How To Get Better At Dribbling A Basketball

Published: 2022-07-15

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If you want to get better at dribbling a basketball, you’ve already taken the first step at improving the skill. Like many things in life, improving at something first requires the motivation to improve.

So whether you’ve been struck by inspiration from watching the latest highlight reels or motivated by the state of your current game, here’s how to get better at dribbling a basketball:

Step 1: Find your motivation

Motivation comes from a vision or goal one would like to achieve. Some reasons behind the motivation to get better at dribbling a basketball are:

I want to be a more advanced ballhandler
I want to be a more reliable point guard
I want to be a more versatile player
I want to create fewer turnovers
I want to the opportunity to further my playing career

Motivation feels like the urgency to act on achieving your vision or goal. Motivation will carry you through the full process of learning how to get better at dribbling a basketball.

Step 2: Select your measurement of success

The most important part of selecting a measurement of success is making sure that it’s tangible and can be achieved without interpretation. Some examples of measurements of success when improving dribbling are:

Complete a new move in practice or a game
Dribble with each hand in practice or a game
Complete a drill/skill at a faster or more effective pace for time

If your goal is high, be sure to break down the measurements of success along the way to keep your motivation high.

Step 3: Learn from the Pros

You have motivation and you’ve planned your measurements of success. Now it’s time to get better at dribbling a basketball. Find those who have mastered what you are trying to accomplish and learn from them. Watch videos and read blogs or articles that will support your goal. Take notes on key points or lessons you learned. There are many resources for this, but none better than SportsEdTV with offerings across several sports of interest.

If you want to get better at dribbling a basketball, you can look to Tim Hardaway, the original crossover king and NBA Hall of Famer. Check out his official ball handling workout to get better at dribbling a basketball.

Step 4: Practice & repetition

Getting better at dribbling a basketball will only happen if you implement a disciplined, committed practice - repeating that practice over and over again. When you practice, you are teaching your body the correct responses and movements in order to achieve your goal. Over time, your body and muscles begin to learn these responses and movements to the point where your brain can recall this move without much thought. This is called muscle memory. From here, you can continue to practice and repeat with added strength and quickness to further refine your dribbling.

Tim Hardaway's Basic Ball Handling Series

Tim Hardaway's Crossover Series

Tim Hardaway's In &; Out Crossover Series

Two Ball Dribbling With Tim Hardaway

Signature Move Series: Tim Hardaway's Killer Crossover

Step 5: Push yourself and repeat

Now that you’ve mastered how to get better at dribbling a basketball, push yourself with continued efforts toward a new motivation and goal. Head right back to step 1 to start getting better.