Dribbling tips. Master Basketball Dribbling: Essential Tips and Drills for Improving Your Ball Handling Skills

How to improve your basketball dribbling and ball handling skills. What are the best drills for enhancing ball control. Why is proper technique crucial for effective dribbling in basketball. How can you incorporate dribbling practice into your warm-up routine. What are the key differences between dribbling and ball handling in basketball.

Understanding the Fundamentals of Basketball Dribbling and Ball Handling

Basketball dribbling and ball handling are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct skills that contribute to a player’s overall performance on the court. Dribbling primarily focuses on controlling the ball while moving, whereas ball handling encompasses a broader range of skills, including dribbling, passing, and decision-making.

Dribbling is a fundamental skill that can be practiced individually, allowing players to improve their control and coordination with the ball. Ball handling, on the other hand, requires a deeper understanding of the game and the ability to integrate various skills in game-like situations.

Key Differences Between Dribbling and Ball Handling

• Dribbling: Focuses on ball control while moving
• Ball Handling: Incorporates dribbling, passing, and decision-making
• Practice: Dribbling can be practiced alone, while ball handling requires simulating game situations

9 Pro Tips to Elevate Your Dribbling and Ball Handling Skills

To help players improve their dribbling and ball handling abilities, professional coach Don Kelbick offers nine valuable tips:

1. Dribble with force: A harder dribble provides better control and quicker ball return.
2. Maintain eye contact: Keep your head up and focus on the rim or a fixed point during practice.
3. Use fingertips: Control the ball with your fingertips rather than your palm for enhanced precision.
4. Visualize: Imagine game scenarios where you would utilize specific dribbling techniques.
5. Understand dribbling purpose: Recognize that the primary goal of dribbling is to create scoring opportunities.
6. Extend your dribble: Work on lengthening your dribble to cover more ground efficiently.
7. Optimize movement: Focus on straight-line movements and quickly return to a direct path to the basket after lateral moves.
8. Maximize efficiency: Aim to accomplish in one dribble what might typically take two.
9. Push your limits: Practice outside your comfort zone to foster improvement and creativity.

Mastering the Maravich Drills for Enhanced Ball Control

The Maravich Drills, named after the legendary Pete Maravich, are a series of exercises designed to improve ball handling skills and dexterity. These drills challenge players to manipulate the ball in various ways, enhancing their overall control and comfort with the basketball.

Popular Maravich Drills to Incorporate into Your Practice

• Figure 8 Dribbling: Dribble the ball in a figure-8 pattern around and between your legs.
• Spider Dribble: Alternate dribbling the ball between your legs from front to back.
• Drop and Catch: Practice quick hand exchanges by dropping and catching the ball between your legs.

These drills can be modified and adapted to suit different skill levels and to create new challenges. The key is to use your imagination and continually push yourself to improve your ball handling abilities.

Integrating Dribbling Practice into Your Warm-Up Routine

Incorporating dribbling exercises into your warm-up routine can help maximize practice time and instill a sense of urgency in your training. One effective method is to combine dribbling drills with stretching exercises, allowing you to work on multiple aspects of your game simultaneously.

Example: Hamstring Stretch with Dribbling

1. Begin dribbling with your right hand
2. Cross your right leg over your left
3. Bend at the waist and touch the floor with your left hand
4. Lower your dribble to shoe-top level
5. Hold the position for an 8-count
6. Switch sides and repeat with the opposite hand and leg

By combining stretching and dribbling, you can improve your ball control while also preparing your body for more intense basketball activities.

Advanced Ball Handling Techniques for Game Situations

As players progress in their ball handling skills, it’s essential to focus on techniques that directly translate to game situations. These advanced skills can help create scoring opportunities and navigate defensive pressure more effectively.

Executing the Pick and Roll

The pick and roll is a fundamental offensive play in basketball that requires precise ball handling and decision-making. To execute this play effectively, the ball handler must be able to read the defense, use the screen properly, and make quick decisions based on how the defenders react.

