DRIBBLING - MOVING THE BALL!

DRIBBLING correctly for beginners cannot be over emphasized. There are number of STEPS to learning dribbling - which I have used with great success among younger children.

STANDING DRIBBLE - Stand in a normal standing position and bounce the ball about two to three inches in front of your right foot [when dribbling with the right hand] and left foot [when dribbling with the left hand]. Keep your upper arm as close to your ribs as possible. Your elbow joint should function to the maximum i.e. at the lowest point the arm should be straight and at the highest point the hand is raised to the level of the shoulder.

PUMPING THE BALL - Do not slap the ball. Cradle the ball from top and allow it to move to its highest point and then pump the ball to the ground. It is like filling air from a cycle pump. It is easy to copy from a senior player - if you don't understand it.

WALKING DRIBBLE - As you are able to dribble correctly, learn to do walking dribble - you could go with right hand the length of the basketball court and walk back with the left hand. THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO STOP LOOKING AT THE BALL WHILE DRIBBLING.

RUNNING DRIBBLE - The posture in which you run normally is the posture for the running dribble. The elbow joint now functions with a limited movement. As the head is ahead of the body the ball comes right next to your head and shoulder. Slowly you can increase the speed of your rubbing dribble.

FAST SPEED DRIBBLE - As you progress with your dribbling exercise - a time comes when you feel confident enough to go in for fast speed dribble which is almost like a sprint. If you can manage it - then we can confidently say that you have learnt how to dribble.

VARIATIONS IN DRIBBLING - Simple dribbling is `boring' - it is the variations in dribbling - through the legs - behind the back etc. etc. which is the `elixir' every players aspires for. To be able to play matches - you must continuously polish your dribbling skills. EVERY BASKETBALL PLAYER HAS TO BE AMBIDEXTROUS - capable of playing with both left and right hands. So right handers should give double the time for dribbing with the left hand and vice versa.

MOST IMPORTANT : Remember that all the above should be done without looking at the ball. In the beginning you may do it by looking at the ball - but as you gain confidence YOU MUST NOT LOOK AT THE BALL. However, some coaches feel that IN THE VERY BEGINNING ITSELF YOU SHOULDN'T LOOK AT THE BALL. But with younger players I have found this to be a little traumatic. I think you should understand WHAT YOUR GOAL IS - and then follow which ever method suits you.