Basketball Skills - Tips and Tricks

Basketball, like many other things, can be self-taught. Michael Jordan's phenomenal success is partly attributed to his great coaches and trainers, but the person who deserves most credit for his accomplishment is Mr. Jordan himself. Despite having his blessed talent, Jordan never slacked off his practice or overlooked its importance. Consistent practicing is by far the most crucial key to becoming an excellent basketball player.

Featured in this article are some cool tips and clean tricks on ballhandling, passing, shooting and rebounding that you need to know in order to enhance your basketball skills. Some complicated tricks in this article are demonstrated by famous NBA players such as Michael Jordan, Yao Ming and Dwyane Wade, which makes it even more fun and easier to learn.

First, you need to learn how to handle the ball effectively or in other words, how to dribble well. Dribbling a basketball may seem easy, but to dribble smartly and give your defender a hard time, you've got to learn some special tricks and practice diligently.

Use your fingertips, NOT your palm

At the end of practice, check your hand. If your palm is clean and your fingers are dirty, it means you're dribbling correctly.

Do not overdribble

Do not keep dribbling until you are no longer guarded. You should pass the ball as soon as you see a teammate become open. If you keep dribbling, your teammates will stop trying to get open after a while, as they know they won't get the ball from you.

Dribble by feel

Learn to dribble by feel so that you can always keep your head up to spot defenders and open teammates.

Push the ball hard and keep your hand low

Quick defenders have plenty of time to steal the ball, from the moment you push the ball to the floor until it bounces back to your fingertips. Hard dribbles shorten the time that you have no control over the ball and accordingly, minimize the risk of losing the ball to your defender.

The Sweep

Imagine you are in triple threat position on the wing, and the defender has his left foot forward, which takes away your right-hand dribble. Now what would you do?

Here is where the sweep comes in. Quickly shift your weight from right to left. Sweep the ball across your belly, then move your right foot outside of the defender's right foot, blocking him off. Then do a hard left-hand dribble or two, and you're on your way to the hoop!

But be careful not to hold the ball too far away from your body, for it will likely be poked away by the defender. When you become more proficient on this move, try throwing in a head fake to the right so that the defender may go off-balance and you can get even more room.

Spin Dribble Demonstration

The animated player in this video (Ben Wallace) is left-handed, so he does his spin move the other way around.

Change-Of-Pace Dribble

When you see a double-team coming, slow down, plant your front foot, straighten up slightly and keep your head up. The purpose of this move is to fool the defenders into believing that you are slowing down. As you straighten up, they will instinctively straighten up too. And that's when you've got them! Accelerate by pushing off your lead foot, race past your defenders and head to the hoop.

Behind-the-Back Dribble

It is a high-risk move, so use it only in one-on-one situations. Never do it when you are doubleteamed. And don't do it just to impress your fans. This technique works best when your path is blocked; there is not enough room for you to do the spin, and you don't want to cross the ball over in front of the defense. Simply step your left foot forward and throw the ball from your right hand to the area where your left foot was. However, try not to wrap the ball around your body too much because it will give your dribble topspin.

Ambidextrous Dribble

Whether you are right-handed or left-handed, you can always strengthen your weak hand and become a doubly effective ballhandler. Being able to dribble with both hands equally well makes you an unpredictable player, which means the defender will have to work twice as hard to figure out which way you are going.

Here are some tips on how to strengthen your weak hand:

• Dribble 100 times with your weak hand before practice and work your way around imaginary defenders.
• Play a one-on-one game against someone who is much younger or smaller than you. But to make it a fair game, tell your puny opponent that you will dribble and make all baskets only with your weak hand.
• Try to develop dexterity by using your weak hand even when you are not on the basketball court. Use it when you brush your teeth, eat, vacuum the floor, etc.

Crossover Dribble

It's basically just a weight shift that allows you to use your momentum toward the basket to your advantage. Unlike the spin, when you do crossover dribble, you are not forced into a blind spot, which means it is easier to dump the ball off when you get doubleteamed.

