Ball Handling Workout
About 99% of the time I like to start my skill development workout with some type of ball handling. I wanted to share in this blog a quick 5 minute stationary ball handling routine any player can do before or after practice. Feel free to modify this workout to accommodate your needs or skill set. Before we get into the drills lets look at a few things to remember.
- Technique before speed - When learning any new skill you want to learn the technique first before you go on to speed. I always tell my players to have a wide stance, a little wider than shoulder width, knees flexed, hips dropped, back straight, and eyes up. This should be their position when doing the following workout.
- Pound dribble the basketball - When dribbling the ball they want to use a hard pound dribble. The pound dribble has a few advantages: 1. Makes your dribble quicker, which will make you moves quicker. 2. A quicker dribble allows you to get your shot off quicker. 3. A quicker dribble will also allow you get your pass off quicker. A lot of turnovers happen because the ball handler is a little late on the pass.
- Don't worry about making a mistake - If the player(s) challenge themselves and dribble the ball hard using a pound dribble they will lose control. This is fine. I tell my players I want to see mistakes. I want to see how they respond and if they can play through mistakes.
Now that let's look at a workout that can improve your ball handling and take your game to another level.