How to Dribble a Basketball

Dribbling in basketball is a basic skill that every player should master. This move allows a player to move around in the court while he possesses the ball. It is a legal method that allows one to advance with the ball and make a score as opposed to that of passing it to a teammate to shoot it for the basket. This move involves bouncing the ball off the floor with one's hands as he covers the court.

Basic Instructions

Dribbling is one of the basic basketball drills for beginners. Start the practice for dribbling by holding the ball with both the hands. Flex your legs and release the ball. As the ball bounces back use the tips of your fingers to make the ball bounce repeatedly. It is important to maintain the bounce height up to your hip level only. Every time a ball hits the ground it will bounce back up 75% of its original height. Hence exert enough pressure on the ball so that it is at a height from which managing the ball as you dribble would be easy.

Use only the tips of the fingers to dribble the ball. Employ the wrist and the forearm to push the ball while covering the court. Involving the whole hand will not only exert the hand more but it will also make one lose control of the ball easily. Don't keep the fingers in touch with each other while dribbling. Spread them apart to the extent you are comfortable as this allows better control of the ball as it dribbles. Dribble the ball to one side of your body and not right in front. This is specially important when you have to protect the ball from a defender. While you dribble with one hand, use the other to keep the defender away from the ball.

Dribbling allows the player a chance to move around and approach the basket of the other team. To be able to do this effectively you need to look in front. This can be done only if you don't look at the ball. Hence while dribbling the basketball one must not look at! This allows one to take a good look at the court and choose the teammate to whom he wants to pass the basketball so that a score can be hit pass. Or he could also use this time to work out a way of how to dodge the defense and make it to the basket.

It is important that one knows to dribble a basketball properly with both hands. The game of basketball is a fast paced one. A player does not have enough time to pass the ball on to the hand he is more comfortable dribbling with. Hence it is crucial for every player to be able to dribble a basketball efficiently with either hand. While changing hands to dribble, hit the ball across hard and quick so that it moves to the other side of your body. Be ready to gain control of the ball with the other hand.

Dribbling a Basketball While Running

Those who want learn to how to dribble while running, must keep their hand behind the ball and not on top of it as is required while dribbling the ball at low levels while performing the control dribble or the low dribble (one of the methods of dribbling). Then push the ball in front of you. Run up behind it as the ball covers ground. Maintain hand at a slanting position (say 45 degrees) and let the ball bounce up to the waist level. For dribbling the basketball while running, remember to throw the ball only as far as you are sure you can run and cover the ground and maintain control over the ball.

For those who want to learn the trick for dribbling faster, it is important to understand that first one needs to master the technique of having control over the ball. Start at a slow pace. Then as you are confident that you have complete control of the ball and don't need to look at while dribbling it, increase the pace of the dribble. As is the case with most skills, if you want to master the technique of dribbling a basketball, practice is the only way out.