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.
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.
Head up at all times. Look at the rim or a spot on the wall during all practice.
Use your finger tips to control the ball, not your palm.
Use your imagination. Picture when and how you would use each of the dribbles.
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.
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.
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.
Don't do things in 2 dribbles that you can do in 1.
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.
SKLZ Court Vision dribble goggles will help you develop better ball control and improved awareness of the whole court. They force players to handle the ball with their head up to survey the court...(more info)
Between the Legs Dribble Basketball Move
As the game of basketball has progressed, the difficulty and the variety of offensive moves has increased. There was a time when a between the legs dribble was revolutionary. Now it is something you see all the time.
The first time a player dribbled between their legs in a game the spectators heads probably exploded. Now most offensive possessions include a between the legs dribble.
But beyond the showmanship of the between the legs dribble, it actually serves an important function.
Dribbling the ball from one hand to another is one of the more susceptible moments for an offensive player. This is a common situation that leads to steals for the defense. By using the between the legs dribble it allows the offensive player to switch hands while putting an obstacle in the way (your leg) making it harder for the defender to steal the ball.
When To Use The Between The Legs Dribble
The between the legs dribble can be used as either a way to shake a defender off to create space or to move the ball from one hand to another while dribbling to create a better angle for a pass/move. Another way to use the between the legs dribble is to setup a defender for another offensive move, like a crossover.
These situations will usually occur at the top of the key or on the wings. Rarely are between the legs dribbles effective in the post or in high traffic areas. Again, the main goal of the between the legs dribble is to get the ball from the left hand to the right hand safely, or visa versa.
The Between the Legs Dribble in Action
Below you will find a thorough video showing the different ways to use the between the legs dribble. Our goal is to give you insight on how different players use this move differently so that you can see how to use the between the legs dribble more effectively in your game.
Not only does Coach Rock tell you how to do the between the legs dribble, but he also gives several great drills that you can do to improve.
How to Master The Between The Legs Dribble
If you watched the video above you should have a good idea about how to execute the between the legs dribble. Here are some additional tips to make the most out of both practice sessions and games.
Get Low
High dribbling is susceptible to quick handed defenders. To have an effective between the legs dribble you need to have strong quads and hamstrings that are flexible so that you can get lower than the defender. By keeping your between the legs dribble low the defender will not have the opportunity to steal the ball and will allow you a better chance to blow by them on your way to the basket.
Use the Between the Legs Dribble to Set Up Your Defender
Use It to Setup a Defender
Off the dribble moves are as much about timing and rhythm as they are about the moves themselves. The between the legs dribble is a great dribble to get your body in position and put your defender at an angle that is advantageous.
I like how the between the legs dribble gets your feet active. Be sure to focus on your footwork when doing the dribble and not just the act of putting the ball between your legs. Footwork is just as important as the actual ball handling.
Not a Great Move in Traffic
When you use the between the legs dribble your front leg creates an angle that is different from the crossover. To prove this concept take a basketball and do a crossover. Look at your feet and body right before the crossover dribble. One foot might be slightly in front of the other, but overall your chest and body are in a neutral position allowing you to go either right or left. Now do a between the legs dribble. See how your front foot creates an angle and closes your body off to one direction. If you execute the between the legs dribble and a help defender comes to the side you are dribbling to the ball is very exposed and is often stolen in this position.
While the angle created by the between the legs dribble helps you to avoid your primary defender it makes you very susceptible to the double teamer as your front leg gets in the way and it is hard to execute a quick retreat dribble when you are in such a committed position.
In high traffic situations I recommend using either a crossover or a behind the back dribble as these work better in motion and do not create any angles that make you susceptible to help defenders.
Finishing the Move: Learning to Dribble Between the Legs
Additional articles
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Dribbling is a fundamental skill in basketball. While dribbling between the legs may seem like just a flashy trick, this movement can actually help keep the ball out of the defender's hands. Practice the steps below to master the dribbling between the legs and impress the spectators on game day.
Steps
1
Hit the ball down with your fingertips, not your palm. Finger pads allow you to better control the direction of the ball bounce.
2
Use enough force to bounce the ball high enough for you to control it. This "golden mean" is usually at the height of your knees.
3
Keep your head straight and look straight ahead while dribbling. By looking down, you actually impair your balance and block your view of the court.
4
Stand on your toes, not on your whole foot. This allows you to move quickly and make sharp corners with your feet.
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1
Dribble with your dominant hand, keeping your knees bent, with low bounce.
2
Rotate your dominant hand so that your thumb points slightly towards the sky.
3
Push the ball sideways so that it bounces in a V-shape in front of your body, allowing you to get the ball into your opposite hand.
4
Practice cross dribbling until you feel comfortable passing the ball between your hands. This V-shaped cross dribbling is the basis of dribbling between the legs.
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1
Stand with the ball in your dominant hand and take a good step with your opposite foot in front of your other foot at a 45 degree angle to the rest of your body. Make sure your legs are bent and far enough apart to throw the ball between them.
2
Push the bounce ball to the side that matches your dominant hand and direct it between your legs.
Make sure you push the ball at the right angle and with enough force to get it between your legs without hitting your body.
Keep fingers wide apart to maintain good ball control
3
Be ready to receive the ball with your opposite hand after it has passed between your legs.
4
Change the position of the legs while jumping if you want to practice this in a stationary position. Quickly jump and change the position of the feet so that the opposite foot with the ball is in front.
