The focus should still be on ball handling, but while you’re at it don’t forget to perform moves and keep your head up most of the time. Two ball dribbling When beginners are familiar with the ball gripping and slapping technique, they can perform the two ball dribbling drill where they practice stationary slapping with two balls, one in.
- Basic Ball Handling Drills
- Ball Handling Basketball Drills
- Team Ball Handling Drills
- Ball Handling Drills
- Best Ball Handling Programs
- Ball Handling Drills
The 7 Biggest Keys To Instantly Improve Your Handles
- To have the best ball control while you dribble, you must dribble the ball with your finger pads. You don’t want to dribble with your fingertips or the palm of your hand. In fact, the way the ball is placed in your hands while you dribble should be similar to your hand placement when shooting the basketball.
- Below are four different 20-minute workouts filled with the best ball-handling drills for guards. They can be performed anywhere, so there is no excuse for not working on your craft.
- Tony Bennett's all-american ball handling and dribbling workout. Dribbling and stationary ball handling drills to become a better ball handler and dribbler.
One of the biggest questions I get from players is how to improve their ball-handling ability.
Many players just don’t feel confident in real games with the ball in their hands and they struggle with handling the basketball in real game situations against good defense.
Whether they don’t have the ability to get past defenders, create space, and/or don’t have the confidence to be comfortable with the ball – there are a 7 quick fixes they can make right now to instantly improve their ball-handling.
I call these 7 quick fixes, the 7 KEYS needed to unlocking your handles.
But today not only am I going to give you the 7 keys to improve your ball-handling ability instantly but also stick around until the end of this post as I have a special gift for you that’s going to help you even more
The first thing we are going to cover is the part of your hand should you be dribbling with.
This is our most basic key, but it can't be forgotten.
To have the best ball control while you dribble, you must dribble the ball with your finger pads.
You don’t want to dribble with your fingertips or the palm of your hand.
In fact, the way the ball is placed in your hands while you dribble should be similar to your hand placement when shooting the basketball.
You don’t want to dribble with your fingertips or the palm of your hand.
In fact, the way the ball is placed in your hands while you dribble should be similar to your hand placement when shooting the basketball.
So, instead of smacking at the ball with your palm or jabbing at the ball with your fingertips, you want a smooth push with your finger pads.
Last but not least, with every dribble you should be snapping your wrist, kind of like you are following through on a jump shot with.
This will ensure that the basketball hits the ground in the right spot and comes right back to your hand.
Basic Ball Handling Drills
So here’s a quick summary of hand placement while dribbling:
- Dribble with finger pads
- Don’t dribble with fingertips or the palms of your hand.
- Follow through on every dribble.
The second key to improving your handles is to pound the basketball harder.
The longer the basketball is out of your hands, the easier it is for the defender to steal it.
The harder you dribble the ball, the faster it hits the ground and returns to your hand.
The less time the ball is out of your hands the more control you have.
Training your muscle memory to pound the basketball hard – starts in your training.
No matter what type of ball-handling drills you are doing, you should be dribbling the ball as hard as possible.
This will condition you to display the same type of force and control in your handles when you step in real game situations.
Ball Handling Basketball Drills
The third key to improving your ball-handling sounds much simpler than it is and that key is to get low.
Gary Payton said it best, “the lower player wins”. As an offensive player you want to beat your man with your shoulder at his hip.
This is not going to be easy.
You must train your strength, stability, and mobility to be able to make moves and play an entire game in a lower stance but this is vital when it comes to being a great ball-handler.
As I mentioned earlier, the longer the ball is in your hand – the harder it is to steal.
Well if you get lower and still pound the basketball, the ball is out of your hands for an even shorter period of time, giving you even better control.
The next key we are going to cover is actually protecting the ball.
The way you should protect the ball is probably different than the way you’re protecting the ball right now.
When I tell most players protect the ball they turn into a stance like this.
There are a few problems when you turn your body like this.
The first thing that you will notice immediately is that you don’t have the same court vision.
Team Ball Handling Drills
You can’t see every player on your team nor can you see all of the defenders.
The next issue with this stance is that you aren’t in an attacking position.
There’s no way you can beat a good defender from this position.
When you are in this position for too longer it makes it extremely easy for a defender to be able to control you.
So players that want to improve their court vision, handles, and become a threat on the court should open their stance up a little more.
This still gives you the ability to protect the ball but it also keeps you in a prime position for attacking.
Now I understand sometimes you're going to have to turn your body to quickly protect the ball by executing a retreat or glide dribble.
This is which is 100% correct, just don’t get into the habit of playing with your back to an entire half of the court.
