Ball Handling Essentials
Improving your ball handling skills is essential to your game's development. You can effectively improve this skill in as little as 15 minutes per day. It is important to find the time to improve your ball handling daily. It will be a w work in progress. Even the best players in the started exactly where you are today. It's a decision only you can make to put in the necessary time to get better at it. Here are few key tips you should use each day to improve your skill.
Use your finger pads on your hand to improve your ball handling skills: The finger area from the tip of your fingers to the first joint line. Similar to shooting techniques, you do not want to dribble with the palms of your hands. Use the finger pads to control the basketball ball.
Pound the ball to the floor: Do not be afraid to dribble with force. It's important to pound the basketball to allow yourself to stay in proper position to beat the defender. When you dribble the basketball allow your wrist to follow through as if you were shooting the basketball.
Keep your head up and your eyes moving: Even the great ones will look down from time to time to locate the ball when they are creating space to score. As much as possible keep your eyes and head up. This will allow you to see open teammates, the defense, and find your opportunities to make a play for your team.
Practice dribbling North and South ( not East or West): During your training you should focus on moving North and South as much as possible. There are times you will need to dribble East and West. To be aggressive you need to attach going forward and to escape potential defensive pressure it important to use reverse dribbles to create space. Use your imagination to to create scenarios that are game like. Use North/ South movements to help your team be successful.
Develop a variety of moves: Learn to use a variety of combo moves to escape from your opponent. The basic dribbles are between the legs, behind the back, crossover and inside out dribbles. If you watch any of your favorite players you will see their moves contain a combination of these four basic dribbles. Take the time to develop different combinations of these 4 basic dribble moves to improve your skill level.
Change Speeds: Changing speeds is one of the most underrated yet most important skill you can add to improve your ballhandling. High level basketball players have mastered this concept very well. Start of dribbling towards the basket half speed and then use a dribble combination such as between the legs crossover and speed up your movements to escape past the defender. Spend your time figuring out what works for you by experimenting each time you practice.