Becoming a superior ball handler in basketball takes practice and patience. The weak hand refers to the hand you don't normally dribble with or feel less comfortable dribbling with. Improving your weak hand will help prevent defenses from honing in on your weaknesses and forcing you to drive to one side of the basket or the other.
Significance
Basketball drills have long been one of the staples of both formal basketball practices for teams and individuals trying to improve their game. Advanced dribbling drills, like other drills, focus in on one specific area of your game or your players' games that needs improving. Drills use repetitive motions and actions to "drill" into players the correct form and procedure for executing a certain task.
Benefits
Improving your weak hand in basketball is essential for having well-rounded basketball skills. Defenses can pick up very quickly which direction a player is comfortable moving with the ball, which is dictated by which hand is the player's dominant hand. Using advanced dribbling drills to improve your weak hand forces the defense to guard all potential directions you might go, not just the side of your strong hand.
Features
Advanced dribbling drills come in all shapes and sizes but generally involve the player performing some specific dribbling action with the ball. Since you would dribble the ball in a number of different scenarios, such as dribbling downcourt; dribbling with a defender on your back; or dribbling while running, walking or driving to the lane, advanced dribbling drills use different speeds and techniques to simulate these scenarios. Limiting the drill to one hand thus allows you to develop that specific skill set to your weak hand.
Two-Ball Drills
Two-ball drills involve a player dribbling two balls at the same time, one in each hand. This advanced dribbling technique forces the player to develop his weak hand, since each hand has a ball. For example, the crossover two-ball drill involves the player dribbling one ball in each hand at the same time. The player then simultaneously bounces each ball in front of his body so that it crosses over in front of him and lands in the opposite hand. Players who can execute this drill over and over again without dropping either ball have developed their weak hand to the point where it is no longer a liability to their ball-handling skills.
Advanced Full-Court Dribbling Drill
The advanced speed dribbling drill helps players learn how to dribble the ball upcourt with their weak hand, in the event that a defender is playing off the strong-hand side. Have players line up behind the baseline, and give the first player a ball. On the whistle, the player will dribble the length of the court as fast as possible, using only the weak hand. The player must make it all the way up and back down the court without fumbling or losing the ball. When the player returns to the baseline, she gives the ball to the next player in line, who executes the same procedure, using the weak hand again to dribble. Have all players run through the drill at least once as part of your practice routine.
Member Comments