Mastering the Back-Up Dribble

The back-up dribble is a crucial skill for reducing turnovers when faced with defensive pressure. This technique involves quickly dribbling the ball backward while maintaining control, creating space between the offensive player and the defender. Practicing this move can help players escape traps and avoid costly turnovers in high-pressure situations.

Learning from the Pros: NBA Star-Inspired Dribbling Techniques

Studying the techniques of professional basketball players can provide valuable insights and inspiration for improving your own ball handling skills. Let’s examine some signature moves from NBA stars known for their exceptional dribbling abilities.

Chris Paul’s Change of Pace

Chris Paul is renowned for his ability to control the tempo of the game through his dribbling. His change of pace technique involves alternating between quick, explosive movements and slower, more deliberate dribbles to keep defenders off-balance. By mastering this skill, players can create space and opportunities for themselves and their teammates.

Steve Nash’s Ball Screen Navigation

Steve Nash was particularly adept at using ball screens to create scoring opportunities. His technique involved reading the defense, using tight dribbles to navigate around screens, and making quick decisions based on how the defenders reacted. Practicing these skills can help players become more effective in pick-and-roll situations.

The Importance of Counter Moves

Chris Paul’s hesitation move is a prime example of the importance of having effective counter moves in your dribbling arsenal. By incorporating hesitations, crossovers, and other changes of direction into your ball handling repertoire, you can keep defenders guessing and create more scoring opportunities for yourself and your team.

Developing a Comprehensive Ball Handling Practice Routine

To truly excel in ball handling, it’s crucial to develop a well-rounded practice routine that addresses all aspects of this skill. Here are some key components to include in your training regimen:

Stationary Dribbling Drills

• Two-ball dribbling
• Crossover variations
• Behind-the-back and between-the-legs dribbles

Moving Dribbling Drills

• Full-court speed dribbling
• Zigzag dribbling
• Retreat dribbles

Game-Situation Drills

• One-on-one dribbling moves
• Pick-and-roll scenarios
• Dribbling under pressure

By incorporating these elements into your practice routine, you can develop a comprehensive set of ball handling skills that will serve you well in various game situations.

The Mental Aspect of Ball Handling: Developing Court Vision and Basketball IQ

While physical skills are crucial, the mental aspect of ball handling is equally important. Developing strong court vision and basketball IQ can significantly enhance your effectiveness as a ball handler.

Improving Court Vision

Court vision refers to a player’s ability to see and understand the entire court, including the positions of teammates and defenders. To improve court vision:

• Practice dribbling with your head up at all times
• Participate in scrimmages and focus on identifying open teammates
• Watch game film to study how professional players read the court

Enhancing Basketball IQ

Basketball IQ involves understanding the game at a deeper level, including strategies, player tendencies, and situational awareness. To enhance your basketball IQ:

• Study different offensive and defensive systems
• Analyze game situations and practice decision-making
• Learn from coaches and experienced players

By developing these mental aspects alongside your physical skills, you can become a more complete and effective ball handler on the court.

Measuring Progress and Setting Goals in Ball Handling Development

To ensure continuous improvement in your ball handling skills, it’s important to measure your progress and set achievable goals. Here are some strategies to help you track your development:

Establishing Baseline Metrics

Begin by establishing baseline measurements for various ball handling drills. For example:

• Number of successful crossovers in 30 seconds
• Time to complete a full-court dribbling course
• Accuracy in passing drills

Setting SMART Goals

Use the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to set goals for your ball handling improvement. For instance:

• Increase the number of successful crossovers by 20% within two months
• Reduce full-court dribbling time by 5 seconds in six weeks
• Improve passing accuracy by 15% in three months

Regular Assessments

Conduct regular assessments to track your progress and adjust your training as needed. This can help you stay motivated and ensure that you’re continually challenging yourself to improve.

By implementing these strategies, you can create a structured approach to developing your ball handling skills, allowing you to make steady progress and achieve your basketball goals.

