How to palm basketball
How To Become Better At Palming A Basketball
Michael Jordan is famous for his big hands (even by NBA standards) and he often used his palming ability to his advantage on the court.
It’s also an essential skill in order to be able to consistently dunk a full-sized basketball.
When I set my goal to be able to dunk a basketball back in 2016, there were two major obstacles.
The main obstacle was being able to jump high enough to get the ball above the rim, and the second was ensuring I could keep a ball under control in order to successfully dunk it without sending it flying off course.
I spent 8-weeks working on my vertical leap. After that, the only thing holding me back from being a good dunker was my ability to consistently palm a basketball.
Big jumps aside, solid palming is essential during the slam dunk
Luckily, I found that training to palm a basketball wasn’t as hard as I expected, despite my smallish sized hands.
I’m first going to discuss two important factors that influence your palming ability, hand size and palming technique, and then cover some methods which will improve your ability to palm a basketball.![]()
Requirement 1: Hand Size
It should be obvious that hand size plays a big role in your ability to palm the ball.
You can have fantastic power and technique but the closer together your fingertips are, a smaller amount of the total pressure will apply an inwards force on the basketball.
Imagine your hand is one inch long – it doesn’t matter how much grip or power you exert, the ball won’t stick. It’s simple physics.
So, is there a ‘bare minimum’ hand size?
Well, technically there isn’t a single measurement that determines whether or not you are capable of palming a basketball.
It’s not just about hand length (measured from the wrist to the top of the middle finger), but also hand span (the distance between your thumb and pinky when you spread your hand out). You could have a relatively short hand length, but have really wide hands, for example.
In addition, finger/grip strength is also part of the equation. You can make up for having smaller hands with greater grip strength.
Your hand size will determine how easy or hard it is to palm a basketball
However, realistically speaking, to be able to comfortably palm a basketball after training technique and strength, here are some ballpark minimum figures.
Hand Length: 7.5″ (this is slightly over the average male hand length of 7.4″)
Hand Span: 8″
With these measurements palming a ball might be a little tricky at first, but if you train your technique and grip strength you’ll ultimately be able to palm the ball fairly comfortably.
People with smaller hands might be able to palm the Basketball, but technique would need to be even better.
For reference, in the NBA draft combine, the smallest hand length you’ll see is typically around 7.75″-8″, although there have been years featuring players with a 7.5″ hand length.
How To Measure Your Hand Length and Span
You will need a standard ruler to find out your own hand measurements.
To measure hand length, measure from the base of your hand (where the wrist begins) to the top of your middle finger.
Fig. 1: Measuring Hand Length
To measure hand span, spread your thump and pinky as far apart as you can across a ruler, as shown below:
Fig 2. Measuring hand span
Requirement 2: Strength and Technique
There is definitely more to palming a basketball than pure hand size. In fact, your palming skill is extremely important and will be an equally important factor as your hand size.
Most players didn’t just pick up ta basketball from day 1 and have the ability to palm it securely – unless they’re Michael Jordan.
Basketball players will often subconsciously be practicing palming the ball when they have the ball in their hands.
Once you are able to palm the ball fairly well, it’s just a matter of spending more and more time palming the ball to maintain your ability and further strengthen the muscles involved in palming.
To get to that point, you need to work on your grip strength.
When it comes to grip strength, you need to keep in mind that there are three different types:
- Crush Grip: Grip between fingers and palm that gives you the ability to ‘scrunch’ something – think shaking hands, crushing a beer can.
- Pinch Grip: The grip between fingers and thumb. This is what matters most.
- Support Grip: The grip needed to keep hold onto something – e.g. holding onto a bar during deadlift/pull-ups
For many people, hand grippers spring to mind when they want to improve their hand grip. These things strengthen your hand flexor muscles you use to crush things, but when it comes to palming a basketball, there are more efficient ways of training.
Hand Grippers aren’t very helpful because they don’t reflect the grip used for palming a basketball
The crush grip and support grip are not as important for the purpose of palming a basketball.
What needs to be your main focus for training is your pinch grip.
Strengthening Your Pinch Grip
Now that we’ve established that you need to strengthen your pinch grip in order to comfortably palm a basketball, let’s go through some exercises you can do to do that.
Fingertip Pushups
These are pretty self-explanatory. Perform a standard pushup but instead of having your palm flat on the ground, lift your palm up so your body is supported by your fingertips.
This is a more challenging variation of the pushup, so if necessary leave your knees on the ground to begin with in order to make the exercise easier.