Presuming you are being overplayed to the right, push off hard toward your left foot and move the ball across your body on a diagonal path. Receive the ball with your left hand. Then make a long crossover step with your right foot, and you're on your way to the hoop.

Cautions: 1.) Don't use this move when you are guarded too closely; it is very easy for the defender to tip the ball away. 2.) Don't reach across for the ball with your left hand. Just let it bounce to your left side. Reaching over exposes the ball to the defender and often makes you dribble the ball off your foot.

There is a ballhandling sequence known as the Maravich drills, which is named after Pete Maravich, a renowned NBA player, AKA Pistol Pete. Everyday after practicing with his team, Maravich would do these drills by himself to develop his coordination, quickness, strength, as well as endurance in his arms and hands.

He did the following 10 times each:

• Ball Slaps - Holding the ball in front of your chest, slap it hard as you move it from hand to hand. It is an excellent way to warm up your hands and help you get a good feel for the ball.
• Pinches - Holding the ball in your right hand, use all five fingers to pinch it toward your left. The ball will squirt back and forth from one hand to another.
• Taps - Hold the ball over your head with you arms fully stretched. Tap the ball back and forth between your fingertips.
• Circles - Pass the ball around your head, waist and each leg. Try to keep your head up while doing this. It will help you handle the ball totally by feel.
• Figure 8 Dribbles - Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Dribble the ball in and out of your legs in the figure 8 motion.

• Drops - Hold the ball before your legs, with your left hand in front and right hand in back. Without dropping the ball, quickly switch the position of your hands. Repeat.
• One-Hand Dribbles - Dribble the ball around your right foot with your right hand. Then do left-hand, left-foot. Try to keep your head up as you do this.
• Figure 8 Passing - Hold the ball at knee level. Stand with your legs apart. Pass the ball in and out of your legs in a figure-8 motion.
• Four-Point Spider Dribbles - Stand with your legs apart. Bounce the ball in front of your legs once with your left hand, and once with your right hand. Reach your left hand behind and through your legs to bounce the ball, and then do the same thing with your right hand. Repeat quickly.

A "nice pass" praise is probably one of the best compliments a player receives on the basketball court. A lot of basketball players try to get fancy with their passing, and more often than not, it confuses their teammates as well as the defense. The key to perfect passing is, in fact, simplicity. A good pass is smoothly handled and not forced. It is usually 12 - 18 feet (the longer ones can be easily intercepted) and is made with control.

1. Chest Pass - The chest pass is the most efficient way to throw the ball. Use it in order to get the ball to a teammate quickly when there is no defender in the way. You should step forward when you do this pass because you lose power by not stepping. However, passing without stepping is quicker. So just use your judgment to decide in each situation whether quickness or accuracy is more important.
2. Bounce Pass - If you are in trouble with the ball and need to slip a pass by the defender to a teammate who can score, the bounce pass is the best option. It forces the defender to unnaturally tilt his torso in order to reach the ball as it is whizzing by, which makes it harder to intercept. It may look pretty cool to throw a bounce pass with fancy spinning, but that often brings a turnover instead of a good play. So unless you are Kobe Bryant or Chauncey Billups, try to resist the temptation and keep it simple.
3. Overhead Pass - The overhead pass is the best way to pass the ball when the defense is in your face. You should also use it to feed the inside players and to get off an outlet pass after a rebound. Just remember that the pass is meant to be caught at chin level or above, so the receiver won't have to decide whether he should catch the ball with thumbs up or thumbs down. If the ball bears in on the receiver's waist, it basically handcuffs him.

4. Side Pass - When there's a defender in front of you and another one bustling toward you, it is very difficult to throw a two-hand pass. What you need to do is getting around your defender and dumping the ball quickly with one hand. Decide whether you are throwing above or below your defender's arm, and fake the other way. When his arm goes down, pass the ball over it. When his arm goes up, slips a one-hand bounce pass under it.

5. Behind-The-Back Pass - Although the key to perfect passing is simplicity, there are rare times when a behind-the-back pass could be effective. Coaches usually approve it in two-on-one, fast-break situations. So try to do it right or don't do it at all. Keep in mind that when you do this pass, the power should come from your arm and fingers, NOT from turning your shoulders If you turn your shoulder, you basically give away that you're throwing a behind-the-back pass, and by the time the ball gets around your body, the defense would have cut in front of your target.