If you're not familiar with the term dorsiflexion, it's the backward flexion of your foot so that you are running and jumping off the ball of your foot (the most powerful part of your foot).
Dorsiflexion is something that we talk a lot about in vertical jump and sprinting.
It can be difficult to grasp for young players, but it’s basically running and making moves on the balls of your feet rather than your toe.
This is going to make you a much more of an explosive player.
In fact, by using dorsiflexion, you can instantly increase your vertical jump as well as your first step speed.
Key #6 is my favorite.
It’s all about mastering footwork, changing speeds, and changing directions.
Footwork is very unique as many trainers and coaches don’t even know how to teach it.
Because of that, it continues to get over-looked by players, coaches, and trainers.
What do I mean by footwork?
I'm talking about using different moves such as scissors moves, crab dribbles, and hesitations to keep your defender on his heels.
I always say this, “I prefer a player that can go from 20 to 50, to 30 to 70 miles per hour than a player that can only go a 100 miles per hour.”
Guys like Steve Nash made himself into a 2x MVP because he was a master with his footwork.
He wasn’t the quickest or most athletic…
But he still got wherever he wanted on the court because of his ability to change speeds and keep defenders guessing.
The last key we are going to cover today has to do with being able to read your defender.
Even if you don’t have a defender to guard you, you can still use cones to simulate a defenders stance and how you want to attack.
Your job as an offensive player is to get a defender to play you to a side but putting a foot above the other, similar to how I am here next to the cones.
Your goal is to attack that lead leg because it’s harder for a defender to stay with you if he has to drop that leg and rotate his body.
But this isn’t what you’re going to do all the time.
If a defender gives you an entire lane then you take that lane.
What if your defender doesn’t have a lead leg while guarding you?
Make him drop a foot so that he ends up having a lead leg by using things moves such as jab dribbles and in & outs.
After training players for a few sessions making “reading the lead leg” a point of focus, you’ll be amazed at how fast they can big it up in real game situations.
So start practicing attacking different lead legs from different spots on the court.
After you master that then begin working on counter moves so if the defender recovers you can still create space for yourself and teammates with moves such as step-backs and pull backs.
Now that you have the keys to improving your handles, it's time to get out and use them.
Attack each key at a time, until you master it, and then move to the next one.
If you're looking to take your game to the next level, CLICK HERE to get your FREE Undersized Guard Skills Package that will help you take your game to the next level!
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Basketball is without a doubt one of the most loved and played sports in the world. The popularity and brand value of NBA, which currently stands at $1 billion for every franchise, is an evidence of that for sure. Millions of young children in the country dream of representing their favorite basketball team or nation. In the following article, we describe the best basketball ball handling drills for both beginners and professionals.
If you want to take it to the next level, you cannot excel without practice, dedication, and impetuous passion.
Among all the skills you’d have to master to get better at this game, basketball ball handling is the most important one. In fact, the team that’s more effective at ball-handling skills ends up on the winning side.
Ball handling is not just about what you do with it when you have possession. It also includes strategies on how you pass, how you shoot, and how you position yourself that will make you a complete basketball player.
From greats like Stefan Curry to your basketball coach to the guy who just like to play basketball, everyone practice basketball ball handling drills to improve their game. Here we’ll list down some of the best drills for you to practice to improve your basketball skills.
BasketBall Handling Drills for Youth/Beginners
To begin your basketball journey, you’d have to start off somewhere. These three drills mentioned below are for absolute beginners with the primary focus being getting comfortable with the ball. We also have a list of advanced basketball tactics.
Basketball hold drill
The most basic basketball drill with a focus on holding the ball the proper way. Young players learn to spread the finger, grip and slap the ball correctly, and try to keep their head up while doing so. Proper body positioning and movement are important. Coaches may advise the young players to increase the intensity or slap two balls simultaneously. This familiarizes the youths with the basic skill set required to develop the game.
Footwork drill
Footwork is essential in the sport of basketball. The best performers use agile footwork to get into position, slash to the bucket, and finish with a deadly shot. It is necessary for both offensive and defensive players. Among the others, the popular ones are Stance and start, and V Cut drills. In the V cut, you literally fake your move towards the basket, while in the former drill, you learn the basics of spacing.
George Mikan drill
Named after the famous Basketballer, George Mikan, this drill is great for shooting near the basket. It is also an excellent warm-up drill for players of all levels. To begin this drill, players stand near the block facing the basket. Then jump and power the ball using the backboard. Then upon landing, jump once again and rebound the ball as high as possible.
