Basketball Dribbling Drills Are Great for the Off-Season
Improving Ball-Handling Skills During Summer Will Pay Off In Winter
May 11, 2009
Success on the court often comes from how well a team practices. But more and more, practice is extending beyond the season and working on basketball skills is year-round regiments for those serious about finding success come March.
While finding a gym and nine others to practice with can be daunting in the summer, working on ball-handling skills is something any player can work on, anywhere and pretty much any time.
Muscle Memory
When the basketball season ends, athletes look forward to the spring and usually for most high school students a different sport. There obviously is nothing wrong with that as participating in other disciplines keeps athletes fit and limber.
But for the basketball player, the danger lies in forgetting to handle a ball until next November when practice begins.
All of us have what is called muscle memory. Our muscles are able to “remember” repeated movements and most professional athletes have perfected the muscle memory needed for their sport. Think Tiger Woods spending hours on the driving range or a place kicker putting up field goal try after field goal try in warm up.
Basketball is no different. Without picking up a basketball in the off season, the muscles used to execute these skills will lose their memory. That is why many players when practice rolls around find it a slow going process and find they do not have the refined skills they had at the end of last season.
But by instituting a few simple ball handling drills into their summer vacation, athletes can help retain that muscle memory and build on last season rather than starting over.
Around the World Drill
One of the basic tenets of ball handling is simply being able to control the ball while moving at a high speed. The around the world drill, teaches players to hold on to the ball in an unstable situation.
Stand with your feet shoulders width apart. Start by circling the ball around your head. Keep the ball moving around your body as you move it around your waist and then your knees. Keep raising and lowering the ball up and down your body, keeping your eyes forward as you circle the ball.
After a minute of circling the ball in one direction, stop and circle the ball around your body in the opposite direction but still moving up and down your body.
Figure Eight Drill
Another great way to increase ball-handling skills is with the figure eight drill. Put your feet more than shoulder with apart and bend at the waist.
Put the ball through the front of your legs with one hand, catching the ball behind the legs with your other hand. Wrap the ball around the leg on the same side that of the hand that you caught the ball with (i.e. if you caught the ball with your left hand, wrap the ball around the outside of your left leg). Then send the ball through the front of the legs again catching the ball with the opposite hand.
Keep your eyes up and again try to do it for a minute or so and then switch directions. Variations of the figure eight drill include dribbling the ball through your legs or bouncing the ball from hand to hand.
The Ladder Drill
The Ladder drill may be one of the more underrated drills in basketball. The drill will benefit any player from guards to post players.
The drill focuses on developing nimbleness in your fingers and teaches you to keep the ball on your fingertips. Whether you are dribbling, rebounding or shooting, the basketball should always be on your fingertips and never touching the palm of the hand.
For the Ladder, stand with the ball out in front of you and your arms complete extended. Quickly pass the ball back and forth from hand to hand keeping it on your fingertips.
As you pass the ball back and forth, raise and lower your arms so that you have the ball over your head and then bring it all the way down so that it nearly touches the ground.
Like the other drills, try to do this drill without watching the ball and see if you can do it for a minute or so. As you get better at the ladder drill, you can move the ball back and forth on your fingertips faster and faster.
