Learning how to dribble a basketball

Having a low center of gravity helps with dribbling in many ways. You are in a stable position to run while dribbling and are able to endure physical defenders and keep the ball. It also helps with our second step on technique, which is to make sure to keep the ball as low as you are.

2. Dribble Ball Low

A general rule of thumb while dribbling the ball is to keep the height of the bounce between your knee and waist and never dribble it higher than your belt line. The lower the ball, combined with your body also being low, the more difficult for the defender to steal the ball from you.

3. Keep Your Head Up

This step will take some time to master. Dribbling with your eyes up and not on the ball is hard initially, especially during a game. But once you are able to both dribble and survey the court, you are in a much better position offensively. Maybe a teammate is open for a basket, or maybe you are open for a jump shot if your defender is not guarding you closely. There are a number of situations that you may not be aware of on the basketball court if you don’t have your head up while dribbling.

4. Fingertips, Not Palm

The ball should rarely ever touch the palm or heel of your hand while dribbling. Using your fingertips, instead of your palm, can give you more control over the ball. If you were to use your palm your technique would look more like you are slapping at the ball instead of bouncing it and receiving it with your fingers and a softer touch.

5. Bounce The Ball Hard

Once you have mastered how to dribble the ball you are going to want to make sure you bounce the ball hard to the ground. In your dribbling motion, your arm will extend and your wrist should snap forward while your fingertips push the ball to the ground. Bouncing the ball hard ensures the most efficient motion and gives you a better chance of the ball bouncing with enough speed to return to your fingers each time.

3 Killer Dribbling Drills for Beginners

1.

While this drill may seem too easy, it is used in practice and drills at all levels of play, including in the NBA. While they use the drill as more of a warmup, it is highly effective at the beginner level due to the repetitive nature of the drill.

For the Stationary Dribble (also called “Pounding”) drill, you will bend down in a low athletic stance and quite literally pound the ball to the ground as hard as you can. Remember to keep the ball between your knees and waist when you are dribbling. This drill is great for your muscle memory and also gets you very acquainted with the act of dribbling at a basic level. You can switch hands for this drill and “POund” with both your left and right hand to practice with both.

2. Stationary Crossover Dribble

The crossover is one of the most effective moves in basketball if done right. It is a change of direction move, like the between the legs or behind the back move, where you dribble hard in one direction and then plant your foot, dribble the ball across your body to your other hand, and quickly change the direction of your move.

A great starter drill for the crossover is a stationary move where you get into an athletic stance and continuously cross the ball over for a period of time. Once you get the hang of it, compete with yourself: count how many crossovers you can do in one minute and try setting a new high score every day.

3. Zig Zag Dribble

Now that you have gotten the hang of dribbling in a stationary position, let’s add some moving with our dribbles. This drill will involve approximately 100 feet of straightaway distance, preferably the length of a basketball court.

You will start in one corner of the basketball court and begin to dribble diagonally up the court until a certain point, usually marked with a cone or chair, and then make a change of direction move back towards the sideline of the court. You can start with crossovers at the cone or chair and work your way up to changing direction between your legs or behind your back in the drill. The video linked in the title does a great job of showing the full scope of the drill.

Best Dribblers in the NBA Today

There are so many talented ball-handlers playing in the NBA, which makes it tough to pick out only a few. However, the two I chose are on another planet in terms of their ball-handling and may all go down in history as some of the most talented dribbers ever.

James Harden

Harden is one of the top scorers in the league each year and the main reason is because of how talented a dribbler he is. His moves are all very complex and he uses several moves in a row during most of his attempts to get to the basket. He is a deadly outside shooter too making defenders have to guard his jumper which helps his chances of blowing by them for a layup.

Kyrie Irving

Irving can get by his defender and to the basket literally almost every time he touches the ball. He is known around the NBA as one of the best finishers meaning he can get to the rim, and once he does he usually always finds a way to put the ball in the hoop.

Irving looks like he has the basketball on a string on the court and has put together an impressive highlight reel of his dribble moves that should be studied by any player wanting to become great at dribbling the basketball.

Conclusion

Learning to dribble well can be tedious and involves doing the same task over and over again for hours before you can become great. However, the best players understand the importance of dribbling and work on it relentlessly.

Who are some of your favorite ball-handlers in the NBA today? Drop us some names in the comments section!

