The Art Of Dribbling

For any first time basketball player, the first question they always seem to ask is, “What should I learn first?” The answer should always be dribbling.

When I grew up, I used to practice my dribbling skills any chance I got, at the high school gym, on the concrete courts nearby, or in my basement. My routine was simple, dribbling the ball between my legs, behind the back, Figure 8’s and power dribbles. Before YouTube, all ball players in the early 2000’s wanted to dribble like Allen Iverson (AI). Every player I knew was practicing AI’s ridiculous and “never going to happen in a real game” crossover dribble from his Reebok Ad’s on TV.

Source: Bleacher Report

I believe my confidence in playing the game resulted directly from my ball handling skills. You cannot do anything in the game of basketball without being able to handle the rock. As the NBA continues to change and move towards a faster and speedier game, learning how to dribble effectively is even more important than ever.

Over the past 60+ years in the NBA (ABA), we have seen some great ballers that were able to utilize the skill of dribbling to take them to superstar levels in a game built on height.

If you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best. Here are a few players that set the “gold” standard in being able to handle the rock on the court.

1. Pistol “Pete” Maravich: 
2. Allen “The Answer” Iverson:
3. Isiah “Zeke” Thomas: 
4. Stephen “Baby Face Assassin” Curry:

Source: YouTube

Notice how the ball seems to be on a string. They were masters with the ball, and could move anywhere on the court anytime they pleased. In traffic and out of traffic, they could take the defender one on one with ease, making all seem so simple. One word I would used to classify their ball handling greatness: Unstoppable.

If you’re still playing this game, and want to improve your dribbling and ball handling skills, here is a video on YouTube that I would recommend from ProTrainingBB.com.

You could easily incorporate these dribbling drills at practice or at home. Practicing even a few minutes a day on your ball handling skills can have huge dividends on the court and whether you sit or play.

Who were your favourite all time dribblers in the game? Is it someone from the past or from today’s NBA? Post a comment below!

The Art of Hoops