Fig. 4: Fingertip Pushups
Horizontal Basketball Palming
Since gravity is your enemy, you can start out palming your basketball by palming it horizontally – i.e. parallel to the floor. Since the bottom half of your hand will also be producing an upward force on the ball, it will be easier to palm.
Start palming the ball horizontally to make things easier for yourself
You should feel a burn running down your forearm after doing the exercise for long enough. Don’t overtrain in order to minimize the risk of high muscle tension induced spasm.
Each day, record the maximum number of seconds you can palm the basketball in this manner. You should see continual improvement.
As you improve, gradually start angling the ball towards the floor so that you are less and less reliant on the help you get from the upward forces acting on the ball.
Palming Smaller Balls
When you are trying to strengthen your grip using a basketball, you need to be palming for at least 5 seconds at a time, otherwise your fingers won’t have much opportunity to develop.
If you are unable to do the above exercise for a meaningful amount of time, then instead start off with a smaller leather/rubber ball to practice with.
For this purpose, I’d suggest either getting a womens basketball or a handball (handball is a popular sport in Europe, and the ball is significantly smaller than a Basketball).
Try and become comfortable palming either of these smaller balls for 20+ seconds before moving on to a men’s basketball.
Finger Stretchers
Unlike hand grippers, finger stretchers are a great way of training finger muscles in isolation. They can be purchased for cheap online and will strengthen the same muscle groups involved in the pinch grip.
Finger Stretchers are a good aid for learning to palm a basketball
Training with a Climbing Wall
If you want to see people with insane grip strength, look no further than climbers.
Because a climbing wall or natural climbing rocks have random contouring, climbers end up stressing different muscle groups during the course of a climb. As a result, you end up training all 3 kinds of hand grip without even realizing it.
I’ve done some climbing sessions before, and noticed immediate improvement to my basketball palming ability shortly after. The burning sensation going down your forearms and fingers after a session is unlike any other.
‘True’ Palming vs Pseudo-Palming
You might have read top players like Kobe Bryant or Anthony Davis can’t palm the ball.
Or how about the story that 6’10 Kevin Durant had to tell photographers he wasn’t able to palm the ball when posing for photos?
Yet Kobe, Anthony and Kevin are some of the most efficient dunkers on court. Kevin and Anthony are big guys even by NBA standards.
The point is even these guys have trouble effortlessly palming the ball in the truest sense, and will typically just cradle the ball during a dunk.
When training to palm the ball, your goal therefore isn’t to be able hold a basketball like a tennis ball. Very few people, even in the NBA, actually have that level of control over the ball.
Instead, improve your one-handed control over the ball and get it to a level that allows you to perform the moves you want. In my case, having enough control to dunk the ball was sufficient.
Men Before vs Men Now
Ever notice how your dad’s and his friend’s hands typically look bigger and manlier than yours? It’s not just an age thing – the younger generation are in fact getting weaker.
According to a study by the Journal of Hand Therapy, today’s men have a significantly weaker crush and pinch grip than men 30 years ago.
Lifestyle changes have meant that men’s grip strength has decreased over the years
That’s because men’s lifestyles have changed, with a more relaxed, less active lifestyle.
Be it helping with the shopping, going to the gym and doing deadlifts/kettlebell swinging or just playing basketball on a regular basis, you need to get off the computer and get physical.
Grip strength is a strong indicator of strength in general, and if you are finding it difficult to keep a grip on a basketball, your time might be better spent becoming stronger overall than focusing purely on palming in a band-aid manner.
Does The Basketball Make Much Of A Difference?
Yes! Some basketballs are naturally grippier than others. For example, the Wilson Evolution indoor basketball that is popular in college basketball is known to be very grippy. By contrast, the genuine leather official NBA game ball is slightly smoother and harder to palm.
Hopefully this article will help you become better equipped to start working on your ability to reliably hold a basketball. Let me know in the comment section below if you have any other questions!
How to Palm a Basketball?
As a basketball player, it’s one thing to have a high vertical jump. And it’s another to get up in the air with the ball facing a ton of defenders that try to stop you from slam dunking.
That’s where palming a basketball comes in—it’s a super-secret way most pro-NBA players use often. They use this technique to get more control of the ball on the court.
It’s far beyond dribbling a player with the ball under your hand as you move up and down the court. Instead, it’s holding and squeezing the ball with one hand.
Professional basketball players know this for a fact: “learning the skill of palming is crucial to gain a huge advantage on the court.”
That’s why we’ve created this article to help you enhance your palming ability.
Plus, we’ll be giving you some key nuggets on how to palm a basketball and become a better player.
Contents
- What Influences Your Palming Ability?