If you're using a move between your legs to get around or change the direction of an opponent, you just need to step forward in that direction instead of using a jump in place.
Use your dexterity for this move as it must be fast and fluid in order to position yourself correctly to receive the ball.
5
Repeat steps 1-3 with opposite leg in front. Practice this move many times to get used to passing the ball and your position at the same time.
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Tips
If you plan to use this move out of necessity, use it only to change direction and confuse your opponent, not to show off.
Always keep your head straight when dribbling.
Practice these exercises as often as possible. Training really "makes perfect" and if you work hard you will quickly master the art of dribbling between your legs.
Keep your knees bent and dribble at knee height at all times.
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How to Dribble Between the Legs in Basketball - Wiki How Dribbling is a fundamental skill in basketball. While dribbling between the legs may seem like just a flashy trick, this movement can actually help keep the ball out of the defender's hands. Practice the steps below to master the dribbling between the legs and impress the spectators on game day.
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Basketball dribbling | Basketball coach
Dribbling is the second way to move a basketball around the court after a pass. Many coaches have a negative attitude towards excessive dribble across the clearing, arguing that only a pass can allow you to play fast basketball and develop tricky combinations. There is some truth in their words, of course. A lot of players pull the ball over and thump it all the time, when it would make much more sense to pass the ball. Basketball is no longer basketball without dribbling, so today we'll talk about how to comprehend this element of the game.
Technique of dribbling
Dribbling in basketball consists in moving the player with the ball around the court and simultaneously making alternate bounces of the ball off the floor with one hand. Simply put, you hit the ball on the floor, and it bounces and comes back. The technique of dribbling in basketball is not difficult, but not every player is good at dribbling the ball. The fact is that the enemy at any second can take it away from you or simply knock it out. Basketball dribbling is mainly used to transfer it to someone else's half or to beat the opponent and then throw the ball. Dribbling out the ball to minimize the risk of a long pass loss and to give teammates time to get into position in the opponent's half of the field. Everyone knows that big players are mostly bad at dribbling and it is easy to take it away from them. And not only because of their height (for tall people, the ball bounces higher and it is easier for small players to knock it out). The fact is that the big ones work out the dribble a little, concentrating exclusively on working under the basket, rebounds, fighting for the position. On the one hand, this is how the roles in the team are distributed in basketball. On the other hand, high-quality possession of the technique of dribbling will add versatility to you as a player and will allow you to create a much more serious threat to the enemy.
Learning to dribble is a constant practice. On the street, in training, at games. The more you drive the ball, the better you will be at it. This is the first truth. The second truth is to drive the ball without looking at it. this is especially important for point guards, who can dribble and analyze the situation on the court at the same time in order to instantly pass or command a combination. In order to quickly learn dribbling in basketball, you must also do various exercises. We recommend up to 15 minutes of dribble practice before each practice using special dribble goggles that cover the view below so the dribbler does not see the ball and learns to feel it.
Dribbling exercises
1. Regular dribbling. Before training, when the body is not yet warmed up, you can work on dribbling with a run and kill two birds with one stone.
2. Dribbling with two balls. This is a very useful exercise, but to get the maximum effect, you should alternate the method of dribbling: sometimes with a simultaneous rebound of two balls, then with a variable one. You can throw a second ball with a different rhythm.
3. Dribbling backwards and sideways. Try to move the ball and at the same time make a shuttle run around the court, or horizontal movements.
4. Constant dribbling. Even outside the basketball court or court, dribble. Mom asked me to meet you from the stop - take a walk there with the ball. Meet up for a couple of streetball games with friends 3 blocks away - walk around and hit the ball. Dribbling on uneven surfaces is especially effective in developing your coordination.
The Internet is full of manuals and other dribbling aids that recommend doing one, two, three, ten drills that will enable you to become a first-class dribbler. For example, some people recommend sitting on a chair and driving the ball while sitting between the legs or constantly spin the ball between the legs with a rebound height of 10-15 cm. Such exercises will certainly give a certain effect, since the technique of dribbling the ball in basketball can be quite different. But will they be useful in a real game? Perhaps at a streetball game or a freestyle show, but not in an official match. Practice these exercises as you please. Our team recommends the following video of Indiana Pacers forward Paul George sharing his dribbling secrets.
First of all, Paul emphasizes that while dribbling, always keep the hand above the ball (and not under it) and work actively with the hand using the pads of the fingers (not the whole palm). You should crouch as deep as possible to dribble the ball at the lowest possible height. When dribbling, you can make a crossover (crossover), that is, transfer the ball from one hand to another. At the same time, the body maintains a straight position, and the eyes look forward. The next element of dribbling, which is actively used in games, is the transfer of the ball between the legs. It is very important to do this translation so that the body is straight with the leg forward and a good squat. Translation behind the back is also often used by basketball players. At its core, it is similar to a crossover, only the ball bounces behind your back. Paul George often uses a turn while dribbling with a change of hand. It is extremely important to learn how to perform these exercises so that you do not look at the ball, but see the entire area in front of you. This is a huge bonus to your speed and reaction to what is happening on the field. practice these 4 basic elements of dribbling before each training session and very soon the progress will be very good.
On the field you will always have someone to take care of and prevent you from dribbling calmly. Therefore, you should dribble the ball near you, partially covering the body and the second hand. Always dribble the ball with the hand farthest from the opponent, and with the other - in the truest sense of the word - block his (her) hand from trying to knock the ball.
