How to become better at dribbling a basketball

Basketball Dribbling and Ball Handling Video Clips, Fundamentals, Drills, and Tips

Most coaches use dribbling and ball handling interchangeably. Though they are linked, the 2 skills are definitely separate.

Dribbling and controlling the ball is a skill that can be practiced alone and is separate from the other ball skills on the court. Ball handling, however, involves knowledge of the game and integrates dribbling, passing and decision-making.

Practicing and improving your dribbling is a simple task. There are innumerable dribbling drills that are in use today that are challenging and effective. The set of drills that have come to be known as "Maravich Drills," (after the late ball-handling wizard Pete Maravich) are widely known. They include drills such as passing the ball around your body, dribble figure 8s, spider dribbling, drop and catch.

Practicing and improving your ball handling requires imagination, as you have to put yourself in game situations.

One of our favorite series of ballhandling drills that helps develop better ballhandlers is the Maravich series! Watch it below.

9 Tips To Improve Your Dribbling & Ball Handling

Here are 9 tips from pro coach Don Kelbick.

1. Dribble the ball hard. The more time the ball spends in your hand, the more control you have of the ball. The harder you dribble, the quicker it gets back in your hand.
2. Head up at all times. Look at the rim or a spot on the wall during all practice.
3. Use your finger tips to control the ball, not your palm.
4. Use your imagination. Picture when and how you would use each of the dribbles.
5. Teach mentality. There is too much dribbling for no reason in our game today. I like to teach that the primary purpose for putting the ball on the floor is to get a lay-up. If you don't have an opportunity, don't put it on the floor.
6. Basketball is a game of length. Work on lengthening the dribble. Work to get your opportunities with 1 dribble. You don't beat defenses with your dribble. You beat people with your feet; you SEPARATE from your defense with the dribble.
7. Basketball is also a game of angles. Try to move in straight lines. Whenever you make an "East-West" move (something that takes you toward the sideline), re-capture a "North-South" path (direct line to the basket) as quickly as possible.
8. Don't do things in 2 dribbles that you can do in 1.
9. Practice outside your comfort zone. Experiment; go faster than you are used to, use your imagination. When working on new skills, don't be concerned with losing the ball. Just pick it up and do it again. If you practice only things that are comfortable, then you will never improve.

More Ball Handling Tips and Articles

Executing The Basketball Pick and Roll

The Importance of the Back Up Dribble and How It Reduces Turnovers Against Pressure

A Secret to Chris Paul's Success - Change of Pace

Handling Ball Screens Like Steve Nash

Chris Paul Hesitation Move & The Importance of Counter Moves [VIDEO]

Other Blog Posts About Ball Handling

Dribbling Practice

"Maravich Drills" are very good at getting players comfortable with the ball. Below are some examples.

• Dribble Figure 8's - Spread legs about shoulder width. Dribble the ball through and around legs in a figure 8. Can be done multiple ways - front to back, back to front, low dribbles (as many dribbles as possible with dribble about shoe height), as few dribbles as possible (high dribble about waist high), can even be done walking. For even more of a challenge, try the drill with one hand instead of two.
• Spider Dribble - Feet spread about shoulder width. Dribble the ball between your legs in the following manner - left hand, right hand in front of your legs; left hand, right hand behind your legs. Work to as fast a possible.
• Drop and Catch - Hold ball between your legs with right hand in front of your body, left hand behind. Drop the ball and exchange you hand position and re-catch the ball before it hits the ground.

These are just examples. There are too many of these drills to list here. Pete Maravich devised these drills out of his imagination, his need for challenge and his drive to improve. You do not need to be bound by other people's drills; challenge yourself to come up with your own drills.

Dribbling Warm Ups

I prefer to practice skills in combinations that are relevant to multiple aspects of the game. It saves time and instills a great sense of urgency.. It saves time and has a great sense of urgency. One of the ways I do this is to add dribbling into my stretching exercises.