Basketball Dribbling and Ball Handling Video Clips, Fundamentals, Drills, and Tips

Most coaches use dribbling and ball handling interchangeably. Though they are linked, the 2 skills are definitely separate.

Dribbling and controlling the ball is a skill that can be practiced alone and is separate from the other ball skills on the court. Ball handling, however, involves knowledge of the game and integrates dribbling, passing and decision-making.

Practicing and improving your dribbling is a simple task. There are innumerable dribbling drills that are in use today that are challenging and effective. The set of drills that have come to be known as “Maravich Drills,” (after the late ball-handling wizard Pete Maravich) are widely known. They include drills such as passing the ball around your body, dribble figure 8s, spider dribbling, drop and catch.

Practicing and improving your ball handling requires imagination, as you have to put yourself in game situations.

One of our favorite series of ballhandling drills that helps develop better ballhandlers is the Maravich series! Watch it below.

9 Tips To Improve Your Dribbling & Ball Handling

Here are 9 tips from pro coach Don Kelbick.

1. Dribble the ball hard. The more time the ball spends in your hand, the more control you have of the ball. The harder you dribble, the quicker it gets back in your hand.
2. Head up at all times. Look at the rim or a spot on the wall during all practice.
3. Use your finger tips to control the ball, not your palm.
4. Use your imagination. Picture when and how you would use each of the dribbles.
5. Teach mentality. There is too much dribbling for no reason in our game today. I like to teach that the primary purpose for putting the ball on the floor is to get a lay-up. If you don’t have an opportunity, don’t put it on the floor.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Don’t do things in 2 dribbles that you can do in 1.
9. Practice outside your comfort zone. Experiment; go faster than you are used to, use your imagination. When working on new skills, don’t be concerned with losing the ball. Just pick it up and do it again. If you practice only things that are comfortable, then you will never improve.

More Ball Handling Tips and Articles

Executing The Basketball Pick and Roll

The Importance of the Back Up Dribble and How It Reduces Turnovers Against Pressure

A Secret to Chris Paul’s Success – Change of Pace

Handling Ball Screens Like Steve Nash

Chris Paul Hesitation Move & The Importance of Counter Moves [VIDEO]

Other Blog Posts About Ball Handling

Dribbling Practice

“Maravich Drills” are very good at getting players comfortable with the ball. Below are some examples.

• Dribble Figure 8’s – Spread legs about shoulder width. Dribble the ball through and around legs in a figure 8. Can be done multiple ways – front to back, back to front, low dribbles (as many dribbles as possible with dribble about shoe height), as few dribbles as possible (high dribble about waist high), can even be done walking. For even more of a challenge, try the drill with one hand instead of two.
• Spider Dribble – Feet spread about shoulder width. Dribble the ball between your legs in the following manner – left hand, right hand in front of your legs; left hand, right hand behind your legs. Work to as fast a possible.
• Drop and Catch – Hold ball between your legs with right hand in front of your body, left hand behind. Drop the ball and exchange you hand position and re-catch the ball before it hits the ground.

These are just examples. There are too many of these drills to list here. Pete Maravich devised these drills out of his imagination, his need for challenge and his drive to improve. You do not need to be bound by other people’s drills; challenge yourself to come up with your own drills.

Dribbling Warm Ups

I prefer to practice skills in combinations that are relevant to multiple aspects of the game. It saves time and instills a great sense of urgency.. It
saves time and has a great sense of urgency. One of the ways I do this is to add dribbling into my stretching exercises.

• Hamstring Stretch – While dribbling with your right hand, cross right leg over left. Bend at the waist, touch the floor with your left
  hand and bring your dribble down to shoe top level. Hold for an 8 count. Reverse position and switch hands.
• Lower Body and Achilles Stretch – Dribble waist high while standing up. Step as far forward with your right leg as you can, keeping
  your back straight and your left heel on the ground. At the same time bring your dribble forward of your right foot, keeping the ball at
  shoe-top height. Hold for an 8 count and then stand up. Switch legs and dribble hand.
• Crossover – Same as above except, step forward with left leg. As foot goes to the floor, switch hands, right to left, keeping
  dribble shoe top height. Cross back when standing up.
• Through Legs – Same as above except instead of crossing over, put ball through legs at shoe top height.
• Multiple Through Legs – Same as above except put ball through legs 3 times (left, right, left) on quick, successive dribbles
  shoe top height.
• Torso Twist – Spread legs outside of shoulder width, dribble with right hand. Keeping legs straight, bring ball across body to
  left side, outside left foot and dribble at shoe top height behind left foot.

