Basketball Dribbling

Basketball dribbling is one of the fundamental skills every player needs to have in order to succeed on the court. Whether you call it dribbling, ball handling, your handle, the bouncy bouce, whatever, you have to be able to dribble the rock to excel in the game, especially if you’re a guard or wing player. Yes, some big men and hustle players can excel without putting the ball on the floor, but in the ever-evolving game, even big men are expected to have some sort of decent handle.

Like any of the fundamentals there is really one thing you need to do to get better. Practice. Loads and loads of practice. If you want to be a ball handler in high-level basketball you should eat, sleep , drink basketball. The Spaulding should also be on your person, whether you’re hittin’ the store for a loaf of bread, quart of milk and a stick of butter, going from class to class on the quad or playin’ pickup at the park. Dribble, dribble, dribble.

The ball needs to become an extension of your hand.. For hours and hours a day you should be dribbling a basketball, until the sound of the pound becomes as familiar as your own voice.

I can’t stress this enough. You have to put in the hours.

Basketball Dribbling Drills

Tools to Tighten the Handle

Of course, some hours are more productive than others and if you need to get the most out of your practice time, a specific set of basketball dribbling drills can make you THE DRIBBLER as you bring the ball up court, split double teams, break the press, snap ankles with a wicked crossover, lead the break or slash the lane.

There are handling drills that will help you round out your skills and remove your mind from the process. If you’re thinking about going between the legs or ‘round the back or switchin’ to your off hand, you are more likely to kick it out of bounds or expose the ball to a hawking defender.

Dribbling has to be second nature. Performing drills where you practice all the different moves makes rounds out your skill so you’re never in a dribbling position of weakness. You’re not going to use everything in your bag of dribbling tricks every time down court, but it’s nice to know the skills are there when you need them.

But, before you become the next Killa Handle on the And1 tour, you need to master the fundamentals. Sounds boring, but if you can dribble flawlessly with both hands, dribble at full speed, dribble without looking at the ball and keep the dribble on your fingertips, you’ll have a perfect foundation for building up your house of basketball dribbling skills.

My whole hearted recommendation is that you get in the gym, on the playground or even on your driveway and practice some basic skills:

• Go the length of the court as fast as you can with your right hand and come back as fast as you can with the left. Once that makes you exhausted…
  
  
• Walk it up the court three straight dribbles, then around the back to your left. Three straight dribbles, then around the back to your right. 6 lengths of the court.
  
  
• Next…Go as far as you can simply dribbling through your legs non-stop. Righthand long-stride between the legs, lefthand, long-stride between the legs. Up and down the court. 6 lengths.

Do these every day and you're well on your way to basketball dribbling mastery.

Basketball Dribbling Canadian Style

A great way to improve your basketball dribbling is emulating the best players in the game today. Watch how they play and try to do what they do. Steve Nash is one of the best points guards and dribblers in the NBA today

He’s going to find you if you get open and reward you if you run the court. Nash has incredible vision and can get to any point on the floor with his dribble. Watch him play. He puts constant pressure on the defense because he’s always looking to attack with penetration or passing.

And the truth about his success is that he takes care of himself with a great workout regime and he practices the fundamentals non-stop.

So, come November, start watching Nash play and in the meantime, you might want to check a video package he put together, showing up-and-coming players a great 20-minute workout and lots of drills, including excellent ball handling tips. This set of two DVDs is a bestseller for good reason. It’s packed full of must-have info.

Pete Maravich Basketball Dribbling Breakfast Menu

The late Pete Maravich was one of the all-time great ball handlers and one of the original basketball showmen. He was this skinny white dude with floppy socks and mop hairdo, but he could straight up ball. He still holds the all-time college scoring record, despite only playing three years and no three-point line. Pistol Pete, the nickname he picked up while playing for his father at LSU, averaged 44.2 points per game for his career.

Maravich also wasn’t bad in the NBA, averaging 24.2 points per game during his 10-year career.

“You don’t get here by just wishin.”

- Pete Maravich after explaining how he spent 8 hours a day on basketball drills in the summer months (4 in the winter months).

First check out one of the original basketball dribbling wizards, who’s flash and style were way ahead of his time, so when you watch his basketball dribbling drills you will know why you're listenin’ to this dude.




Now, take a look at this clip with the late Red Auerbach and start doing these five drills today. You’ll improve your ball handling confidence. Just be careful with that bullet ricochet drill. That could go very wrong.



OK, now check out the breakfast special drills and take your dribble to the next level. Pistol kind of looks like a backporch moonshine swillin’, roll your own smokin’ hick in these dribbling skills videos he shot after his playing days, but you can’t deny the man had handles. Don’t be scared off by the smarmy musical intro:



After his career was over, Maravich made a series of videos called Homework basketball, including tape three called Ball Handling. The clip above was from that instructional. I highly recommend this video for its terrific dribbling drills, though they are very advanced so make sure you’re ready or you’ll get frustrated.