Basketball season tends to be an obsession to supporting fans and players. Make your fans emphatic by giving them a great show. Each teammate is important to the team, so you need to do what you can to improve your abilities. These suggestions will help you to improve your ball playing skills.

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.

Practice your defense more than your offense. In the end, it’s defense that consistently wins you games. While offense seems to get the praise, defense must be stellar in order to win.

Watch your form while you dribble the ball. You want to dribble with the tips of your fingers, not your whole hand. You retain much more ball control this way. Avoid dribbling in front of you and only dribble to the sides of your body. Look up and never down at the ground.

TIP! To be a great basketball player you need to work on your balance. Sometimes you’ll see professional players fall out of bounds while making a shot from afar, but this doesn’t work at all times.

If you have the ball a lot, learn to execute a crossover. A crossover happens when you switch hands the ball is in. The action needs to be performed quickly in order to be successful. By having the ability to move either way quickly, you will become a better all-around player.

Having a good foundation is key when shooting the ball. You have seen how pros shoot a basket from thirty feet away and fall out of bounds, which is not the right technique. They have just improvised, is all. Good balance while shooting will lead to landing more baskets.

TIP! Learn the way to throw proper bounce passes. Bounce passes need to be at waist level when received.

A great way to hone your own basketball abilities is to watch the pros. Get tickets to some pro games, if possible, or catch some games on television. You will quickly notice all the different skills that they have which makes them a great player, then take what you learned and use it to help improve your own game.

Ask fellow team members what they like about your skills on the court. Do you have an area where you excel? It could be your speed, or it could be your back-up abilities. When you find out what they think, you may learn a lot.

TIP! Be sure to watch professional games to learn some great tips and tricks to improve your game. Watch pro games on TV, or attend games in person.

Never turn away from the ball, so that you can always stay ready for anything. Always knowing where the ball is will make sure that you are ready if it quickly comes your way. Always be on the lookout for open areas where you can seize easy scoring opportunities.

Remember to spread your fingers when handling the ball. This will help you keep a better grip on the ball. Your palm should touch the ball as little as possible. Remember to maintain contact with the ball through your fingers only.

TIP! How would you like to trick the opposing team? Try doing a back pass! If you wish to try this pass, get the ball in your dominant hand. Next get the ball pulled up behind the back.

When you’re working out, concentrate on core strength building and your footwork. Your body will naturally balance well if you have strong core muscles. Work the abdomen, buttocks, hip, and back muscles. Just like with boxing, you can do a little speed and footwork training with a jump rope.

There are clearly many ways to better your skills. A better player leads to a better team which means a bigger, happier fan-club and cheering section. Everyone has to play a part in the team and people that cheer on the games also have a big part to play too. By being a player you should be giving your team lots of help. The tips in this article can help you become an invaluable member of your basketball team.