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Keys to dribbling: · Use your fingers, not the palm of your hand. (People often say to use your fingertips when dribbling, but this is inaccurate. You want to use your thumb and from the portion of your hand where your fingers meet the palm, out to your fingertips.) · Don't slap at the ball when it bounces back up to your hand - let it rise up to your hand and then push it back down toward the ground. · Keep your eyes up to see the entire court; don't look at the ball while dribbling. · Keep your dribble low (waist-level or lower). Practice with both your right and left hands. As a general rule, when on the right side of the court or when moving toward the right, dribble with your right hand. When on the left side or when moving toward the left, dribble with your left hand. Drills: Stationary Dribbling Stance (Novice): Start with the ball in your right hand. With your knees bent, left foot slightly forward, dribble the ball with your right hand just slightly to the right of your right foot. Put your left hand up to guard the ball. Practice dribbling with the ball somewhere between knee and waist level. After doing this for a minute, switch hands - with your right foot slightly forward, dribble with your left hand, and use your right hand as the guard hand. o Variation (Novice): In the stance described above with your left foot in front, rather than dribbling straight up and down, dribble the ball in a V-pattern from back to front on the side of your body. For example, start with the ball in your right hand, slightly in front and to the right of your body. With your palm facing behind you, dribble the ball slightly backward. In order to "catch" the ball, you will have to move your right hand back with your palm facing forward. Dribble the ball back and forth several times with your right hand and then switch to using your left hand (with right foot forward). o Variation (Novice): Using a similar V-pattern as described in the previous example, dribble from side to side (rather than back to front). Start with the ball in your right hand and bounce the ball toward your left. Using the same hand, bounce it back toward the right side. Dribble the ball from side to side with the right hand several times, then switch to using your left hand. (An additional variation is to use both hands - start with the ball in the right hand, bounce it once toward the left, and then using your left hand, bounce it back to the right. This is called a crossover dribble. (Terminology Page) o Variation (Intermediate): Building on the side-to-side V pattern with both hands, start with your left leg about one step in front of your right leg. With the ball in your right hand, bounce the ball between your legs toward your left side. Catch the ball with your left hand on the left side and pause. Leaving your legs stationary, bounce the ball back through toward your right hand. Catch the ball and pause. Repeat this several times, then switch leg positions (right leg one step in front of your left leg). When you are comfortable doing this, try to bounce the ball back and forth without catching the ball and pausing. Dribbling while moving (Novice): Start with the ball on the baseline. Dribble while jogging down the length of the court with your right hand. When you get to the end of the court, turn around and come back to the starting point while dribbling with your left hand. Changing directions (Intermediate/Advanced): Start with the ball on the baseline on the right side of the court near where the key meets the baseline. Dribble toward the right sideline to free-throw line extended. When you get to the sideline, cross the ball over to your left hand and dribble toward the left to the jump-ball circle (Link to Diagram Page for baseline, key, sideline, free-throw line extended, and jump-ball circle). Continue down the court as in the diagram below. To make the drill more difficult, you can replace the crossover dribble with a between-the-legs dribble, behind-the-back, or spin move. Figure 8 without dribbling (Intermediate): With your legs bent and your feet parallel, start with the ball in your right hand on the outside of your right leg at knee-level. Bring the ball around the front of your right leg while bringing your left hand behind your left leg. Switch the ball from your right hand to your left hand (between your legs) and bring it around your left leg back toward the front of your body, while moving your right hand behind your right leg. Switch the ball again from your left hand to your right hand to complete the Figure 8. Repeat several times, then reverse direction. Variation - Figure 8 dribble (Advanced): Dribble around and between your legs in the same figure 8 pattern. As you get better at this, vary the height of your dribble and the number of dribbles it takes to get around your legs. Dribble Tag (Novice/Intermediate): This is a fun game to play with multiple people. In an enclosed area (the size of the area depends on how many people are playing. For example, with 10 players, you might set the area to be inside the 3-point line. With 4 players, you might use the key area. With 2 players, you could use the jump ball circle (Link to Diagram Page for baseline, key, sideline, free-throw line extended, and jump-ball circle) each player should have her own ball. When the game starts, each player starts dribbling while trying to knock away other players' balls. You are disqualified if you double dribble. (link to Terminology Page) stop dribbling, step out of bounds, or have your ball knocked away. The last player left is the winner. |
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