- Your Hand Size
- Your Strength and Technique
- 10 Drills That Will Improve Your Palming Skills
- A. Training That Will Increase Your Hand Strength
- B. Drills That Improve Grip Strength
- Closing Words
What Influences Your Palming Ability?
As a basketball player, you’ve been itching to step up your palming game, right? But, the process seems tough. Take a chill pill! Palming isn’t as hard as you think. Let’s start with what affects your palming activity:
Your Hand Size
It’s obvious. The size of your hand plays a significant role in your ability to palm the ball. You can swank as much as you want about your incredible power and technique.
But, if your hands are small—your fingertips will be closer together, and you can only apply little pressure on the ball—which makes your power and technique negligible.
For instance, if your hands are less than an inch long, the ball won’t stick—that’s physics for you.
There’s a perfect yardstick for hand size. A big and full hand gives you an added advantage—to hand span. To measure your hands, use a standard ruler to measure from where your wrist begins to the top of your middle finger.
For your hand span measurement, spread your pinky and thumb as far apart as you can on a ruler.
Your Strength and Technique
Asides your hand size, you have to look into palming the ball at every opportunity. When you can palm the ball to an extent—practice more to strengthen your palming muscles, and maintain your ability.
Also, you have to work on your grip strength—which increases your efficiency in palming.
So, what do you do to improve your palming over time?
10 Drills That Will Improve Your Palming Skills
To palm the ball like a pro, you need to drill your hands to increase strength and grip. Here are ten drills that will help:
A.
Training That Will Increase Your Hand Strength
Finger Stretches
To perform finger stretches effectively, you have to do it on a flat surface like a table. When you place your hand on the table, ensure that your palm faces down—with all your fingers stretched as far as possible. Then, hold for 30 to 60 seconds before you release.
When you’re doing this exercise, don’t force your joints in the process. If you have any difficulty flattening your hands completely—work on it to get the most out of the exercise. Repeat the exercise about three to four times for each hand.
Palm Stretches
Palm stretches are one of the most effective ways to improve your hand and finger strength. You can start by placing your palm on a flat surface and spreading out all your fingers.
Stretch your pinky finger as far as you can and brace your thumb against your other hand’s palm. Then, lift your hand off the flat surface—but; ensure that your fingers remain pressed onto the surface.
Then, squeeze your fingers to the table as you push your palm.
Hold your hand in position for 20 seconds and release. Repeat the process for your other hand.
Thumb Stretches
Thumb stretches are easy. All you need to do is try to separate your thumb away from your hand as possible. After that, stretch your thumb in the opposite direction; make it touch the base of your pinky finger. Then, hold it for 30 to 60 seconds, and repeat with the other hand.
Claw Stretches
The name of the procedure says it all. The goal is to make your hand look like a claw. To achieve that, place your hand in front of you and bend your fingertips to touch the finger joints base. Hold your fingers in that position for 30 to 60 seconds. And repeat it with your other hand.
Palm Slaps
If you want to boost your hand strength and grip strength alongside—do some palm slaps. It involves holding your basketball with one hand and slamming it into your other hand’s palm.
While you’re at it, squeeze the ball as hard as possible. You can do about 20 slaps on each hand per session.
B. Drills That Improve Grip Strength
Plate Pinching
Plate pinching helps to increase your pinching strength—which is one of the secrets to overall gripping strength. It involves taking two plates that weigh the same (for instance, 6lbs each). Put the plates together, and use your thumb to grip one of the plates—while you hold the other plate with your other four fingers.
Next, hold the plates in this position for about 20 seconds. Repeat the process severally with one hand before you switch to the other. When you’re used to the exercise, step up your game by doubling the weight of the plate. You can also try holding the plates with only your thumb and pinky finger.
Fingertip Push-Ups
Oh yes! The same push-up, you know. The only difference is; you’ll be doing the exercise on your fingertips. While you’re in position for your push-up, spread out your fingers.
With just your fingertips, commence with pushing your body off the ground.
Make sure your back remains straight on the position as you lift your body. Plus, keep your chest right above the ground, when you go down. Don’t worry about your fingers being straight during the exercise. Start with a few push-ups and increase when you’re comfortable.
Pull-Ups
With an overhand grip, grab a pull-up bar with both hands. Both hands should stay shoulder-width apart. Then, you can lift your body above the bar—as you pull up with your back muscles. Or you can wrap the pull-up bar with two towels. Grip the sheets and proceed with your regular pulps.
Reverse Curls
If you’re familiar with reverse curls, you should know that it works your biceps. Interestingly this exercise also has a positive impact on your grip strength. All it takes is for you to hold on to the bar with an overhand grip, and keep your hands shoulder-width apart.