Shooting is probably the most fun thing about basketball for the fans and the most difficult thing for the players. Sometimes when you see an NBA player shoot the ball and miss, this question may come to your mind: "How could he miss that? He's so tall." The truth is a player's height has nothing to do with his capability as a shooter. Look at Shaq, for example. Despite playing in the NBA for so many years and being 7-foot tall, he still can't shoot free throws right. A successful shot is all in the techniques.

1. Stance - Your knees must be bent slightly. Make sure your feet point at the basket. Bent knees help create the right arc on your shot.
2. Grip - Put your dominant hand in the center of the ball; your fingers should be spread and your palm should not touch the ball. Special trick: Use the air valve. It is not just a meaningless rubber dot, but a built-in guide for ball shooters. The air valve is at the center of the basketball, so putting the center of your hand on the air valve helps the ball go straight.
3. Release - Thrust your fingers up and forward toward the hoop. While making a free throw, try to arc the ball 3 - 4 feet above the basket. (Shaq's free throws don't usually arc; that's why he has been failing as a free thrower.)
4. Follow-Through - Your fingers should point downward after you release the ball. Leave your hand up there for at least a second to make sure you don't pull your hand back too soon.
5. Balance - You should feel your body going just slightly toward the basket. If it's a jump shot, you should land on both feet at the same time.
6. Layup - When you do a layup, keep your eye on the basket all the time. For a right-handed layup, jump off your left foot. For a left-handed layup, jump off your right foot. This allows you to get maximum height and best shields from the defense.
7. Free Throw - Keep your dominant foot slightly in front. As you straighten your knees, release the ball. Finish with your heels off the floor and shift your weight on your toes. Your strong hand must follow through. Use your weak hand as a guide, but don't let it affect the shot.

The last thing I am going to talk about in this article is actually the easiest basketball skill to learn. Rebounding is not about size, agility or leaping ability although those qualities help. It is about desire and ambition. If you are short, don't just give up a rebound because there are some giants in the paint. And if you are one of those giants, don't get too cocky; everyone else is going after the ball too.

1. Keep moving - A good rebounding position is where you can effectively compete for a missed shot. That position, nonetheless, always changes as the predicted shooter dribbles left and right, or passes the ball to a teammate. The best rebounders, therefore, are the ones who keep moving.
2. Box out - While a missed shot is in the air, make contact with your opponent. Reach out and touch him, preferably with your forearm to his chest and our rear end to his thighs. It is an effective way to stop your opponent's momentum toward the ball.
3. Try to predict where the ball might go - To be a good rebounder, you've got to know where a missed shot is likely to land. Here are some tips for rebounding sleuths: 1.) Missed shots from a corner usually end up on the other side of the basket. 2.) Shots taken from the middle of the court usually return to the middle. But if it's left or right by just a little bit, it is likely to catch the inside of the rim, then hit the backboard and fall near the basket. 3.) Longer shots often mean longer rebounds. Since they are made with more force, they are more likely to produce a crazy bounce.
4. Two and two - Jump off both feet and grab the ball with both hands. With two hands, it is easier to catch the ball. With two feet, you can jump higher, for you use twice as much muscle to create the oomph.
5. Don't let them steal the ball back - After getting a rebound, your opponents will certainly try to poke the ball away from you. Here is what you can do to secure your possession of the ball. After rebounding, land on the floor with your legs slightly wider than your shoulders so that no one can knock you off-balance. Place your hands on the side of the ball. Keep your forearms parallel to the floor and your elbows out. Hold the ball firmly against your chest, just a bit below your chin. If a defensive player tries to slap the ball away from the side, he will risk fouling you on the arm. If he tries to tie you up for a jump ball, just pivot away, keeping your elbows wide. It is okay to pivot with your elbows wide, but keep in mind; don't swing them back and forth like weapons. You may get a technical foul.

A couple final words: Keep practicing!

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