• Hamstring Stretch - While dribbling with your right hand, cross right leg over left. Bend at the waist, touch the floor with your left hand and bring your dribble down to shoe top level. Hold for an 8 count. Reverse position and switch hands.
• Lower Body and Achilles Stretch - Dribble waist high while standing up. Step as far forward with your right leg as you can, keeping your back straight and your left heel on the ground. At the same time bring your dribble forward of your right foot, keeping the ball at shoe-top height. Hold for an 8 count and then stand up. Switch legs and dribble hand.
• Crossover - Same as above except, step forward with left leg. As foot goes to the floor, switch hands, right to left, keeping dribble shoe top height. Cross back when standing up.
• Through Legs - Same as above except instead of crossing over, put ball through legs at shoe top height.
• Multiple Through Legs - Same as above except put ball through legs 3 times (left, right, left) on quick, successive dribbles shoe top height.
• Torso Twist - Spread legs outside of shoulder width, dribble with right hand. Keeping legs straight, bring ball across body to left side, outside left foot and dribble at shoe top height behind left foot.

These are just samples. You can develop a dribble stretch for any part of the body.

Two Ball Dribbling Drills & Videos:

I think the most effective way to improve your dribble, however, is by using 2 balls. Any dribble or drill you can do with 1 ball, you can do with 2. Stationary practice at first will build confidence. Stand on the baseline and try to control both balls. Then start to move. Go half court, then full court. Follow the lines around the court or in any route you can come up with.

To see more DRILLS & VIDEOS Click Here.

The difference between dribbling and ball handling is intent. Dribbling is the skill of controlling the ball as you bounce it to the floor. Ball handling (at least 1 aspect of ball handling) is what you do with that dribble.

Whether you use it to go to the basket, make a passing angle, escape from pressure or anything else, those situations have to be imagined and practiced.

Here are some situational drills:

• Full Court Lay-ups - Start on the baseline. Dribble full court with right hand in 5 dribbles and make a lay-up, come back with left hand. Then reduce the number of dribbles to 4 and then to 3.
• Chair Changes - Place a chair about 21 feet from the basket. It can be on top, on the wing, or in the corner. Start about 8-10 feet beyond the chair. Dribble straight at the chair. At the chair, use a change of direction dribble (crossover, inside out, behind back, etc) to go beyond the chair and make a lay-up. Try to get to the point where you only need one dribble to get to the lay-up. Practice all the changes.
• Two up - Two back - Set a chair such as in the drill above. Take 2 hard dribbles at the chair. When reaching the chair, take 2 backup dribbles. After the second dribble, push ahead into 1 dribble lay-up or pull-up jumpshot.
• Dropstep Dribble - (works on footwork and ballhanding)
• Chair Curl - This is another great multi use drill. It combines shooting, ball handling and speed and high intensity change in direction.
• Chair Curl Phase 2 (With 2 Chairs)
• Two Ball Dribbling Drills & Moves - Excellent way to improve one on one moves.
• Basketball Pick and Roll Drills

Shooting drills can also be adapted to work on ball handling aspects by adding changes of direction and pivoting to create 1 and 2 dribble opportunities for either jumpers or lay-ups.

Once you have developed a feel for the ball, it's very important that you practice your ball handling in competitive, game-like situations with defenders present. In the DVD 30 Competitive Skill Development Drills, you will find 12 drills that are specific to improving your ball handling skills in game-like situations.

More Dribbling and Ball Handling Drills

Coaches, go here for more Dribbling & Ball Handling Drills

Players, go here for more Dribbling & Ball Handling Drills

Recommended Training Resources:

Youth Ball Handling & Workout App - Over 200 ball handling and footwork drills. 24 Different Levels.

Attack & Counter Workout App - Ball Handling, Shooting, Guard Play, & More

Recommended Training Material:

5 Drills To Help You Become a Better Dribbler

Basketball Tip

The better you are at dribbling, the more opportunities you and your team will have on the court. Players who take time to work on the basics and master the fundamentals are the ones who go further and can contribute more to their team. Dribbling is one of the easiest skills to practice because it does not require a court, a partner, or much space. The more time you spend with a ball in your hand the better your ball control will be, but the only way to improve and go to the next level, is to practice outside of your comfort zone. This means you should experiment and go faster or harder than you are used to. If you only practice the skills you are comfortable with, you will slow your progress as a player. Here are five stationary drills that our Brooklyn Nike Basketball Camp Director TJ Jones uses at his complete skills basketball camp.

