How to get a better left hand in basketball

3 Tips to Help You Improve Your Weak Hand

Basketball Tip

Most players don’t know the value of being able to dribble, shoot, and pass with both hands no matter the position they play. Many athletes tend to favor one hand over the other because it’s their dominant hand and more comfortable. If you're looking to play in high school or college, it is expected of you to be able to use both hands and can even be the deciding factor when getting a spot on a team.

The players that are comfortable using both hands are the athletes that stand out. They can crossover and overtake their defender quickly with eyes on the court. They can swiftly curve any bounce pass through the defender’s arms, and they can make that breakaway layup no matter which way they’re being pushed. Here are three tips from the Doug Bruno Girls Basketball Camp staff to help players become more comfortable using both hands.

1. Dribble with Both Hands
When trying to develop your non-dominant hand, dribbling should be the first place that you start. Begin by keeping your dominant hand behind your back, forcing yourself to use your weak hand to dribble. Practice this and after time it will start to feel more and more comfortable.

Once you have mastered that, try adding in a second basketball and dribble with each hand at the same time. Remember to keep your elbows behind the ball and force the ball into ground while keeping your head up. This will improve your coordination and ball handling skills in both hands. Being able to dribble with both hands provides a huge advantage over your opponent, you can now dribble down the court on the right and left side which makes it much harder for the defender to guess which direction you plan to go.

2. Weak Hand Passing
Another way to develop your weak hand is through various passing drills. Grab a partner, stand ten feet apart, and put your dominant hand behind your back. With one ball, pass and receive with only your weak hand. As you progress, you can increase the speed and challenge your partner! Each player should pass with their non-dominant hand twenty times equaling one set. Start with four sets and increase as you feel more comfortable.

3. Off-Court Tips
Although it is important to make a point to emphasize using both hands in practice, steps need to be made around the clock to master this skill. Doing daily activities with your non-dominant hand will form the proper habits and allow you to feel more comfortable using that hand. We recommend you eat and cut your food, open doors, drawers and packages, comb your hair, brush your teeth and use your phone all with your non-dominant hand. Initially, all these tasks will feel foreign but if you stay consistent, it will become a routine.

Implementing these practice tips will help you feel more comfortable using your non-dominant hand, which allows for a smooth transition onto the court. For further help with your game, check out more drills and tips and join us this summer at a Doug Bruno Girls Basketball Camp!

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How Can You Improve Your Left (Weak) Hand Dribbling?

If you are asking yourself this question, the first thing I would tell you is congratulations!

While 99% of players have one hand that is definitely stronger and better at ball handling, most players don’t spend any time trying to make sure that both hands are equal or at least VERY CLOSE to equal in terms of ball handling. Most players realize they have a problem but won’t do anything about it.

They continue to have a dominant hand that they are comfortable using in games.

And soon defenses realize this as well…

Good defenses will take your one strong hand away and force you to use your weak hand. That is when you feel like a below average player.

So why am I congratulating you???

You realize that great players are great with BOTH hands.

You realize the need to improve.

You realize that the time to get better is NOW!

If you have 2 strong hands and you don’t have a weak hand, what will that mean for you? Well it means….

• You can attack both ways off the dribble equally well….which makes you a match-up nightmare.
• Teams must guard you straight up and can’t try to force you a certain direction.
• You are an instant asset to your coach against pressure defense.
• You must be on the floor at the end of the game because of your ball handling skills.
• You will have more scoring opportunities because you can drive right or left.

So let’s get straight to it. Below is a list of 5 different ways to help you improve your ball handling with your weak hand. 

If you are a right handed player who is trying to improve your left hand, start by increasing your left hand reps when doing ball handling drills.  

In other words, if you are doing a ball handling drill that calls for 10 reps right hand and 10 reps left hand, simply increase your left hand reps. So maybe do 10 reps right hand and 15 reps with your left hand. Just make this a part of your workout routine.  It may not seem like a big difference, but if you consistently do more QUALITY reps with your weak hand, you’ll begin to see improvement.

I’m not asking for an extra hour or two hours a day. I’m asking that you show up 10 minutes early to each work out.  This 10 minutes is going to be dedicated to ONLY USING YOUR LEFT HAND. 

Below is a list and brief explanation of simple yet effective drills to do with your weak hand in the first 10 minutes of each workout.

