Basketball dribbling drills should start with hand speed and footwork. Players need to move their feet effectively, change speed, and change direction. Well-balanced players trust their hands and feet to constantly improve their skills (check out our basketball landing page). Pointers:

• Focus on hand speed without looking down at the ball or the floor
• Concentrate on changing speed and direction in a balanced posture to dribble by a defender
• Dribble the ball close to the body and learn how to use the body to protect the ball from greedy defenders
• Acquire the ability to dribble with either hand effectively

Dribbling skills should not be confined to the guard position. Below are some dribbling drills, courtesy of Kansas Basketball Academy Foundation. Remember to practice at game speed to train the body to play at an intense pace.

Explosion

This drill focuses on spurts of speed and quick hands.
Equipment: chairs, whistle, basketballs
Duration: 6 minutes (1 minute per move)

• Players start at baseline in track hurdle position dribbling basketball in left hand
• Coach blows whistle; players explode towards chair to make a dribble move
• Dribble moves: Crossover, Behind the Back, Between the Legs, Hesitation, Stutter Step, Inside/Out, Spin

Tight Spot

This drill simulates ball handling to escape double teams and traps
Equipment: chairs, cones, basketballs
Duration: 2-3 minutes

• Players sit on edges of chairs five feet apart from each other with cones between them
• Players explode up and dribble toward cones
• Players have to make a move to avoid a collision
• Dribble moves: Crossover, Behind the Back, Between the Legs, Hesitation, Stutter Step, Inside/Out, Spin

Full Court

This drill simulates fourth quarter fatigue and reinforces the importance of focusing on fundamentals when playing under pressure.
Equipment: cones or chairs
Duration: 3-6 minutes

• Players start on baseline, dribble to other end of court toward cones
• Players must make dribble moves around cones, then score lay-up or jump shot
• Players do this continuously for specified time
• Dribble moves: Crossover, Behind the Back, Between the Legs, Hesitation, Stutter Step, Inside/Out, Spin