Advanced basketball dribbling drills
When you’re comfortable with handling and slapping the ball, you’re free to perform these advanced basketball drills. The focus should still be on ball handling, but while you’re at it don’t forget to perform moves and keep your head up most of the time.
Two ball dribbling
When beginners are familiar with the ball gripping and slapping technique, they can perform the two ball dribbling drill where they practice stationary slapping with two balls, one in each hand. The focus should be primarily on the weaker hand to strengthen control at par with the naturally stronger hand. Variations such as dribbling with two balls in a straight or zig-zag line can be applied down the road.
One on One basketball Closeout (Cutthroat drill)
This drill puts players in a one-on-one situation and closeouts from which they try to beat the defender and score. The tricks you perform to beat the defender is either freestyle with players allowed to perform whichever move they want, or specific with coaches demanding a single move to beat the opponent. This exposes players to real-life game scenarios and teaches them how they can defend in such crucial moments of the game. This drill is crucial for defenders as well because they have to be alert and responsive to offensive’s tricks and moves.
Reverse Mikan
Similar to the George Mikan drill mentioned in the “basketball ball handling drills for beginners section,” this drill requires the player to face away from the basket and not towards it. They’ll jump off with either the left or right foot, aim for the backboard, and then land. This is followed immediately with another jump with the opposite foot, grabbing the ball out of the net, and repeating the same technique. This greatly enhances hand-eye coordination and footwork at the same time.
Behind-the-back dribble
In this advanced basketball drill, you get to learn the art of dribbling behind your back. It is the most effective trick while trying to beat a defender as he becomes visually impaired, giving you a chance to either fake or change directions. Start off with a ball in your right hand and step forward with your left leg while dribbling the ball. Switch course and start dribbling with your left hand. There are a lot of variations to it and you can include it in your freestyle moves.
5 Professional Basketball Ball Handling Drills
Once you’re acquainted with the basic ball-handling skills and can perform freestyle at ease, it’s time to up the ante and undergoes some professional basketball drills. It is advised to perform these drills under the watchful eyes of a coach.
As these are professional drills, the coach can ask players to really push their limits. Please note that most of the drills are team-centric and will require 5-6 players.
Chaos call outs
This pro drill forces the dribbler to hold his head up while dribbling, listening to instructions, and beating defenders all at the same time. This drill involves a set of 5-6 players and a coach. Players are split into offensive and defensive and the formers have the ball. They dribble around a designated area while defenders try to steal the ball, but the dribblers also have to keep an eye on the coach who takes a numbered-card. He has to call out the number while dribbling and avoiding defenders. The coach walks around the circle and holds up numbered cards for the players to call out loud.
Dribble Course
This drill is designed particularly to improve ball-handling skills. It includes almost every move you’d be performing in a real basketball game. A set of cones are set in a zig-zag fashion, or in a combination of a coach’s preference. The players are then asked to dribble through the cones at a varying pace set by the coach, and then eventually finishing off with a throw. During the course, they get to perform all the moves like ball slaps, wraps, drops, straddle flip, spider dribble, machine gun, behind the back dribble among others.
Dribble Tag
As the name suggests, the players avoid getting tagged by other players while dribbling within a confined area. The coach selects one or two players as taggers who tag others in the group. Barring the taggers, all players are given a basketball. Once a player is tagged, he’s out for the duration of the round. This can be thought of as a basketball version of scarecrow tiggy. This is difficult because you are required to focus on the tagger and not on your dribble to avoid getting tagged. To increase the intensity, the coach can ask the players to dribble with two balls simultaneously!
Ball Handling Drills
Parrot Drill
Best Ball Handling Programs
Just like a parrot mimics its owner’s voice, the players in this drill are divided into pairs to mimic the moves of their respective partners. Two players stand at least 2 meters apart, with one as a leader and the other a follower. The leader then freely performs dribbling moves while remaining stationary and the follower tries to keep pace with him. Remember, a player must follow their partner and keep their head up all the time. After 30 seconds or so, players switch and the follower becomes the leader and vice versa.
Stationary Dribbling series
In this drill, players perform a series of stationary dribbling drills as dictated or performed by the coach. This drill specifically focuses on helping players improve their feel for the basketball. It forces them to keep their head up while ball-handling the way they want to. Each drill lasts for 20-30 seconds and the entire set could last for 10 minutes without any breaks in between.
As this is a professional drill, the coach can increase the intensity of the drill or bring variations of his own. Dribbling with two balls simultaneously is also an option.
Ball Handling Drills
While these drills alone won’t make you a basketball champion, you’ll certainly be in a good position to take it further with practice and dedication. With that said, basketball is truly a sport of passion and technique.