Stationary Weak Hand Drills

• Left Hand (Weak Hand) Ball Rolls. Simply roll the ball on the floor in a circle with your left hand. Make sure you go both directions. Do 3 circles clockwise and 3 circles counterclockwise.
• Left Hand Pound Low.  Pound the ball  as low and as hard as you can for 20 seconds.
• Left Hand Pound High. Pound the ball  as high and hard as you can for 20 seconds.
• Left Hand Kills. Pound the ball high and hard and then after 5 seconds try to pound the ball as low as you can (almost kill your dribble) and gradually bring the ball up to as high as you can go. Repeat for 5 reps.
• Left Hand Side To Side. On the left side of your body, push and pull the ball at your side low and fast for 20 seconds.
• Left Hand Windshield Wipers. Put the ball out in front of you and go back and forth from left to right low and hard. Do this for 20 seconds.

On The Move Ball Handling for Weak Hand   (Do These Drills Full Court & Back)

• Left Hand ½ Speed. You should go at approximately 50% speed with your left (weak) hand.
• Left Hand Hesitation. Take 2 dribbles forward and perform your hesitation with your left hand and then explode forward. Repeat until you get to the opposite baseline. 
• Left Hand In And Out. Take 2 dribbles forward and perform in and out move with your left hand. Repeat until you get to the opposite baseline. 
• Left Hand Retreat Dribble. Take 4 hard dribbles forward. Stop. Take 2 hard dribbles backwards trying to cover as much ground as possible. Continue with 4 dribbles forward followed by 2 retreat dribbles backwards until you get to the opposite baseline. 
• Left Hand Low Pound. Walk to the opposite baseline while pounding the ball in your left hand low and hard
• Left Hand Speed Dribble. Now it is time to fly. Speed dribble as fast as you can to the opposite baseline. Do this drill full court and back three times with a short rest between reps.

These 11 drills give you a great place to start each of your workouts. And the best thing is you don’t have to be at the gym to do these, so if you want to improve faster, do these beginner basketball drills twice a day at home.

Key Points of Emphasis:

• Make sure you keep your eyes up for every drill and look around the gym as you are using your left hand.

• Work on hard, quick dribbles while you are using your left hand. You may lose the ball occasionally – that’s OK – you are getting BETTER!

Everyone knows to improve at something it takes extra time. How bad do you want to become an elite ball handler with both hands?  If your left (weak) hand is holding you back stop making excuses. Go to the gym 1 extra day a week. 

Maybe you are going 3 days, so go 4. 
Maybe you are going 5 days, so go 6.

But make that extra gym day a LEFT HAND DAY. Spend your time at the gym that day doing everything with your left hand. 

Do all left handed stationary ball handling.  
Do all left handed on the move ball handling.
Do all scoring moves with left hand dribbling.
Do all your pull up jumpers to the left.  
Pass against the wall to yourself only using your left hand.

This doesn’t have to be an extremely long workout. Maybe you are only at the gym an extra 45 minutes for this workout. And you can still do most of the normal shooting drills you do, but make sure any time you are to dribble, use your weak hand.

Ok, how often do you use your left hand in your daily life? Using your opposite or weak hand in everyday life helps strengthen neural connections in your brain. 

Try using your left hand for EVERYTHING you do throughout the day.  

Try opening doors with your left hand.

Try brushing your teeth with your left hand.

Try eating with your left hand.

You get the point. Everything you normally would use your right hand for, try using your left hand. It will be awkward at first, but you will gradually feel more comfortable. And this new found comfort with your left hand will carry over to the court.

Make sure you use practices, pick-up games and scrimmages, to work on using your weak hand as well.

You will have to make a concerted effort throughout these live action games to use your left hand more!

What might that look like?

If you are forcing yourself to use your weak hand during off-season games, what might that look like? Maybe you are…

• Dribbling the ball down the court with your left hand when dribbling in transition.
• Attacking LEFT the first five times you put the ball on the floor to get to the rim.
• Bringing the ball down the floor every time with your left hand.
• Making push passes with your left hand.

Remember, your current habit is to use your right hand and your strength is using your right hand. This means the tighter the game and the better the competition, the more likely you are to resort back to what you do best…. using your strong hand.  

You must develop your weak hand so you are AS CONFIDENT using your left hand as you are using your right hand. And the only way for you to become confident in using your weak hand is by putting in the work! Put in the work and you’ll gain the confidence.

It is crucial that you implement your action plan for improving your weak hand into scrimmages, pick-up games, and summer league games, as well as practices.  It is the only way you can achieve your ultimate goal of having  NO WEAK HAND and having 2 STRONG HANDS.

Now let’s get to work!

How to learn to play basketball from scratch

"School 2.0" - the best educational project in the history of Russian basketball, has collected in one material all the basic skills that are needed for those who want to jump like Michael Jordan and throw a three-pointer like Steph Curry . We literally chew on you how to play basketball and become cool. Lots of videos are included.

