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In a basketball game, can you guess who often gets the most “ooos” and “ahhhs” from the audience? It is usually the guards ball-handling past the defender!

The purpose of this article is to teach players how to elude defenders with the dribble, creating opportunities to score on the offensive end while at the same time protecting the ball. It also has an in-depth guide section on different basketball dribbling tips to increase your ball-handling ability.

Basketball dribbling allows you to move on the basketball court while in possession of the basketball. Basketball players first learn to dribble the basketball with one hand, then to alternate hands, and progressively to increase to more advanced basketball dribbling. Once mastered, each move can become a powerful weapon. As a basketball player, a powerful and effective way to keep defenders on their toes and increase your threat as an offensive player is to develop an agile and quick basketball dribbling technique.

Firstly, basketball dribbling is not done while staring at the ball. Dribbling on the side minimizes the possibility of getting your ball stolen. You dribble with your finger tips and pads of the hands without looking at the ball. Finger tips give you more control over the basket ball. Lower your body slightly so that the ball is bouncing rapidly at waist level. When times switching the ball from one hand to another, bouncing the ball hard off the ground allows you to greatly reduce the time the ball is out of your control.Keep your head up at all gives you the vision on what is happening on the court and your defender while you dribble.

Also, to be an advanced ball-handler, basketball dribbling becomes more of a physical-plus-mental thing. There are many things you need to keep in mind.

At first, you need to calculate how much spin and how hard you are dribbling and where the ball is landing in good hand-eye-leg coordination. When you dribble from one hand to the other, try absorbing the force and you will have a better control. Keep a constant rhythm in your dribble right until you are about to dribble past your opponent. The change of rhythm can get your opponent slightly off-balance, also. The ability to add spin the ball gives you greater maneuverability. After the ball bounces off the floor, the ball will have some hangtime in the air. You should use this hangtime well to execute eye and shoulder fakes or delay the following bounce to freeze your defender. But if you wait until the ball rests completely in your hand, you will delay your basketball dribbling. So striking the balance between speed and control is very important.

Frequently shift your momentum to different directions while anticipating how the defender will react to your actions. It is often that you give your intentions away and your defender knows it. However, you can actually use this in against direction. Look at the defender naturally and occasionally scan for open players. Then, look at the side opposite to your target lane when you are about to burst. Shake your shoulder and arm towards the side opposite to your target lane. The fake is a very powerful weapon.

Good basketball dribbling and ball handling are a way more than “nice looking moves”, its about protecting the ball, being able to create plays, get open for shots, and a whole lot more. Increasing your vertical reach on a basketball court can help you become a better ballplayer. If you’re able to jump higher than other players, you have a better chance of grabbing rebounds, elevating higher toward the hoop or blocking your opponents’ shots. The Vertical Jump Manual is an “all in one” vertical jump training providing you with absolutely everything you need to achieve your maximum vertical jump! Take advantage of it now!