Basic Basketball Dribbling Rules: Brief and Clear

In modern basketball, dribbling and dribbling are the basic principles of moving around the field. The player cannot take the ball in his hands and run to the ring. This will be considered a violation. And what other nuances of dribbling and dribbling exist? It turns out that you can’t put your other hand forward and take more than two steps with the ball. But it was not always so.

In the early to mid-20th century, basketball was more like rugby with hanging hoops. Players often pushed, abused mass and strength, played for time. At 19In 1954, the rules were updated, and the game became much stricter about various physical contacts. Now the players had to learn to dribble and not to fight with the opponent. Basketball has become more beautiful and spectacular.

Definitions

Dribbling is the way a basketball player moves around the court. Only with the help of this technique is it possible for the player to move independently. Otherwise, dribbling can be called dribbling. But this definition is more often used when it comes to beating opponents, outplaying them in a one-on-one fight. Now good dribbling has become an integral part of any basketball game.

Despite the high demands placed on players by coaches, almost no one succeeds in turning the ball into their forte. The fact is that basketball is a very fast game in which a big bet is placed on team play. If a player thinks that he will be able to pass 5 opponents using dribbling, then in just a few seconds he will be disappointed. In the NBA, goals in which only one athlete took part are a rarity.

Dribbling technique

To get out of pressure you need to learn good dribbling technique. It is worth saying that there are several ways of dribbling:

• One hand. The most common way. There is a ball chasing on the ground with one hand, and the second can control the balance of the body. This is the most energy-saving and quiet way to drive.
• Two hands alternately. Also a common technique. It should be mastered by all those who want to increase their level of play to professional players. By changing two hands, you can confuse the enemy, as well as find a more profitable option for an attack.
• Translations. These are hard hits on the floor that lift the ball up to shoulder level with the dribbler. In this way, you can swing the enemy and pass into the open space.
• Crossover. The essence of this technique is to chasing the ball between the legs. One blow in front of you, and the second - already behind your back. This helps protect the ball from the opponent and does not give him the initiative in the fight.
• Behind the back. This method is rarely used in the real game. Most often it is used to warm up or tease an opponent.

There is approximately one technique for all these methods. Basketball players learn the rules of dribbling for a reason. This is necessary in order to better control the ball and not get injured during an incorrect reception. There are the following rules and tips for dribbling:

• The ball must bounce off the field and bounce off the fingers. No need to grab it with a full palm or try to hit the floor as hard as possible. The main thing is that a little effort is spent on dribbling, and the player’s hands do not get tired.
• Get close to the ground and dribble the ball without letting it go too far. In this position, the opponent will have less time to snatch the ball. It is better to change the style of dribbling, sometimes rising to his full height, and sometimes crouching to the ground.
• Need to unlearn looking at the ball while dribbling. It is advisable to dribble the ball without looking at all. In this way, it will be possible to follow the movements of the opponent, concentrating on the situation in the match.
• It is worth learning how to cover the ball with the body, preventing a player from the enemy team from reaching it. This is quite difficult to achieve, as blind dribbling means that the athlete will blindly control the ball without hitting it against other parts of the body.
• Take into account the angle of the ball rebound is also worth with active dribbling. If you stand and mint at an angle of 90 degrees, then there will be no progress. If the angle is too large, then the ball may not be in time, and if it is too small, then the progress will be too slow. Dribbling is very important to professional basketball players as it is the second most important aspect of moving around the field (passing is the first).

Double dribble

This is the term used to describe a violation when a player starts dribbling again after picking up the ball. This is prohibited by the rules. If an athlete receives the ball from a partner, then he can take the ball with both hands and start dribbling, but only once. Let's say the player stopped dribbling. He takes the ball in his hands and begins to look around the court. Now he has only two options:

1. Pass to a teammate.
2. Throw into the ring.

All this can be done after two steps with the ball. It will not count as a run. It is worth saying that jumping with the ball in this situation is prohibited. In case of violation of the rules, the player will be declared out of bounds, and possession will be transferred to the other team.