Aluminum Can Squeeze
Save the squeeze for last.
It’s best to use an empty can. Then, fill it with nuts, bolts, and rocks. Afterward, grip and hold the can out in front of you. Repeat the same thing for your other hand.
Closing Words
Palming a basketball isn’t rocket science.
However, it takes a whole lot of hard work to display the skill with ease—except you’re Michael Jordan. With the actionable drills in this article, you can rest assured that your consistency will produce a “Grippier” you.
Which of the drills will you try out first? Did we miss out any effective drill? We’ll love to hear from you in the comment section.
Rules of Basketball
How the rules have changed in your favorite game
How the rules have changed in your favorite game
WE ALL LOVE TO PLAY BASKETBALL, BUT DO YOU KNOW THE RULES EXACTLY?
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. Then everything was different: playgrounds, baskets, balls…
!!! Read about the evolution of balls in the article:
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891.
Then everything was different: playgrounds, baskets, balls…
!!! Read about the evolution of balls in the article:
The history of basketballs
The history of basketballs
What balls are played now and how it happened
The beginning
The rules have also changed a lot during this time. Initially, there were only 13 of them in basketball:
- The ball can be thrown in any direction with one or two hands.
- The ball may be hit with one or both hands in any direction, but never with the fist.
- The player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw the ball from the point at which he caught it, except for a player running at high speed.
- The ball must be held with the hands. You can not use the forearms and body to hold the ball.
- In any case, hitting, grabbing, holding and pushing the opponent is not allowed. The first violation of this rule by any player shall be called a foul; the second foul disqualifies him until the next ball is scored, and if there was an obvious intention to injure the player, then a disqualification for the entire game.
It is not allowed to replace a disqualified player.
- Punching the ball is a violation of points 2 and 4, the penalty is described in point 5.
- commit no foul).
- A point is scored if a ball thrown or bouncing off the floor hits the basket and stays there. Defending players are not allowed to touch the ball or basket while shooting. If the ball touches the edge and the opponents move the basket, then a point is scored.
- If the ball goes out of bounds, it must be dropped into the field by the first player to touch it. In the event of a dispute, the referee must throw the ball into the field. The thrower is allowed to hold the ball for five seconds. If he holds it longer, then the ball is given to the opponent. If either side tries to play for time, the referee must give them a foul.
- The referee must monitor the actions of the players and fouls, and notify the referee of three consecutive fouls. He shall have the power to disqualify players under rule 5.
- The referee must watch the ball and determine when the ball is in play (inbounds) and when it goes out of bounds (out of bounds), which side should be in possession of the ball, and any other action that the referee would normally take .
- The game consists of two halves of 15 minutes each with a break of 5 minutes between them.
- The side with the most goals during this time period is the winner.
The most important rule change in the history of basketball is the introduction of dribbling. In the original version of the game, this was prohibited by paragraph 3 of the rules.
One of the first changes in the game and the rules was the replacement of the basket with a ring with a net. It seemed to be very inconvenient to climb after the ball every time after a hit. Around the same time, free throws, dribbling appeared, and the composition of the teams was fixed for 5 players on the court at the same time.
Before that, in some matches, up to 50 people could be on the court at the same time. All this happened back in 1896-1897.
The emergence of FIBA (International Basketball Federation)
Basketball in the early 20th century became more popular and the rules in each country could be different. This was one of the reasons why FIBA appeared in 1932 year. At the first FIBA Congress, the teams were approved (5 people and 2 substitutes), and it was decided that after each goal there would be a throw-in in the center. This rule was removed after 4 years to reduce the advantage of tall players.
Over the next few years, the main changes were related to the number of personal fouls, the number of players on the bench and the introduction of a time limit for getting the ball into the opponent's half of the court.
More changes came in 1952 after the Olympics. The game became very boring, because the teams held the ball, having received a minimal lead in the score.
Everyone understood this and searched for solutions for several years in order to save the life of basketball. At 1954 Danny Biason proposed to the NBA to limit the time for the shot to 24 seconds. At the 1956 Olympics, there was a similar rule: it was necessary to make a throw in 30 seconds. At the same time, to add equality between defense and attack, another rule familiar to us appeared: you need to start dribbling the ball before the supporting leg comes off.
Then the game became similar to the modern one from a technical point of view: dribbling, shots, a three-second zone appeared. In 1979, the NBA added a three-point line, and in 19In 1984, FIBA also added an arc.
!!! An article about the evolution of the three-point shot and interesting facts:
10 interesting facts about the three-point shot.
10 interesting facts about the three-point shot.
Three-pointer evolution and insane records.