These are just samples. You can develop a dribble stretch for any part of the body.

Two Ball Dribbling Drills & Videos:

I think the most effective way to improve your dribble, however, is by using 2 balls. Any dribble or drill you can do with 1 ball, you can do with 2.
Stationary practice at first will build confidence. Stand on the baseline and try to control both balls. Then start to move. Go half court, then full court. Follow
the lines around the court or in any route you can come up with.

To see more DRILLS & VIDEOS Click Here.

The difference between dribbling and ball handling is intent. Dribbling is the skill of controlling the ball as you bounce it to the floor. Ball handling (at least 1 aspect of ball handling) is what you do with that dribble.

Whether you use it to go to the basket, make a passing angle, escape from pressure or anything else, those situations have to be imagined and practiced.

Here are some situational drills:

• Full Court Lay-ups – Start on the baseline. Dribble full court with right hand in 5 dribbles and make a lay-up, come back with left hand. Then reduce the number of dribbles to 4 and then to 3.
• Chair Changes – Place a chair 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.
• Two up – Two back – Set a chair such as in the drill above. Take 2 hard dribbles at the chair. When reaching the chair, take 2 backup dribbles. After the second dribble, push ahead into 1 dribble lay-up or pull-up jumpshot.
• Dropstep Dribble – (works on footwork and ballhanding)
• Chair Curl – This is another great multi use drill. It combines shooting, ball handling and speed and high intensity change in direction.
• Chair Curl Phase 2 (With 2 Chairs)
• Two Ball Dribbling Drills & Moves – Excellent way to improve one on one moves.
• Basketball Pick and Roll Drills

Shooting drills can also be adapted to work on ball handling aspects by adding changes of direction and pivoting to create 1 and 2 dribble opportunities for either jumpers or lay-ups.

Once you have developed a feel for the ball, it’s very important that you practice your ball handling in competitive, game-like situations with defenders present. In the DVD 30 Competitive Skill Development Drills, you will find 12 drills that are specific to improving your ball handling skills in game-like situations.

More Dribbling and Ball Handling Drills

Coaches, go here for more Dribbling & Ball Handling Drills

Players, go here for more Dribbling & Ball Handling Drills

Recommended Training Resources:

Youth Ball Handling & Workout App – Over 200 ball handling and footwork drills. 24 Different Levels.

Attack & Counter Workout App – Ball Handling, Shooting, Guard Play, & More

Recommended Training Material:

How To Improve Field Awareness While Dribbling

Player

Player Development

Tips to Improve Field Awareness While Dribbling

With all of the pressure to maintain a good dribble, it’s easy to forget that there’s an entire field full of players around you.

So much of soccer relies on dribbling: all of your jukes, moving the ball around the field, setting yourself up for passes, kicks, and ball recoveries, etc. With all of the pressure to maintain a good dribble, it’s easy to forget that there’s an entire field full of players around you. Field awareness can feel like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at first, but the more you practice it while dribbling, the easier it gets.

But just as there is no “I” in “team,” there is no “me” in dribble. Soccer requires you to take in information about the field constantly — you can’t solely focus on your footwork. You have to learn to respond to what everyone else is doing while keeping the ball under control.

Keep Your Center of Gravity Low

Focus on keeping your center of gravity low — bent knees with your head and chest over the ball. It will help you adjust your position, direction, and speed at a moment’s notice, alongside helping you control the ball while dribbling. When you know that your body is in a stance to control the ball better, your mind will let you focus on the field.

