Consistency is important in sports, but honestly, doing the same basketball ball-handling drills over and over gets kind of boring. After awhile, you just don’t feel like doing them anymore, especially ball-handling drills.
Rotating different basketball ball-handling drills in and out is a great way to keep yourself motivated and challenged. Feel like you’ve seen everything? Below are four different 20-minute workouts filled with the best ball-handling drills for guards. They can be performed anywhere, so there is no excuse for not working on your craft.
Mix up the workouts from week to week, or even on a daily basis. Don’t get frustrated if you are unable to do all the ball-handling drills at first. Take it as a challenge and work until you’ve mastered them all.
Each ball-handling drill lasts between 30 and 60 seconds. Take a 10- to 20-second break before moving on to the next drill. If you’re practicing with a partner, rotate back and forth. Rest while the other player is doing the drill.

Ball-Handling Drills

Workout # 1: One-Basketball Ball-Handling Drills

Although it’s simpler than the other workouts, this one is just as effective. When working through the moves, try to visualize the defender in front of you, mix up your speeds and really sell it with your eyes and body.

• Basketball Slaps
• Ball Pounds
• Low Dribble Drill
• Windshield Wipers
• Side Windshield Wipers
• Crossovers
• Between the Legs
• Behind the Back
• Rhythm Dribble Crossover
• Rhythm Dribble Between the Legs
• Rhythm Dribble Behind the Back
• Between the Legs Crossover
• Between the Legs Behind the Back

Workout # 2: Two-Basketball Ball-Handling Drills

Similar to Workout #1, but with the difficulty turned up a notch by the addition of a second basketball and the need to work both hands at the same time. The keys to these ball-handling drills are  dribbling as hard as you can and not being afraid to mess up. Do your best to keep your eyes up and stay in a low athletic stance.

• Pounds
• Alternating Pounds
• High Low Pounds
• Windshield Wipers
• Broken Windshield Wipers
• Side Windshield Wipers
• Broken Side Windshield Wipers
• Over the Top Crossover
• Crossover Hold
• Figure 8
• Alternating Figure 8
• Circle
• Reverse Circle
• Alternating Circle

Workout # 3: Tennis Ball Toss

By using a tennis ball, you force yourself to keep your eyes up and dribble the basketball just with feel. This workout is great for developing hand-eye coordination and really getting a feel for dribbling the basketball without looking down. If you need to take some stationary dribbles between tosses, that’s OK, but the goal is to progress to the point where you can do the ball-handling drill continuously.

• Pound Toss
• In & Out Toss
• Windshield Wiper Toss
• Side Windshield Wiper Toss
• Windmill Toss
• Cross Toss
• Behind the Back Toss
• Between the Legs Toss
• Reverse Between the Legs Toss
• Rhythm Dribble Toss
• Double Cross Toss
• Between the Legs Cross Toss
• Behind the Back Cross Toss

Workout # 4: Wall Ball Handling

Not a conventional ball-handling workout, but it does a great job of developing hand strength and ball control. Using a wall adds difficulty and gives you another way to mix up your ball-handling workouts, keeping things fresh and challenging.

• Pounds
• Sweeps
• In & Out
• High Low
• Crossovers
• Clock Drill
• 2-Ball Pound
• 2-Ball Sweeps
• 2-Ball In & Out
• 2-Ball Triangle Drill
• 2-Ball Clock Drill

Want more ball-handling drills to rotate into your workout? Check out these NBA Stars’ go-to exercises:

•  Two-Ball Dribbling Drill With John Wall 
• Ball-Handling Drills With Brandon Knight
• Dwayne Wade’s Workout Overview