Do you want to improve your basketball ball handling handles? Do you wish you could do some ankle breaking moves to get you high percentage shots close to the basket? Watch great dribbling drills videos on Shot Science and YouTube and practice with them so that you can become a dribbling superstar also.

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. Whether you're watching it on TV, playing it with friends, or just playing it on your own in the driveway, basketball isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Those who play would prefer to become better players and win games. Below are several useful ideas for bettering your game and scoring some real victories.

It is tempting to concentrate just on offense when just staring out, but defensive practice is absolutely vital. Defense is what wins basketball games. Offense may be splashier, but lacking a solid defense, any team is sure to lose.

Learn to crossover if you get the ball often. This technique passes the ball back and forth from the right hand to the left hand. This action most be quick to work out. Learn how to perform a crossover dribble will help you get down court quickly.

Improving your balance means improving your shots. You have seen how pros shoot a basket from thirty feet away and fall out of bounds, which is not the right technique. They improvise to do that. Good balance while shooting will lead to landing more baskets.

If you want to improve your game, concentrate on your strengths. While you may have a particular skill that isn't going to make you stand out as the star player, honing it can help you become an integral part of your team's success. Ask others to help you identify your strengths and practice until you fully master these skills.

You can improve your skills by paying attention to how the pros play. Get tickets to some pro games, if possible, or catch some games on television. Every player has a skill that allows him to succeed. Practice their moves to become better.

Practice your passes and catches frequently. Try to catch all of the passes that are thrown to you. During a game, not all of your passes will hit the mark. Learning how to catch these errant passes will put you at an advantage.

A great way to learn how to pass is by doing drills often with no dribbling. It is hard to play with no dribbling, but it will help your team make great passes. Try not to lose yourself in frustration if you do not master it immediately, with the more time that passes with you and your team practicing, the more accurate they will become.

Would you like to fool the opposing team? Try using a back pass! To do a back pass, begin by grasping the basketball using your dominant hand. Next get the ball pulled up behind the back. The last step is to flick your wrist in the direction you want the ball to land. This helps trick your opponents.

Never play through an injury on the court. Basketball is very physical and there's always a risk of injury. Pushing through the pain often results in a more serious injury. Don't hesitate to see the doctor if you feel the injury warrants it.

To properly handle the ball, you have to spread your fingers out. This will help you to be sure that it won't escape your grasp when trying to hold it. Don't let your palm touch the ball either. Fingers should be the only point of contact as you pass or shoot the ball at its target.

Build your core strength and work on your footwork. With a stronger core, you'll be able to balance better. Strengthen you back muscles along with abs, hips and buttocks. Your speed and footwork can be improved by jumping rope.

If you've developed somewhat of a shooting slump, focus on your shoulders. When they are out of alignment, all shots will fail. Keep your shoulders squared with the basket at all times. Also, allow your dominant shoulder to line up with the rim.

You now know that there are countless tactics to make you a better player. Some are simple and just take practice. Practice is key to mastering anything, so make sure you have easy access to a basketball hoop and play as often as you can. Practice alone, with friends or with your team, just so you can better your game.

Also, we recommend you invest in some Lifetime basketball goals to get more practice in your driveway when you don't have access to the gym.

The Portable Basketball Hoop organization is located in Utah. Most of the Lifetime portable basketball hoops ship from Clearfield Utah. For a list of other businesses in Salt Lake City check out: http://slsites.com.

More of our sites can be viewed in the Free Globe Directory.

Lifetime basketball system assembly help

Plan on getting a basketball hoop from Lifetime Products this year for Christmas? Don't let assembly of the system slow down or ruin your holiday. Here is some helpful tips that will help you during your assembly process.

Read all of your instructions for assembling your Lifetime basketball hoop

When assembling your system, you might find a step that you recognize that parts for and can visualize how they fit into the completed goal. If this happens to you, you might be tempted to proceed with what seems an obvious step in the assembly without actually reading the directions. While you might luck out and get the step completed properly sometimes, this is definitely not advisable. Lifetime frequently puts little notes on certain steps that will direct you to do or not to do something until something else is completed. You might read a note that says "Do not tighten bolts until assembly is complete"; or "Before completing this step, make sure you do 'this or that thing' first." By reading the instructions all the way through, you will save time by not having to redo steps when you inevitably get to a step that is not able to be completed based on a previous step not being followed correctly.

InGround basketball hoop help

The most important thing I can suggest here is that if you are ordering an inground system and you want to assembly complete for Christmas, you will need to start several days earlier (longer if the weather does not cooperate). When assembling an in ground basketball system you will need about 72 hours for the cement to set for the inground portion of the system, even when using a ground sleeve. Plan ahead, and start assembly with enough time for all steps to be completed properly. You do not want to rush assembly of your system and have it set incorrectly.

Portable basketball hoop help

For a portable system, you ought to mainly consider what you will use to fill your base. Generally, bases of portable goals are filled with water. Water is the easiest to fill and empty with these types of systems. However, water does have some draw backs. For instance, if your climate where you live has freezing temperatures during any part of the year, you risk damaging the base when the water expands. Lifetime makes several recommendations for dealing with water-filled bases; the key is simply doing something that avoids the water freezing. An alternative to this is sand. Sand is not a cure all necessarily. Sand tends to weigh about 1.5 times that have the base filled with water - depending on the density of the sand you use. So, the plus-side to sand is a heavier, more stable base and no freezing worries. The minus-side is the heavier base is much more difficult to move around and harder to put into the base. Choose wisely.

Additional help is available

Lifetime wants you to have a positive experience with their products just as much as you want it. Thus, they also provide a customer service line with trained technicians that are available to help with assembly issues at no cost to you. They can be reached at 1-800-225-3865. Use this resource as needed.

Don't let assembly of the system slow down or ruin your holiday. If this happens to you, you might be tempted to proceed with what seems an obvious step in the assembly without actually reading the directions. The most important thing I can suggest here is that if you are ordering an inground system and you want to assembly complete for Christmas, you will need to start several days earlier (longer if the weather does not cooperate). When assembling an in ground basketball system you will need about 72 hours for the cement to set for the inground portion of the system, even when using a ground sleeve. Plan ahead, and start assembly with enough time for all steps to be completed properly.