Changes in the rules and basketball since 1956 have included the number of free kicks, the situations in which these free kicks are given, and individual and team penalties.
Some rules were introduced, and a few years later they were canceled. For example, the "3 for 2" rule: if a player was fouled in the shooting phase, then if one of the first two shots was missed, he could make another free throw. This rule was later removed.
Since the 1990s there have been constant changes: the emergence of alley-oops, changes in the timing and rewriting of the rules of running, which continue to this day.
From the most interesting: if the team has 0.3 seconds or less to throw the ball from behind, then it must be a one-touch throw. It takes at least 0.4 seconds to perform a full throw.
Derrick Fisher made similar throws:
And here is a small selection of videos of how they throw in 0.2 seconds:
Do you want to take your first steps in basketball or improve your basic skills? We have a Basic Basketball Skills workout for you. See the schedule and sign up:
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Coach: Yuriy Bespalov
- Professional player of the INANOMO 3x3 team;
- Champion of Russia 3x3 2019, 2021;
- Winner and medalist of the MOFB championship;
- MLBL Summer League MVP 2017;
- Multiple participant of Moscow Open;
- Champion of Moscow 3x3 2017;
- MVP GrunisCup 2017.
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What techniques exist and how they differ
Let's first deal with the definition: playing techniques are skills that a professional player must possess. Sounds simple, but what exactly are the skills in basketball? What should an amateur who wants to improve the performance of his game pay attention to? Let's figure it out.
The main goal in basketball is to successfully hit the ball into the basket, and everything that happens on the court only leads the players to this moment. There are skills that basketball players work out in training to bypass rivals and make a successful shot.
Before we list them, let us remind you that basketball is a team sport, and even the most successful players do not master all the tricks perfectly. With a serious approach to training, you should decide on your position on the site and especially carefully work out the necessary techniques.
So the post must deftly pick up the ball under the basket and throw it right into the basket. Back row players are highly regarded for their ability to pass and make accurate shots from medium to long distances. And for an attacking basketball player, it is extremely important to be able to make lightning-fast breakthroughs to the ring. All these techniques and skills are practiced in training.
What are the basic skills?
- Holding the throw.
Performed with two hands. Widely spaced fingers hold the ball from both sides. One of the basic skills for any player. - Catching the ball. Another basic skill that no basketball player can do without. But are you sure you know how to do it right?!
The easiest way to catch the ball is at chin level. To do this, you need to take a small step forward and stretch your arms towards the ball with widely spread fingers - a “funnel”. In this case, the thumbs should be directed towards each other and brought together up to 3-5 centimeters. This will save you from slipping and hitting the ball in the face if you catch it at high speed. At the moment the ball touches the fingers, you need to make a shock-absorbing movement and transfer it to the chest. When catching the ball above the head, the actions are similar, but you need to extinguish the speed of its flight from the top-front, and then transfer it to the chest in an arc.
One of the most difficult tricks is catching the ball flying behind.
Such a pass is often used to quickly break through to the opponent's ring. For him, without slowing down, make a slight turn of the shoulder and head towards the ball, and then catch it with the far hand and move it to the chest with a raking movement.
Basic passing techniques:
There are several technically correct ways to pass the ball. One of the most basic is a transfer with two hands from the chest. In this position, the ball is most protected from the attacks of opponents, and besides, the transfer from the chest is the most accurate and reliable, regardless of whether it is carried out on the spot or while the player is moving.
- Two-handed transmission from below is more often used after stops and turns. During the swing, the ball is taken to the thigh, after which it is sent to another player with a sharp movement of both hands. Such a transfer is effective for beating especially tall opponents.
- One-handed passes are less accurate and more often used when speed is important.
Their development should be given special attention in training in order to achieve maximum strength and accuracy. - The shoulder pass is used when the ball needs to be passed as far and as fast as possible, and the hook pass, performed in an arcing motion, is good for passing the opponent.
- To get around a nimble and agile opponent, a rebound pass will also be good. It can be done with one or two hands. In this case, the push of the ball must be strong, and the rebound point must be closer to the receiving player.
What about dribbling?
Dribbling is the most basic thing in basketball. What makes this sport different from the rest. Simply put, dribbling is dribbling. It allows the player in possession of the ball, without violating strict basketball rules, to enter a position convenient for attacking, approach the ring and score the ball. The dribbling is carried out by elastic pushes of the ball with the fingers. It is dribbling that should be given special attention in training beginners.
Well-developed dribbling technique will teach you not only how to move on the court, but also skillfully take the ball away from your opponents, which will bring you closer to the coveted ring.
But we already wrote about how to properly throw the ball into the ring in our other article;)
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