Passion for basketball usually begins with the ball hitting the basket. Do not deprive yourself of this pleasure, learn to score from under the basket, then from two steps ... But after that, you should think about what elements to master in order to become a “correct” basketball player. We won't let you get bored - we won't fill all basketball practice with boring stops and turns. But in general, you can’t do without it, because the correct work of the legs, the habit of standing firmly, not mincing, not taking extra steps, quickly and correctly changing the direction of movement is an absolute must for a basketball player. Plus, of course, dribbling and passing.

In general, to start the basketball path, “School 2.0” recommends exercises to develop the following skills during basketball training:

1. Throw
2. Footwork
3. Transmission
4. Maintaining

Do two or three dozen workouts, combining the exercises from the following list, and you will notice real progress. Start each workout with 2-4 minutes of quiet running and such a joint warm-up:

Exercises are performed one after the other without stopping.

1. Shoulder warm-up. Stand up straight and stretch your arms out to the sides. Make circular movements with straight arms 10 times forward, then 10 times back.
2. Pelvic warm-up. Put your hands on your belt, feet shoulder-width apart. Perform rotations in the hip joint, as if twisting a hoop, 10 times in each direction.
3. Back workout. Bend your elbows and press to your chest, feet shoulder-width apart. Do rotations in the lower back 5-10 times in each direction.
4. Knee warm-up. Stand up straight, feet together. Squat down a bit and put your hands on your knees. Then perform rotational movements with your knees, helping yourself with your hands. Do 10 times in each direction.
5. Ankle warm-up. Put your hands on your belt. Place one foot on the toe slightly behind you. Resting on your toes, do 10 rotations in the ankle joint in each direction, then change legs.
6. Squats. At the end, do 5 deep squats, keeping your heels on the floor and extending your arms in front of you.

Throwing

Get used to throwing correctly right away - with one hand (the other can only hold the ball), with reverse spin. The forearm is perpendicular to the floor, the arm straightens completely, the hand “closes”. Listen to how the ball blows up the net - it's a thrill.

1. Shooting stand

1. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, ball in hand.
2. At the signal, take a throwing stance, and at the next signal, return to the starting position.
3. Ready to throw: legs bent, back straight, slightly tilted forward. Throwing hand behind the ball (not sideways!), the second hand holds the ball in front-side.
4. Raise the ball to shoulder level.
5. Repeat 10 times with right and left hand.

2. Single handed throw on the spot

1. Get into the throwing position. The ball lies in one hand at the level of the head, the elbow is directed forward, the second hand does not help.
2. Squat down a little and with the simultaneous extension of the legs and elbow, throw the ball up in front of you. Stay in the final position until the ball hits the floor.
3. Repeat 10 times with right and left hand.

3. Throw with one hand into the hoop from one meter

1. Stand under the hoop with the ball in your hand at shoulder height. The other hand does not help!
2. Squat down and at the same time extend your legs and arms, make a throw around the ring. Keep the final position of the straightened arm and closed hand until the ball hits the floor.
3. Try to hit the ball in the corner of the rectangle drawn on the shield, then the ball will be in the ring.
4. Throw from different positions. 10 times with the right and left hand.

4. Medium throw

1. Stand at a distance of 3-4 meters from the ring and take a throwing stance. Sit down and with the simultaneous extension of the legs and arms, make a throw around the ring. Keep the final position of the straightened arm and closed hand until the ball hits the floor.
2. Throw from different positions.

1. Stand a few meters from the ring. Make yourself an autopass, take a small jump forward, catch the ball, take a shooting stance, and hit the basket.
2. Perform the exercise 10 times with your stronger arm.

5. Two steps - throw

1. Stand three meters from the ring. Take two steps from the spot and throw the ring.

1. Get on the three-point line. Take a couple of hits with the ball, then two steps and throw the ring.

1. From the three-point line, make yourself an autopass. Then catch the ball, take two steps and shoot the ring.
2. Try to hit the ball in the corner of the rectangle drawn on the shield.
3. Repeat 10 times with right and left hand.

6. Two steps - low shot

1. Get on the three-point line. Take a couple of hits with the ball, then two steps and throw from the bottom of the ring.

1. Stand three meters from the ring. Take two steps from the spot and throw the ring from below.

1. From the three-point line, make yourself an autopass. Then catch the ball, take two steps and shoot the ring.
2. Try to hit the ball in the corner of the rectangle drawn on the shield.
3. Repeat 10 times with right and left hand.

Footwork

Glue your feet to the floor. No extra steps! Otherwise - "jog", whistle, give the ball to the opponents.