Avoid Dribbling No-Nos: Keep that Head Up

Don’t look down at the ball. If you’re starting out, this can be a frightening idea. But you’ll excel both in dribbling and field awareness much faster if you learn to trust your feet. Build this confidence by using proper dribbling techniques.

• Don’t dribble with your toe, but dribble with your laces.
• Don’t kick the ball far away from you when you dribble. The closer you can keep it to your feet, the more control you’ll have.
• Don’t dribble with straight legs. Keep your knees bent.
• Don’t keep your arms by your sides. Though you shouldn’t hit players with your arms, use your arms to assist in balance and as player sensors. 

If you record your soccer games, go look to see what your dribbling looks like compared to the list above. It should give you a great idea of where you can improve your technique.

Watch Other Players

Part of practicing soccer is watching soccer. Using game film to review how teams work with each other can increase your spatial intelligence. This way, the next time you recognize a field configuration during a match, you’ll be able to act quicker than before. 

Tools like Trace can assist coaches and parents in narrowing down moments that highlight a player’s field awareness, or lack thereof. This can enhance a team’s overall field awareness and an individual player’s self-awareness. 

Keep Your Ears Open

Field awareness is more than just sight. It’s sound too. If you are trying to pull off a particularly hard maneuver and need more visual on the ball or suddenly become rushed by opposing players, listen out for your teammates. A simple audible cue from a teammate can clue you into exactly where they are on the field. This means you can pass off the ball before it’s lost to the other team.

Use Peripheral Vision

You should always have one eye on the ball and the other on the field. The ball should take up the lower part of your peripheral vision, with the field in the upper and outside regions. 

It’s Not Me, It’s We

The important thing to remember is not to become so focused on dribbling the ball that you forget about your team and what’s around you. Dribbling is one of the essential skills you have to have as a soccer player and one of the biggest distractions to your game. When you practice dribbling, practice your field awareness, too.

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Learning to Dribble the Ball in Football: Techniques, Exercises

Whatever they say about the beauty of football tactics, the variety of combinations on the field and the wonderful goals of the century, there is another attraction in the ball game that some fans love even more. At all times, football has also been famous for its techies – football players who perfectly mastered the art of dribbling and dribbling. In many ways, this quality is like an innate, beautiful and skillful handling of the ball – this is a talent. Almost all famous football players had their own dribbling technique, which many later tried to repeat, but no one was able to fully succeed.

However, the method of teaching dribbling still exists. And if a young football player works out this technique with diligence in training, you can almost always achieve some success.

• What is dribbling
• Types of dribbling in football
• Dribbling of space
• Dribbling of time
• Dribbling of retention
• Dribbling in football

90 009 Basic development

• Optimal distance
• Focus
• Speed ​​
• Dribbling drills
• Tips for improving your dribbling
• The best dribbling masters in football

What is dribbling

9 0002 Dribbling in football is a maneuver by a player with the ball that allows him to get around a defender and move into relatively open space or score a goal. In Russian this is called stroke .

Directly in football, this is also the name for dribbling the ball in the immediate vicinity of the foot of a football player. And the types of such a maneuver are called feints. In the history of football, Pelé and Maradona, Eden Hazard and Garrincha brilliantly mastered the stroke technique. In modern football, Lionel Messi has a very peculiar technique.

In Soviet and Russian football, representatives of the south were special technicians: Mikhail Meskhi, Vladimir Gutsaev, David Kipiani. Now in the RPL, one can single out the special stroke technique of Zelimkhan Bakaev and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Types of dribbling in football

Messi beats 4 opponents with his dribbling

There are three main types of dribbling that are distinguished by methodologists. They have their own characteristics.

Dribbling space

Here the main task of player – not rapprochement with an opponent, but on the contrary, the ability to keep him at a certain distance. For this, the so-called vertical stroke is used with the help of certain movements. It depends on the following factors:

• the number of rivals in the immediate vicinity;
• a specific place on the football field;
• available space.

