The game of basketball is a fun, fast-paced, multidisciplinary sport that requires athleticism, court awareness, shooting skills, and dribbling skills. Dribbling is particularly important for players in point guard and shooting guard positions, but being able to handle a basketball proficiently is a great asset to any player, including power forwards and centers. Some basic drills like the figure eight, through the legs, behind the back, and full court relay exercises are an excellent way for a beginning basketball player to improve his dribbling skills.
Figure Eight
The figure eight is one of the most popular ball handling exercises around, and is used in schools, basketball camps, and pee wee league teams across the world to build basic dribbling skills. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees, keeping your dominant foot slightly ahead of the other foot. Then, dribble the basketball with your dominant hand, and keep it next to your leg. While keeping up a dribble, slowly bring the ball around and through your legs. Just as it has gotten through, receive the ball with your other hand, and then dribble it back around your other foot and through your legs from the front once again, forming an invisible figure eight. Try to keep this up for 30 to 60 seconds at a time. Also, try to keep your eyes up and away from the ball, thereby training yourself to handle the basketball without needing to look at it.
Full Court Dribble Relay
The dribble relay exercise is a basic drill designed to improve a player's ability to dribble with a basketball while running at full speed down the court. Line up on one baseline, get ready, and then run for the other baseline as fast as you can, dribbling the basketball in your right hand. When you get to the opposite baseline, turn around and sprint back for your starting point, this time dribbling only with your left hand. Remember to keep your head up the entire time to have maximum vision of the court in front of you, as if you were in a game.
Through the Legs
Through the legs dribbles are one of the best ways to change direction, create space for a jump shot, and blow by defenders on a drive to the basket. The basic principles are easy to understand, but executing complicated through the legs dribbles in a game environment against aggressive defenders is difficult. Try to master the basics first, by practicing through the legs dribbles while standing stationary. Just keep your legs far enough for the ball to go through, and keep tossing it from left to right to left again. Once you get proficient with this, try walking forward while dribbling the ball through your legs. While starting out, you can cheat and keep your eyes on the ball to help you execute the move, but eventually you'll need to be able to execute the move while keeping your head up and eyes focused on the court, or else you won't know where your teammates or the defenders are in a game.
Behind the Back
The behind the back dribble has a similar purpose to the through the legs dribble. It allows a player to change their dribble hand and the direction they're going all in one fluid motion. To get the ball behind your back, you can either wrap it around your waist, or bounce the ball behind one of your legs and catch with your opposite hand behind the other leg. Bouncing the ball is more difficult because it has a greater distance to travel and greater chance of accidentally hitting the back of your shoes, but once you become skilled at it, behind the back dribbles are a very powerful weapon in a game.
Crossover Dribble
The crossover is one of the most famous dribble moves in basketball, and is usually a crowd pleaser when pulled off successfully. Allen Iverson's crossover of Michael Jordan is still one of the most talked about moves in modern basketball history. There are slight variations in technique, but all good crossovers result in the offensive player making a rapid and dramatic change in their side-to-side momentum, effectively getting the defender to zig while they zag. The key is to put a lot of weight into going one direction, head fake in that direction, and then swing back the opposite way as fast as you can. A good way to practice the crossover by yourself is to set up a chair, and practice crossing it over repeatedly, as often as you need until you feel you've got the move down pat.
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