One round, orange ball. One tall net with a backboard. Ten players per team. A passion for the game of basketball. This is what you need to play, but you also need a great knowledge to play well. Continue reading to find out all you can about the ins and outs of basketball.
When you dribble a basketball, you are supposed to use your fingertips. Many people think you are supposed to use your palm, but this is incorrect. Using the tips of your fingers when you are dribbling the ball will result in you being able to dribble more in a shorter amount of time.
Try practice rebound drills that will help you learn to rebound outside your area in basketball. Great rebounders will try to get the ball no matter its location. Poor rebounders will remain still and watch the ball since they think they can’t reach it. To learn rebounding out of your area, run some drills that causes the ball to go far away from you. One way is to throw it off the back board and go after it.
Don’t force your jumps in basketball. Try to jump as naturally as possible. When jumping and shooting, practice releasing the ball at the top of the jump. Your fingers should simply slide off of the ball and carry it to the basket. Make sure you do not release while going up or down in the jump. Only release at the top.
Don’t prepare more for a game than you do for a practice. If you don’t tape up for practice, don’t do it for games. You will naturally take games more seriously than practice. However, you don’t need to start panicking over a game by overpreparing. Have a consistent and calm routine.
Don’t just practice offense. Unlike some other sports, basketball players need to play both offense and defense constantly. There are no breaks in the game, and a great shooter can negate his or her benefit to the team by being a very poor defender. You need to become good on both ends of the court.
If you get hurt during a basketball game, don’t try to play while in pain. This is an aggressive sport, and injuries happen often. If you keep on playing after sustaining an injury, you may make the injury even more serious. If an injury is serious, go to see a physician.
When dealing with high school basketball players, make sure that they get enough sleep every night. The workouts involved for basketball players are pretty strenuous. That is why it is very important that they get enough rest so that their bodies can recover. They should try to sleep about seven hours each night.
Learn how to do a crossover if you plan to be in possession of the ball a lot. Crossovers are when you move the ball from one hand to the other while dribbling. If done quickly, the opposition won’t be able to get the ball away from you as you can pass it to the side they are not on.
Be careful about trying to block shots. In most organized leagues, blocking the shot on the way down or when in the imaginary cylinder above the net results in a goaltending call. This just gives the opponent the attempted points, whether they would have made the shot or not anyway.
While you likely already have the passion, and the ball, you also need the knowledge to be a successful basketball player. With this article already under your belt, you are ready to start using its tips. Continue checking out other expert articles to learn more so you can better your game.