When first starting out make sure that you are using your fingertips and not the palm of your hand, and that you are bouncing the ball no further than waist height. The goal of these drills is to become comfortable dribbling with both hands and to not look down. An easy trick to keep your head up is to find a spot on a wall and focus on this spot when dribbling. When going through each of these drills, imagine the game scenario you would use them in or what skill they can help you improve.

Front V-Dribble

The front V-dribble is used for in and out fake moves and can help you get around a defender. Start by only using your right hand and dribble the ball side-to-side in front of your body. This should make a V. Your upper body should move with the rhythm and the ball should go side to side. Switch over to your left hand and repeat.

Figure Eight Dribble

Widen your stance and dribble the ball in a figure eight around both of your legs. As the ball moves from one side to the other side, you will switch your hand. The one hand that is not in use should be between your legs, ready to make the switch as soon as possible. As your dribbling gets faster, your dribbles should get lower and lower.

Scissors

This drill practices alternating between your legs. To get started put your right foot in front, and your left foot behind. Cross the ball between your legs and jump to switch the position of your feet so your left is in front and your right is behind. You should pass the ball between your legs, and after each time you should switch your feet position. Try to become faster and faster as you progress over time.

Dribble Behind the Back and Crossover

This drill requires 2 basketballs. With a ball in each hand, pound the balls 3 times, at the same time, on each side of your body. Then, pass one ball behind your back, and one in front to the opposite hand. Once you have passed the balls to the other side, pound the balls 3 times again and repeat. Make sure to change the direction after 5 times. As time progresses, see how fast you can do this drill.

Freestyle

Use what you learned above and your own moves, and in a stationary position, combine them together. Make sure to maintain your ball control with freestyle and not to forget the fundamentals.

Remember to not be discouraged if you mess up at first. Just like everything in life and in basketball, new skills take time and hard work to master. Try practicing these 5 drills each day, and to see how you progress over the course of your training. Check out more basketball drills and tips and join TJ Jones and his camp staff this winter, spring and summer in Brooklyn at a Nike Basketball Camp.

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How to improve dribbling at home?

6 tips that will help every basketball player

Sometimes you look at Irving's highlights, you want to practice dribbling, but they don't let you into the gym. It's winter outside and you can't knock the ball either. What to do at this moment and how to be, we analyze in this article.

Often players say dribbling but don't know what it means. Let's take a broader view and break down possession in general, because basketball isn't just about hitting on the spot and crossovers. Our main goal is to score more than the opponent, and for this we need to be able to move around the court from one point to another with the ball under pressure from the defender and bring the ball into a comfortable position for a shot or pass. It's all ball possession.

Can ball possession be improved at home? Yes, but the effectiveness depends on the level of your training. Work at home is very limited, so if you have no other choice - it is better to try to do at least something than just sit.

What to do? Hold 6 points:

1. If you have a couple of square meters and no neighbors below, or they are not disturbed by your hitting the ball, then you can fully train.

For example, you can work on these things:

All this and more, we are working on the LVL UP course in the online school. A couple of square meters and 15 minutes a day is enough to progress.

2. If you can't hit the ball, you can work on your hand speed and ball feel.
Do various rotations around the head, legs and body. You can do the same in the lunge and other basketball positions. Try different combinations and stance changes.

3. In continuation to the second point, the ball is thrown with straight arms.
Start simply with your arms outstretched in front of you, then try with up and down movements, and in the most difficult variation, add a chest rotation.

4. Visualization.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself moving around the court with the ball. It is important to fully immerse yourself in the moment and live it, and not be an outside observer.

5. Visualization in life, or I don't know what else to call it.
Start repeating the movements as if you were hitting a ball and making transfers. Take a video and see how it looks from the outside. It probably won't look like cool dribbling. Try to fix it.

6. Work on the body.
By developing your body, you will open up opportunities for skill development. Regular dribbling requires a mobile hip, strong glutes, a mobile chest, and a strong core to better deal with defensive pressure. You can work on this at home too.

Examples of the importance of the body in possession of the ball.

You can always work on yourself and become better. Everything depends on your desire. Hope this article helps you.

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