How to get better hands 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 to Build Finger Strength for Basketball | Live Healthy

By Kay Tang

Strong fingers and hands are crucial to a basketball player's performance. The majority of the movements -- dribbling, passing, intercepting, blocking, shooting -- is performed with your fingers and hands. Weak fingers will negatively impact your ball handling and shooting. To strengthen your fingers and improve grip strength, you can perform a variety of exercises, ranging from lifting weights to dribbling drills. In addition, conditioning your digits can help to prevent common injuries -- jammed or sprained fingers -- which can land you on the bench.

Raise a Weight Plate

Perform a finger raise with a weight plate, which strengthens your fingers as well as the muscles in your forearms powering your grip. Begin by picking up a 10-lb. Olympic weight plate in each hand.

Hold the plates by your sides with palms facing your body and your thumbs pressing against the plate's flat side. Extend your fingers to lower the plates.

Lift the plate by curling and closing your fingers. Perform 10 to 15 reps. Increase the load to 25 lbs. and then 45 lbs. as grip grows stronger.

Dribble with One Finger

Execute a dribbling exercise with two balls in which you strengthen each finger. Begin by crouching low to the ground and dribbling a ball 10 times with each hand.

Dribble the balls 10 times with only your thumbs. Try dribbling as hard as you can with one finger on one ball. Dribble next with only your forefingers 10 times. Continue this pattern for your middle fingers, ring fingers and pinkies.

Repeat the exercise but speed up the dribbling. Stay low to the ground, keeping your dribble at ankle height.

Squeeze for Strength

Perform squeezing exercises with your fingers to improve grip strength. Begin by holding a basketball above your shoulder with your right hand.

Draw your fingers together slowly, squeezing the ball until it pops out of your hand. Perform 15 reps and then repeat the exercise with your left hand.

Squeeze an old tennis ball with your right hand, pressing your fingers into the ball with as much force as possible. Perform 15 reps for each hand.

Volley for the Fingertips

Volley the basketball between your fingertips to develop strength and control of the ball at the ends of your fingers. Begin by positioning your hands in front of you at chest height and holding them 3 to 4 inches apart.

Pass the ball back and forth between your hands for five to 10 minutes, using the tips of your fingers but not your thumbs. Raise the volley to face height and continue for another three minutes.

Place your hands behind your head and volley the ball for three minutes. Finish the exercise by bending your knees and volleying the ball as low to the ground as possible for three minutes.

Stretch with a Band

Stretch the antagonist muscles of your fingers, wrists and forearms after doing grip-strengthening exercises to maintain muscular balance. Begin by forming your hand into a crescent or C shape.

Loop a rubber band around your fingertips and thumbs of your right hand. Wrap the band around your fingers twice to remove any slack if necessary. Spread your fingers and thumb slowly as if they're flower petals blooming.

Reverse the motion to return to starting position. Perform 10 reps. Repeat the stretch for your left hand.

References

• The Men's Health Guide to Peak Conditioning; Richard Laliberte
• Basketball for Women; Nancy Lieberman
• Diesel Crew: Training Grip Strength for Basketball Players
• Winning Basketball for Girls; Faye Young Miller and Wayne Coffey
• BasketballCoach.com: Basketball Ball Handling Drills - Perfect Ballhandling
• Basketball Guard Play; Steve Alford and Ed Schilling

Tips

• Focus on developing the strength of your non-dominant hand and fingers, which will afford you more options during game play.

Warnings

• Avoid exercising through finger-related injuries or pain. If you're experiencing pain in your hands or fingers, consult with your doctor.

Writer Bio

Kay Tang is a journalist who has been writing since 1990. She previously covered developments in theater for the "Dramatists Guild Quarterly." Tang graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from Yale University and completed a Master of Professional Studies in interactive telecommunications at New York University.

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.

Nikita of coachmen

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