Common Mistakes

Leading is a difficult technique that takes a lot of time and effort to master. But to increase the value for the team, you can study the most common mistakes:

• Individualist. If you get carried away with dribbling, it will be difficult to achieve a result. Basketball is a team game where passing is more important than dribbling. You need to look at partners more often and see good moments: both for driving and for assists.
• Flirting. Of course, all professional players have excellent ball possession, so they can afford some tricks and tricks right next to the opponent. Ordinary players will not benefit from such “tricks”. It is better to always control the ball, because underestimating the opponent is the main mistake of basketball.
• Pushing the opponent away. When dribbling, don't pay too much attention to the opposing team. If a player starts to make close contact, then there is a high probability of earning a foul or losing the ball. It is better to go around the opponent or look for an opportunity to pass.
• Do not exercise. Some players think that possession will develop during the game, but this is a strong misconception. Like any other technique, dribbling requires attention and diligence. You need to devote a lot of time to this in order to progress and feel more comfortable during the match.
• Prefer dribbling over throwing. Let's say the player is near the paint line, but decides to get close to the ring and dunk. This decision may result in a loss of the ball or a foul in the 3-second zone. If there is an opportunity to shoot from close range, then it is always worth doing it, and not switching to dribbling.

Practice Drills

To learn how to dribble well, you need to practice more. The following exercises will help with this:0003

• Hold the ball in your hand, drop it down in a smooth motion and hit the ground. Only one hand works. This will help develop wrist strength.
• One player picks up the ball, and the second grabs it in a way that suits him. Now task number two is to try to get the projectile out. The first player must tense all the muscles to prevent the ball from popping out. Develops strong hands.
• Long dribbling. Everything is clear here. You need to go into dribbling and mint the ball for 3, 5, 10 minutes. After the noticeable wobble disappears, and the athlete has a better feel for the car, control over the ball will begin to feel better.
• Dribbling the ball between the legs with a crossover will also help you better feel the speed and angle of the ball. This exercise can improve not only control, but also dribbling skills close to the opponent.
• Alternately dribbling the ball first with one hand and then with the other will also help you feel the game better. A player who knows how to control with both hands will always feel confident on the court.

Important nuances in the game

Keep in mind that successful dribbling requires strong and powerful hands. Basketball players practice a lot off the court as well. It is advisable to visit the gym, where you can increase the grip strength and leg power. High jumps and strong arms are the hallmarks of any professional basketball player. It is also worth developing endurance, because dribble is the same run, but with increased concentration.

A strong corps will help in clashes with even the biggest opponents. Of course, now players with good stamina and fast running are more valued, but this does not mean that opponents will always be slower or weaker than the team.

How to dribble in basketball

I'll tell my honorary readers of the blog Pro-Basketball.Ru, how to dribble in basketball correctly when the path to the basket is clear.

Push (but do not hit) it with a forward and downward movement of the hand and fingers of one hand with such force that the ball, bouncing off the floor, is at the level of the hand. Don't forget the correct stance. If you dribble with your right hand, your left foot should be half a step forward.

Hold the ball with spread fingers from top to back. Starting to dribble in basketball, take a step with your left foot, and push the ball forward and down with your right hand. Drag the basketball a little in front of you, to the side, always with the hand farthest from the opponent.

Learn to dribble without looking at your opponent. Then you will clearly see what is happening on the court, and when your friend is in an advantageous position, you can immediately pass the ball to him.

If a basketball guard is close enough to hit or take the ball away from you, stop. It is best to stop with a jump, so that both legs are preferably on the same line. If the defender is very close to you and is trying to hit the ball, hide it from the defender, turn away from him.

This technique is called turning. What is a turn and how to do it? When you stop with a jump and both your feet are on the same line, you can turn to one side and the other.

Transfer the weight of your body to the right foot, push off with the left and, without straightening (crouching on the right foot), turn your back to the defender, putting your left foot to the right. Know that you should not often turn away from the protector. You won't see your basketball teammates or what's going on on the court. Is that bad.

Use turn only if you need to save the ball. Turning will also help get around the defender. You have the ball and you can dribble it. The defender came very close. Turning around, you leave it behind your back and dribble the ball towards the basket.

You need to be able to dribble not only in a straight line. Learn to dribble by changing direction, now with your right hand, then with your left hand. For example, you dribble the ball with your right hand. Your opponent on the right is trying to knock him out of you. Taking a step with your left foot, push the ball with your right forward and down towards your left hand, but do not catch it with your left foot. Then dribble the ball with your left hand.

If your friend is in a better position, don't dribble, but pass the ball. Do not hit the ball with your hand, but push it down, accompanying with your fingers.

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