In this article, we're going to cover...

• How dribbling at my waist level limited my playmaking abilities
• The light bulb moment while watching former Team USA player Kirk Hinrich
• The dribbling key to create more scoring opportunities

When I grew up, I always heard the mantra, "Dribble the ball below your waist. Do not let the dribble get above your hip level. Keep the ball low."

When I practiced, I took this quite literally. When I would try to dribble from half court or the length of the floor, I worked very hard to keep the height of the ball below my stomach area.

This created a host of problems which I'll get into next...

However, if you make this one minor dribbling adjustment, you can zoom around the court which will lead to more scoring opportunities for you and your team!

Well, let's get back to my story...

Why This Dribbling Problem Allows the Defense to Recover and Stop You From Scoring

When I was dribbling at my waist height, it took me six or seven dribbles to get down the floor and my strides weren't very long.

As a result, even though I had a decent first step, it was very hard for me to maintain separation from the defense.

On fast breaks, the defense could recover.

If the defense pressed me and I got by them initially, it gave them time to recover and get set again.

There were probably even times within the half court offense, since I didn't have a burst on my second and third strides, they could recover and contest shots at the basket.

Unfortunately, I never tweaked this approach during my playing days. But the good news is that you can learn from my mistake...

Learning How to Dribble From Watching Kirk Hinrich!

In 2005, the light bulb went off for me when I first started coaching. I was watching Kirk Hinrich play for the Chicago Bulls.

For you young coaches and players, Kirk Hinrich was one of the best defenders in the NBA during his playing days. Hinrich was selected to the 2006 USA national team, and for personal reasons, declined to play in the 2008 Olympics with LeBron and company.

When watching Hinrich play, I noticed that he would dribble the ball and just launch the ball out in front of him when trying to beat the defender to the basket.

And on fast breaks with trailing defenders, the height of the dribble would reach his shoulder height and even his head at times!

I remember seeing him get to the basket from near half court in one dribble... and it was fast! He accelerated from the defense.

That caught my attention because, as mentioned before, I could never maintain separation.

I even noticed in half court settings, the height of Kirk's dribble would routinely reach his armpit level.

While this might be obvious to you, it dawned on me that...

You need to change the height of your dribble based on your objective and your surroundings!

Situations Where You Need to Change the Height of Your Dribble

If you have two defenders swarming you at once, you might need to squat lower and dribble the ball at knee height as you quickly scan the court to find an open teammate or dribbling lane.

If you're dribbling through traffic in a half court setting, you might be dribbling the ball at your waist to stomach height.

If you're attacking a defender off the dribble, the dribble height might just skim the top of your shoes after you make a dribble move.

If you're trying to get somewhere fast in a half court setting, you might need to dribble around your armpit level.

If you're on a breakaway, you might let the ball get to your shoulder level or if you're extremely skilled, you might let it approach your chin level.

To be an elite level ball handler, you need to have the ability to change the height of your dribble based on your situation and your objective!

You even need to be able to change the height of your dribble between dribbles. This can also be a great tactic to change pace and throw off your defender.

While I didn't get enough time to scour the Internet for video clips as I'd like...

After the steal at 2:27, you can see Kirk dribble the ball at shoulder height level for one to two dribbles.

Check Out Breakthrough Camps to Improve Your Dribbling, Shooting, and More Scoring Skills!

Our camps will help you improve your dribbling, shooting, scoring, passing, and key offensive skills so you can:

• Make teams pay for leaving you open
• Step into shots with confidence
• Get more easy layups as defenders have to guard you close to stop your shot
• Blow by defenders with better dribble moves
• Higher FG and FT %
• Finish at the basket with better scoring moves

We host hundreds of camps across North America each year. You can see the schedule, learn more, and reserve your spot (they are limited) at the following page...

Breakthrough Basketball Skill Development Camps Schedule

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