3 Drills to Improve Your Kids Ball Handling Skills

 Michael Jordan, arguably basketball’s greatest of all time, famously once said, “Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”. Dribbling is often overlooked as a fundamental skill because of its apparent lack of flash. However, it is an essential part of the game and can be quite entertaining to watch, just ask And1 legend The Professor and his 5.44 million YouTube subscribers. A single player cannot move the ball up and down the court without dribbling, even if you’re NBA MVP, Russel Westbrook

Whether your child is just starting out or has some serious hoop dreams, Baskets Academy can help your child grow in the fundamentals as well as more advanced aspects of the game.. We want to take a look at some easy drills that will help develop and strengthen this fundamental skill. 

DOUBLE DRIBBLE

GOAL: strengthen non-dominant hands, as well as coordination. 

This drill works in two segments. First, have your player work on dribbling two basketballs at once. This skill will help develop strength and confidence in their non-dominant hand. Make sure they are standing in an athletic stance (knees bent and shoulder-width apart), have them bounce both balls alternating and in sync. 

After the player has grown comfortable dribbling two balls while stationary, it’s time to set them in motion. First, start them going in a straight line up and down the court. Walking at first, then increasing speed as comfort grows. As their confidence grows, you can add cones and other obstacles to help improve their dexterity and mobility.

DIRT DRIBBLING

GOAL: strengthen your power dribble and coordination. 

This drill is a bit unconventional, but it’s time to leave the court and find a patch of dirt to dribble. Dribbling on the dirt will strengthen your arms because it takes more power to get the ball to bounce back up than it does on the hardwood. Continue this for about one to two minutes per hand. As a bonus, the earth is rarely perfectly flat. So the ball may bounce in a random direction forcing you to work on hand-eye coordination. 

This drill can easily be modified by adding in crossovers, between the legs and other dribble techniques. 

CONE TOUCH

GOAL: to increase mobility, speed, and control.

First, start by placing cones all across the court (or an open area) spread out randomly. Then the player has one minute to try and touch as many cones as they can while dribbling. They have to have full control of the ball to count the cone touch. Players have to touch five different cones before they can go back to the cone they started with. 

You can modify the drill simply by spreading out the cones or having the player switch hands after each touch. If you use multicolored cones, shout a single color that they should target. 

Baskets Academy is dedicated to teaching children how to play the game of basketball. From fundamentals and skill enhancements to the overall knowledge of the game. Our goal is to assist their players to reach their full potential on and off the court. Throughout the year, we provide group and personal training sessions. We also host camps, tournament teams, and league play. For more information, you can email Baskets Academy directly at info@basketsacademy.com.