opponents, but using your arm as a barrier is allowed and will help you to secure the ball. Simply elevate it slightly as you dribble.

Mix up different shots from all over the court when you practice shooting. You need to practice your grip and balance. Sometimes you are forced into off-balanced shots, but that only makes you less accurate. Use the valve on the basketball to perfect your grip. Spread the fingers of your dominant hand and put the center of your hand over the valve located at the center of the basketball.

TIP! Always be aware of your feet. Placing even a single toe atop the baseline while holding the ball will result in you being ruled out of bounds.

If someone is attempting a shot from one of the court’s corners, that shot (if missed) will probably bounce over to the opposite side of the net. It may bounce back right into the opponent’s hands.

When coming down from a rebound catch, try to land and spread your legs wider than your shoulder span to better your balance. Keep the hands on both sides of the ball, and make sure it stays close to the chest. Just make sure your elbows don’t hit the opposing player; this could be called a foul.

TIP! Have someone record the games you play so that you can watch it to check out your form. You should be able to see what you missed or can do better.

Maybe you recently started playing basketball. Perhaps you’ve played ever since childhood. No matter what, the tips in the article above are great for helping you improve. Put these tips into action and you are sure to become a more effective player.