I coached a player named Ryan when I was a young coach. Ryan was religious about his ball handling routine.

As soon as he came on the floor, he would get into a 3-4 minute routine.

On the one hand, I admired his consistency. A lot of players come on the floor and goof around.

On the other hand, I sensed something was missing. He was doing the same thing every day.

Over time, two issues became apparent:

1. He was never changing his routine. It reminded me of someone who takes medication. After a while, their body adjusts and the benefits start to wane.

2. His ball handling ability in games wasn’t improving!

At the time, I wasn’t yet expert enough to see the issue and offer a solution. Now I am—and I want to make sure you don’t fall into the same trap.

If you have a routine, that’s outstanding. Routines are important.

However, it’s also essential that you don’t let your routine become stale.

If the dribbling drills in your routine are starting to become easy, that’s a good thing. It means you are improving.

It also means you need to up the ante! Here are a handful of ways to do so.

5 Ways To Keep Your Ball Handling Drills Fresh & The Challenge High

1. Toss a tennis ball as you perform the drill.

   If you’re doing crossovers, toss a tennis ball back and forth at the same time. Adding a tennis ball to any sort of stationary ball handling drill is a great way to make it harder.

2. Close your eyes

   Good ball handlers dribble with their head up. One way to ensure you’re doing that is to close your eyes. Even if you don’t look at the ball, you often can see it in your peripheral vision. Doing stationary dribbling drills with your eyes closed makes them more challenging.

3. Do the drills on 1 foot 

   Balance is a crucial aspect of athleticism. When you do your dribbling drills standing on one leg, you also challenge your balance. Make sure you alternate which foot you are standing on so you develop your balance on both legs.

4. Keep a balloon afloat.

   While you do your dribbling drills, tap an inflated balloon. Don’t let it hit the ground. The variance in where the balloon goes makes it a little more unpredictable. You’ll have to work harder to maintain your dribble and keep the balloon going.

5. Wear gloves

   Feel is a big part of dribbling. Challenge yourself by wearing gloves. I saw UCONN doing this during the Final 4 weekend. It’s a way to make your drills harder. That way, when you handle the ball without gloves in a game, it seems easier.

Over time, you can combine these five ideas and make your drills even harder! For example, you could wear gloves and close your eyes. Use different combinations to keep your workouts fresh!

You Are In Charge Of Your Development - And That’s Great News!

One great thing about basketball is that you don’t need to rely on others to get better.

If you have a ball and access to a hoop, you can improve. If you’re a competitor, that’s great news!

Even better, you don’t need to put in hours to become a better dribbler. Putting in 10-15 minutes a day will show results.

If you are ready to make that commitment, consider the Breakthrough Ball Handling and Footwork Workouts.

The workouts are appropriate for players of all ages. They get progressively more challenging as you get better.

So, what are you waiting for???

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First

Leave a Comment Name : Email (not published) : Four plus twelve is equal to?  (Prevents Spam) Answer :  Load New Question Comments : Leave this Blank :