Usually feints in such cases are performed in combination with a quick exit to a free area of ​​the field or with a subsequent hit, cross or pass of the ball. Spatial dribbling is especially good with an equal number of attackers and defenders in a position, say 4v4.

Time Dribbling

Ronaldinho Dribbling

Sometimes when attacking, you need to buy a little time to wait for the support of other players on your team or to re-form for a positional attack. Then a slightly different technique of possession of a football sports equipment is used:

• leaving the defender with a change in the direction of running;
• combination of several feints;
• false feints with passing the ball to a free player.

Such variations are effective in the 2×4 position. Nor they must necessarily be supported by teammates.

Save Dribbling

This is perhaps the most difficult form of dribbling. It is used during active pressure from the opponent. The following options apply here:

• exit to free territory at speed using circling feints;
• active movement across the field in different directions;
• using feints to get the ball into the free zone.

As a rule, such possession is applied in positions 1v4 or 2v4.

Football dribbling training

Dribbling training

Any, even the most outstanding footballer, is constantly working to improve his technique. Many movements are brought almost to automatism.

Basic development

This is considered to be the ability to simply hold the ball. You need to learn how to control a football projectile with a lot of touches in order to initially confuse the opponent. Typically, learning this skill occurs in stages:

• first, at a slow pace, the ball is simply shifted from foot to foot;
• then the speed of the exercise increases;
• In the third stage, holding the ball becomes natural, almost effortless.

Increasing the number of touches and the speed of both legs will lead to the gradual development of the first, very important, basic skill.

Optimum distance

Now you need to learn how to control the ball so that the minimum distance between the feet is maintained. In this case, you need to take the correct position of the whole body. The knees should be slightly bent.

It is important that both legs work in sync, while running speed should not drop. You should touch the ball not only with the inside of the foot, but also with the outside. This skill will greatly expand the range of deceptive maneuvers.

Focus of attention

Beginners, as a rule, focus their attention exclusively on the ball, this does not give them the opportunity to correctly navigate in space, assess the situation on the field and see the movements of other players.

It is very important to learn to follow the ball with only peripheral vision. The main focus of attention should be directed to what is happening around.

Speed ​​

It also needs to be constantly improved. Moreover, it is necessary to work out not just the ability to run fast, but to run with the ball, changing the pace and direction. If this becomes a mystery to the opponent, feints will be much more effective.

Watch this video on YouTube

Drills for practicing dribbling

A set of exercises has been developed to help improve dribbling technique:

• just running with the ball is also very useful as a warm-up;
• gradually start acceleration;
• then you should learn to act in the presence of opponents, – cover the ball with the body;
• the ball is then dribbled around the placed pieces;
• all exercises should be performed not only with both legs, but also alternately with each leg;
• Simultaneously, immediately after dribbling between the chips, an exercise is practiced on the strength and accuracy of the strike.

Each of these exercises should be performed with increasing speed and several times.

Watch this video on YouTube

Tips for improving dribbling

• if a football player has a working leg and a second one that is not leading, it is the latter that needs to be developed more;
• it is useful to carefully study the game of the leading masters on video;
• it is better to practice feints in tandem with a teammate, usually a defender acts in this role;
• strokes should always be combined with strikes or crosses;
• Tricks of any difficulty can be learned starting at a very slow pace.

And most importantly, you need to improve your dribbling constantly and regularly.

The best dribblers in football

If we talk about the XXI century, we can distinguish the following techies in world football:

• Mohammed Salah – he is called the pearl of the Egyptian team;
• Douglas Costa – this Juventus midfielder is not only an excellent dribbler, but also a master of free kicks;
• Belgian Eden Hazard , playing in Real Madrid, calmly dribbles around several defenders at once;
• Argentinian with Italian citizenship Paolo Dybala one of the best dribblers in Serie A;
• Andres Iniesta is now ending his career in Japan, but he surprises with beautiful tricks there too;
• Frenchman Kylian Mbappé dribbles fast and recklessly like Pele;
• Cristiano Ronaldo no introduction required;
• the same can be said about Lionel Messi ;
• the list of techies of world football would be clearly incomplete without the representative of Brazil – he became Neymar .