1. Jump stop

1. The exercise is performed on the spot. Make yourself an autopass, catch the ball with two hands and at the same time do a two-foot jump into a basketball stance.
2. Determine the axial (supporting) leg and perform turns on this leg forward and backward.
3. Then imitate the following sequence of actions:
   take the ball in your hands, being completely in the air;
   land on both (!) feet at the same time;
   do turns around the same (!) leg.
4. Repeat the exercise 10 times: 5 times turning on the right foot and 5 times on the left.

2. Step stop

1. The exercise is performed on the spot. Make yourself an autopass, catch the ball with both hands and stop at the same time with two steps into the basketball stance.
2. The axial (supporting) leg will be the one with which you took the first step - on this leg, perform turns forward and backward.
3. Repeat the exercise 10 times: turning 5 times on the right foot and 5 times on the left.

3. Zigzag without a ball with a jump stop

All changes in the direction of movement are made by a clear turn around the near leg - even through the “face”, even through the “back”. This is very important in basketball!

4. Zigzag without a ball with a stop in steps

It is performed in the same way as the previous exercise, but the stop at the cone is one-two, not a jump.

Transmission

Mastering the culture of passing will not only earn you the respect of your playmates, but it will also give you a lot of fun. Maybe even more than hitting the ring.

1. Passing with two hands into the wall

1. Stand 3-5 meters from the wall. Pass the ball into the wall with both hands from the chest.
2. Hold the ball with both hands from the sides and direct it to the wall with a wrist movement. As a result, the arms at the elbows should straighten, and the hands should “close”.

1. Move further back to make longer passes. At the moment of such a transfer, one leg takes a step forward. Catch such a transmission from the floor.
2. Repeat the exercise 15-20 times.

2. Passing with one hand into the wall

1. Stand 3-5 meters from the wall. Pass the ball into the wall with one hand from the shoulder.
2. Hand behind the ball, thumbs up. Carpal movement.
3. Repeat the exercise 15-20 times for each hand.

3. Lying One-Hand Pass

1. Lying on your back, pass with one hand up.
2. Repeat the exercise 15-20 times for each hand.

Dribbling

Great basketball dribbling is the key to all doors. Not to mention how effective it is.

1. Palms on the ball

1. Take the ball in your hands and move it from hand to hand, hitting it with your palms.
2. Start slowly and then speed up. 15 seconds slow, 15 fast.
3. Repeat 1-2 times.

2. Ball on fingers

1. Quickly toss the ball with your fingertips from one hand to the other: raise and lower in front of you;
   sit down and get up;
   raise and lower in motion.
2. Perform each exercise 2-3 times for 15 seconds.

3. Ball around the body

1. Move the ball from one hand to the other as quickly as possible: around the body;
   around the head;
   in the round-leg basketball stance;
   in a basketball stance figure eight around the legs.
2. Do 5 reps each side.

4. Low dribbling on the spot

Low ball dribbling in different positions:

1. Basketball stance, feet parallel. Dribble to the side of your foot. Free hand in defense position.
2. Sit on the floor and dribble the ball from your side, bringing the ball closer or further away.
3. Repeat 15 times with each hand. Do 2-3 sets.

5. Medium dribbling in motion

1. Medium dribbling of the ball (height - to the waist) in motion. Do it at speed.
2. Make a turn leaving the ball in place and picking it up with your other hand.
3. Dribble two courts with each hand.

6. V-dribbling in front of you

1. Stand in a basketball stance.
2. Dribble with one hand in front of you in a V, with your right and left hands in turn.
3. Repeat 15 times with each hand. Do 2-3 sets.

7. Crossover

1. Move the ball in place in front of you from one hand to the other.
2. First do the exercise for each stroke.
3. Then - for every third hit.
4. After translation, touch the floor with your free hand.
5. Repeat 15 times with each hand. Do 2-3 sets.

8. Underfoot transfers

1. Transfer the ball between the legs from one hand to the other.
2. Translate every third hit with the ball.
3. After translation, touch the floor with your free hand.
4. Repeat 15 times with each hand. Do 2-3 sets.

That's it for starters. Of course, it would be nice to learn how to fly - in the sense of jumping high without a trampoline. But that's another story. If you only jump, you are a jumper. And if you have mastered these exercises, you are almost a basketball player. Then you can already learn to play in a team, in real contact conditions.

Why Andrey Kirilenko created School 2.0:

And remember,

"School 2.0"

will introduce you to people who you want to follow an example from: winners in whom at first no one believed; music and movie stars going crazy about basketball; heroes who, thanks to sports, managed to overcome themselves.

