Great ball-handling comes from smart, varied training—there's no one drill that can instantly make your ball-handling great. We have compiled tips and drills below to ensure your fundamentals are solid and you learn to control the ball the correct way.
The fundamentals of ball control
- Body Stance: Maintain a low, athletic position with hips and knees slightly flexed for a balanced base and good posture that allows for quick movement. Legs should be approx shoulder width apart.
- Hand Position: Use your fingertips—not your palms—to control the ball with precision and responsiveness."
- The Push: Use your wrist and forearm to push the ball down with controlled force. Aim to have your hand on the basketball for as long as possible to avoid slapping the ball.
- Location: Dribble to the side of your body to protect the ball and maintain your stride.
- Eyes: Keep your head up and eyes forward—build court vision by trusting your touch. Focus on the rim or a wall spot during drills to break the habit of looking down.
Switch up your hands
Practice with both hands to build ambidextrous control. Start by dribbling while walking, then progress to running and sprinting. Notice how your technique changes between hands, then focus extra time on your weaker side—balanced skills give you confidence to perform under pressure.
Practice... Drew Hanlen
Dribble with two balls
Practice with two balls to accelerate your development and coordination. Start stationary, then progress to walking with varied dribble heights, then running with quick direction changes—all while maintaining control.
- Start on the baseline, dribble to half-court bouncing both balls at the same time. MPve backwards on your way back.
- Start on the baseline, dribble to half-court alternating hands bouncing the balls.
Improve control and feel with the Maravich series
Named after "Pistol" Pete Maravich, an iconic American basketball player, widely regarded as one of the most talented and innovative players in the history of the sport. These drills are very good at getting players comfortable controlling the basketball.
See below drills to implement into your workout.
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Basketball is a game of length. Work on lengthening the dribble. Work to get your opportunities with 1 dribble. You don't beat defenses with your dribble. You beat people with your feet; you SEPARATE from your defense with the dribble.
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Basketball is also a game of angles. Try to move in straight lines. Whenever you make an "East-West" move (something that takes you toward the sideline), re-capture a "North-South" path (direct line to the basket) as quickly as possible.
- Don't do things in 2 dribbles that you can do in 1.
Ball Handling
Dribbling is ball control—ball handling is decision-making. Dribbling means bouncing the ball with precision; ball handling means using that dribble with purpose: attacking the basket, creating passing lanes, escaping pressure, or setting up your next move.
To develop true ball handling, practice game scenarios, not just stationary drills:
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Full Court Lay-ups - Start on the baseline. Dribble full court with right hand in as few dribbles as possible and make a lay-up, come back with left hand.
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Cone Changes - Place a cone about 21 feet from the basket. It can be on top, on the wing, or in the corner. Start about 8-10 feet beyond the chair. Dribble straight at the chair. At the chair, use a change of direction dribble (crossover, inside out, behind back, etc) to go beyond the chair and make a lay-up. Try to get to the point where you only need one dribble to get to the lay-up. Practice all the changes.
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Base to foul line and back - Take 3 hard dribbles towards the foul line, take 3 dribbles backwards towards the baseline. Do this in reps of 5 and aim to get faster over time.
Train beyond your comfort zone
Finally, after these basics have been mastered, look to push your pace, get creative, and embrace mistakes—they're part of the process. When you lose the ball working on new moves, reset and go again. Growth happens outside your comfort zone, not within it.