Watch this video on YouTube

Of course, the list can be continued: in almost every country there is at least one master of tricks, yes there is. The art of possession of the ball can be learned even in a not very strong team – this quality is still individual and its development depends entirely on the diligence and abilities of a football player.

7 tips for practicing dribbling

Experts with experience working with NBA, NCAA, European, Chinese and Russian pro leagues share secrets

Dribbling used to be something difficult, but now every day we look at crazy crossovers and practice dribbling ourselves. In this article, you will read 7 tips from different people that will help you make your workouts more useful.

Advice from Nick (@nikyamschikov), founder of Ball In.

I see a lot of guys who are trying to train dribbling, learn how to do a new movement, it is better to pass on the weak side, but they do not succeed. They try too little and in comfortable conditions. Nothing works out in the game, because of this, frustration happens, and then they return to the usual things.

When you were just starting to play and you were still very young, there was no such comfort zone for you, and you developed easily. If you’ve been in basketball for more than a couple of years, then one of your keys to development is to learn how to do unpleasant things and endure until you see the result.

Tip from Bone Collector (@bonecollector6), streetball legend from AND1. Currently working with NBA players.

If you try to single out one thing for young players, then I advise you to work on your body. If you want to play professionally, treat your body like a pro. This will allow you to perform more movements, do them more efficiently and always be competitive.

are what Bone Collector said during an interview. I asked him to reveal the secret of great dribbling, to which he replied: “There is no secret, only hard work every day. ”

Advice from Vasily Prokofiev (@basi_training), basketball skills coach. Worked with NBA, NCAA players and professionals from Russia.

An experienced defender does not look at the ball, but at the player’s body, so if the center of gravity is not shifted, then the opponent will not move anywhere. No matter how you do transfers, without transferring weight, you can’t go anywhere with the ball. If you want to beat – learn to shift the center of gravity.

Advice from Igor Zabelin (@saint_handles), personal trainer.

I see coaches doing a lot of basic things with players. After that, the players become templates. Guys who have been training for 3-5 years do the same thing. They lack variety.

It is necessary to build a foundation, but something unusual must be added to it, which will highlight and help , because from a certain level, without it, nowhere. It will be necessary. If you look at the youth teams of Russia and the United States, it is easy to see that the guys from across the ocean have a much wider arsenal.

Advice from Ruslan Marinsky (@0neanddone), Basketball Skills Coach at Playground Basketball Center.

I often notice that people spend a lot of time practicing dribbling and just tapping on the spot. I think dribbling is an essential skill for any player to get them to do something on the court, like finishing from under the basket or setting up a shot. Therefore, in my training, I add the task of attacking the ring after a beat.

At a certain level of training, especially for children, you need to devote a lot of time to working on the spot, but do not forget that basketball is movement, especially now, when in basketball in any position you need to be able to control the ball and at least cross the middle of the court with dribbling.

Advice from Alexander Glisic, Head Coach of the Basketball Academy Ilona Korstin, winner of the Junior Euroleague and coach of the NBA San Antonio Spurs Summer League in 2016.

There is a lot of dribbling in the game and practice today. Yes, this is important and you need to train it every day in order to better feel the ball, see the court and partners, attack the defender. Usually dribbling training involves a lot of shots and repetitions on the spot, which is why most people get lost in the game. There aren’t that many hits. In the game, you are not alone on the court and you need to share the ball. This is completely different.

Dribbling training should help you feel confident and also include the ability to make decisions and think quickly. Dribbling should be useful, not just pretty.

Advice from Coach Nick (@coach_niks).

There are many stories and examples of players standing still and hitting the ball. They make transfers on the spot, different moves, but they don’t know how to play. Dribbling is a dribble tool, so every action should have a goal : move yourself, move a defender, attack somehow, and not make a combination because “you are handsome”, so most streetball players with their crazy dribbling did not get into professional sports.