School 2. 0 will recommend movies and books, and they will help you move mountains. With us you will be in trend and understand that success breeds success.

School 2.0 has no entrance exams. Do you want to be beautiful, healthy and smart?

You are already accepted.

BTW, WE ARE DOING FREE OPEN TRAININGS TOGETHER WITH THE GREATEST GROUND #HARDCOURT. ON THIS WEDNESDAY, FOR EXAMPLE, VICTOR CHEIRU WILL TEACH EVERYBODY TO THROW THE BALL.

FOLLOW ALL OUR TRAINING HERE

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Basketball practice hacks: how to score goals for beginners

Even if you are a novice basketball player, we will not give you a training plan, but we will tell you why the ball flies anywhere but into the ring and into your hands. It's all about technique: even with regular training and perseverance, novice adults and children often make simple mistakes. It's a shame, let's fix it. Below are 11 life hacks on how to hone your technique to increase the likelihood of a goal for your team.

Basketball Shot Rules for Beginners

1. Hands up

In pursuit of the attacker, raise your hands, even if you are standing with your back to the pass, and even more so if the ring is in front of you. Your raised hands will increase the chance of intercepting the ball from the opponent by 2 times. Don't overlook this little thing!

2. Make shield throws

Even Tim Duncan did not neglect them! A square is drawn on the basketball backboard. If you are standing opposite the ring, then aim at the middle of the upper part of the square, if you are standing on the side, then at the corner. If you hit this square, then the ball is at 90% of cases will fall into the ring. The law of physics and no cheating!

3.

Practice driving the ball with your hand, not your eyes, develop tactile control. Your eyes should be on the hoop while dribbling and be aware of the position of your body in relation to the hoop. Then you will be able to take the correct posture, and the throw will be effective.

4. Dribble with the balls of your fingers only

The palm should not touch the ball, only the pads of the fingers. Dribbling should become familiar to you, like an extension of your hand. Then you can change its trajectory at any time and you will have more chances to score goals. Practice with the ball constantly.

5. Throw with one hand

If you throw the ball with two hands, you reduce the chance of hitting the basket. All the efforts of the throw are in one hand (in the right for right-handers, in the left for left-handers). The other hand only holds the ball, the leading one holds it with the fingers, not the palm.

6.

Jumping is the main mistake of rookie defenders. To intercept the ball and block the shot, simply stick out your hands. When you are in a jump, the attacker will easily bypass you.

7. Don't look back

When you dribble, don't look back, but dribble and aim for the ring, focus on shooting (or passing to another player on your team).

8. Bring the throw to automatism

Incorporate the most basic basketball techniques into your training plan and bring the shot to automatism. Throw first from a distance of half a meter from the ring, gradually increasing it. Learn to throw the ball so that it hits the hoop without touching the edge.

Throw the ball with all fives and jump

Throwing Rules:

• Head in the center of the body - if tilted, accuracy is lost.
• Look at the ring: mentally build a trajectory. If you are far away, the ball flies in a curved curve with a maximum height of 2 meters above the hoop.
• A strong hand is in front and throws, a weak hand is on the side and directs, only holding the ball. The elbow of the throwing hand must be in line with the ring.
• The ball must rest on the fingers without touching the palm. The fingers are as far apart as possible and grab the ball.
• Throwing arm bent 90 degrees, forearm perpendicular to the floor. If you bend less, then you get not a throw, but a throwing of the ball horizontally.

The main thing in the throw is the position of the body and its balance. Place your feet apart and parallel to each other: it is important to orient them in the middle of the basket. Then the direction of the body during the jump will coincide with the direction of the throw, and the ball will fly straight into the ring. When the feet are uneven, the ball flies in the wrong direction or does not reach (although the throw was normal).

Take a deep breath and release as you exhale.

How to hold the ball and shoot in basketball

How to throw correctly: straighten your arm, point your wrist up, and with your hand set the ball to rotate in the opposite direction from the flight. The ball should seem to "roll" off your fingers.

9. Copy masters and play as a team

Watch professional basketball games and try to copy the movements of your favorite players in training. And be sure to conduct game sparring - this will allow you to develop more techniques.

10. Do not throw in a straight line

The higher the arc of the ball, the greater the chance of a goal and the less chance of blocking by the opponent.

11. Do not throw the ball from a full height stand

This is the biggest newbie mistake!

Before the throw, bend your knees slightly and at the moment of the throw, straighten your body, making a jump. You need to straighten up and push off the ground at the same time. When squatting, keep the elbow of the throwing arm close to the body and towards the ring.

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