Looking for basketball dribbling drills? You’ve come to the right place!
In today’s game, knowing how to handle the ball is not just the job of the point guard. To run a smooth offense, every player (from 1 to 5) has to be a proficient dribbler and passer. And that requires some serious practice time spent on ball handling!
The 4 Basic Types of Dribbles
Mastering these four types of dribbles will allow you to handle the ball in the half-court, in the transition game, under the basket, or under pressure from a defender.
Control Dribble
A stationary or slow moving dribble move, with the shoulders and hips square to the basket and the ball low to the ground.
Usually used to bring the ball up court and initiate the offense from the perimeter. Focus on protecting the ball with the off-arm and keeping the head up to scan the court.
Power Dribble
A stationary or slow moving dribble move, with the shoulders and hips perpendicular to the basket and the ball low to the ground.
Usually used when posting up under the basket. Or - using two hands for one hard dribble - gathering yourself before attempting a power layup.
Speed Dribble
A fast-moving dribble move done at a full run.
Typically used during fast breaks when a player pushes the ball up court with pace. They key here is to push the ball out in front and catch up with it.
Crossover Dribble
Using a dribble to transfer the ball from one hand to the other, directly in front of the body, through the legs, or behind the back.
Often used to create separation and beat a defender. Expert players can string together multiple crossover dribbles to put a defender off-balance and create driving lanes to the basket.
Basketball Dribbling Drills
Below, I’ve listed some of my favorite basketball dribbling drills to help you practice these techniques and become a better ballhandler!
Inside, Out & Go
This is a good intermediate dribble move drill.
Behind The Back Catch Drill
This drill is great for helping with your hand-eye coordination.
Up and Back Drill
This is a great drill for practicing to maintain space between your feet while dribbling the ball.
Up and Under (Baseline)
This drill will allow players to experiment with different finished – jump hooks, power layups and finger rolls to name a few.
Figure 8 Drill
This intermediate ballhandling drill is one of the most popular dribbling drills taught to youth basketball players.
Gravel Drill
This is a great warm-up drill that also develops the in/out dribble move.
Four Ball Partner Exchange
This is a great dribbling and passing drill that works on the exchange and communicating between exchanges.
North/South Dribble
This is a great ballhandling drill for beginners and advanced players! For advanced ballhandlers, try standing feet shoulder width apart and using two balls at the same time.
Pretzel Walk Drill
Players learn to pass the ball through their legs while moving on the court in this fundamental ballhandling drill. Focus more on handling the ball properly rather than getting to halfcourt and back quickly.
Triangle Flip Flop Drill
The key to improving is to get out of your comfort zone and force your body and mind to adapt. This drill allows you to improve your ballhandling skills, and as you improve, run the drill faster to really challenge your dexterity!
Basketball Dribbling Tips
As you go through these drills, keep these techniques in mind…
- For stationary dribbling drills, get in good dribbling position with knees bent, arm bar out in front.
- Always have your head up. See the position of your teammates. See the hoop and where you are on the court. See the position of the defense.
- Keep your knees bent and back straight. Bad posture forces your head down and causes you to lose vision.
- Dribble the ball with your fingertips, not your palms
- 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.
- Make sure you work on the strong hand and weak hand equally. Players who can drive in both directions are much harder to guard
- Advanced players should work on combining two dribbling moves together – a primary dribbling move (to beat your initial defender) and a secondary move (to get past the help defense) and score
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