There are lots of flashy moves with a basketball – you’ve seen them through the years. The driving speed dribble and on-the-move dribbling of some of the greatest players ever to grace the court are amazing to watch – but it all begins with the fundamentals of ball handling.

No one will ever be great – or even adequate – on the boards without a firm mastery of how to dominate the ball in the face of defenders.

I never get tired of saying it: practice, practice, practice! (Although I’m sure they’re probably tired of hearing it here at the Basketball Goal Store!)

With a Goalrilla Goal Basketball system at your house, that’s where the hours of ball handling practice can take place. A Goalrilla Basketball Goal is quality-made to endure hours and hours of hard play and allow practice at just the right height for every player.

Ball Handling Fundamentals

Footwork

• Both feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
• The position and angle of the feet will depend on the player’s and defender’s position.

Lower Body Position

• The lower body will be bent at the knees and legs are flexed.
• Solidly planted feet allow the player to extend the leg from a bent position into a stride to extend the dribble in either direction and cover distance.

Upper Body Position

• Upper body remains slightly forward with back straight, shoulders square

Head and Eyes Position

• Head is up, centered over body to maintain proper balance
• Eyes are looking forward (up the court) while dribbling

Arm Position:

• Off arm is up, ready to protect the ball from the defender
• Upper portion of off arm is extended away from the body
• Lower portion of off arm is horizontal across the ball handler’s position
• Upper portion of dribbling arm is close to the body
• Lower portion of dribbling arm pushes the ball into the dribble and remains extended to accept the ball returning in the dribble

Hand and Finger Position

• The dribbling hand will be spread over the surface of the basketball with the fingers, fingertips and pads making direct contact (NOT the palms!!) with the basketball
• As the ball is dribbled, the fingers extend down to drive teh ball downward and then follows the rhythm of the up and back down motion

These are the fundamentals of a sound stationary dribble. Mastering the basic handling technique opens the door for the player to execute more advanced ball handling components – which can turn him into an all-around ball handler any team would be proud to include!

-Pat of the Basketball Goal Store Blog Team