Ball-Handling Basics

Dribble with your finger pads, not your palm. Snap your wrist and push the ball firmly into the floor — a hard dribble comes back faster and is harder to steal. Keep the ball below your waist in traffic; a low dribble is a protected dribble.

Stay in your athletic stance while dribbling. The most common beginner mistake is standing up straight the moment the ball starts bouncing.

The single most important ball-handling habit: dribble without watching the ball. If your eyes are on the floor, you can't see open teammates, arriving defenders, or the scoreboard. Every drill you do should be done with eyes up.

Use your off hand and body as a shield between the defender and the ball. Dribble with the hand away from pressure — which means you must be able to dribble with both hands. A player who can only go right is a player who's easy to guard.

The dribble has three jobs: advance the ball up the court, attack the basket, and escape trouble or improve a passing angle. Dribbling for any other reason usually hurts your team — it kills ball movement and lets the defense reset.

A useful rule from coaching: catch, see the floor, then use your dribble with purpose. Pounding the ball five times going nowhere is the mark of a beginner.