Best Basketball Dribbling Drills to Improve Ball-Handling Skills

Written By: Lamar Hull @ Google+

Being able utilize ball handling dribbling drills effectively is a cornerstone to being a solid basketball player.

Point guards obviously need to master dribbling in order to be at the top of their game, but everybody who takes the court needs to be familiar with how to effectively dribble a basketball in order for a team to be successful.

Here are a handful of tips and dribbling drills that will help you become a better hall handler and keep your defender on his heals.

Coach Calipari from Kentucky came and talked to my AAU team and he stated that when they start recruiting players, he initial looks at their ball-handling abilities.

He believes if they can handle the ball better than average this will help that player excel at the college level, with tighter and better defense, full and half court presses, and the pressure at that level.

#1 Use Force when Dribbling

One great ball handling dribbling drill that quickly develops the muscles involved in dribbling a basketball is to dribble it very forcefully.

This will help develop the coordination and strength of the fingertips, wrists and forearms, three areas of the body that are crucial for effective dribbling.

I use to pound the basketball until my arms started hurting, at that point I knew I was putting my ball handling ability to the test.

I was able to learn ball control and strengthen my fingertips by pounding the basketball.

This is how you need to practice dribbling the basketball. By pounding it as you dribble, your reaction to the balls bounce will increase causing you to be more aware of your movements with the ball and controlling the basketball as you change directions and speeds on the court.

#2 Do NOT Look at the ball while Dribbling

The best way to increase your comfort level with dribbling is to learn how to do so without ever looking at the basketball.

The truly great ball handlers such as in the pros have a mental and physical connection with the basketball that allows them to understand and quickly anticipate where it will be next.

People who look at the basketball while they dribble become easy targets for good defenders. If you dribble with your head down, you also can’t make the right pass to your teammates.

Use the basketball dribbling goggles to help force yourself not to be able to see the basketball when dribbling.

#3 Be Creative with the Basketball

Black-and-white footage from the 1940s and 50s shows professional basketball players dribbling the ball very conservatively, and often in straight lines.

Thankfully, the art of ball handling has opened up quite a bit in the past decades, and some of the best point guards at the professional and college level are actually able to execute moves that have never been seen before.

You don’t have to be as fancy as the AND-1 players like Skip to My Lou or Hot Sauce, but don’t be a robot.

If you really want to be creative, check out Pistol Pete’s Homework Basketball: Dribbling and Ball Handling.

He will not disappoint you when it comes to challenging yourself with dribbling a basketball.

What I love about Pistol Pete is that he challenged his ball handling skills. He tried so many ways to make himself UNCOMFORTABLE when dribbling a basketball, so when he played in an actual game, nothing would cause him to panic when handling the basketball.

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#4 Dribbling & Geometry

Being able to dribble your way all over the court is certainly a valuable skill, but you will not be able to turn it into offensive production for your team unless you understand the correct angles that lead to open passes and easy baskets.

#5 Keep the Palm out of it

The ideal ball handling dribbling technique involves touching the ball with only the edges of your fingers and fingertips, an arrangement that gives the dribbler the utmost control and agility.

Dribbling the ball using the palm of your hand will slow you down every step of the process.

#6 Cut the Fat

Once you have learned how to dribble at a very high level, the natural tendency is to drift into the realm of unnecessary showboating while on the court.

This does no good for a player’s team or personal reputation. The best dribblers use their skills as a means of getting points on the board and winning basketball games, not for making mixtape highlight reels.

Again, don’t be fancy like the AND-1 players. I loved watching the AND-1 highlights when I was young and I tried to imitate those dribbling moves, it was cool, but ultimately it got me nowhere.

#7 Practice Outside of the Box

Many of the most diligent basketball players put in countless hours of practicing their ball handling with dribbling drills and working on their dribbling techniques.

Add a little bit of creative thinking in your dribbling workout, which can take your game to a whole new level.

Some creative dribbling ideas could consist of; dribbling a basketball down a dirt road, paved road, gravel road and even on grass can be an excellent way to enhance reflexes and get a better feel for the physics of the basketball.

The park near my house was a 30 minute walk, so I used to dribble there and back and iterate several different dribbling moves at a jogging pace.

This helped my ball handling tremendously. The sidewalk was narrow, so I had to make sure not to lose the basketball while dribbling or I would have been hit by a car.

I wouldn’t recommend trying this, but yes, I lived on the edge and that is what made me the basketball player that I became.

basketball ball handling dribbling drills

Pete Maravich Dribbling Drill Video

Effective Ball Handling Program

Alex Maroko is a professional basketball trainer who specializes in training basketball players.

Interestingly, he was cut from his middle school team which then motivated him to become a better basketball player.

He worked on his game, more specifically his ball handling, and eventually was playing at the collegiate level.

Maroko, reminds me of me and how I used my peers’ negativity to help motivate me to become a better basketball player. It definitely worked for me as it did Maroko.

Today, Maroko is a prestigious sports trainer and has created several basketball training programs. Check out Maroko’s basketball dribbling transformation video below.

Do you want to improve your ball-handling and be a more effective dribbler?

Maroko, the Pro Guard Trainer, is giving away his 4 week ball handling workout transformation Here! And guess what? It is 100% FREE!!

More than 40,000 Players across the world are already using Maroko’s unbelievable dribbling system to develop their ball handling. Players are dribbling the basketball with confidence like never before…

Alex Maroko’s Effective Ball Handling Dribbling Program Transformation