Youth Basketball Dribbling Principles
DRIBBLING OVERVIEW In the world of youth basketball there is nothing more valuable for having a successful season than a teams ability to handle the basketball. Without good ball-handling nothing else will greatly matter. It does no good to have a bang-up defense if you have to spend the majority of the game playing there because your team can't control the ball. Having the best shooters in the league is of little significance if your players cannot get the ball into a position to score. For youth age players below 12, ball handling drills need not be overly complicated. Trying to run high school and college type drills with this age is unnecessary, and quite frankly, a waste of time. A few simple drills, with the occasional pressure applied should be sufficient. It is not the complexity of the drill, but is all about repetition. Dribble, dribble, dribble. And remember, even with young players it is not enough just to be able to dribble well with one hand. They must at least begin the process of learning all different aspects of ball handling; mainly the right hand, left hand, and front cross-over dribble. Below are the four central parts of effective dribbling.
BODY POSITIONING The ball should always be to one side or the other, depending upon which hand is in control of the ball,and the location of defender. This will ensure that the offensive players body is always protecting the ball.
Courtesy of flickr.com by threecee
SEEING COURT While doing youth basketball drills it should be OVERstressed about the importance of learning to see up the court as dribbling, instead of looking down at ball. Overtime a player must be able to dribble by feel, and instinct. If not they will be essentially ineffective- or even worse- a target for defensive sharks.
SOLID BOUNCE Many young kids are constantly having to feel for, or reach down to meet ball when dribbling. This is simply a result of the player being soft on the bounce, and not pushing the ball hard enough for it to come back up to meet them. Players need to realize that they should not have to reach for the ball, but that the ball should be bounced hard enough to meet them where they are.
BALL LOW On the flip side of some players being soft on the bounce, there are many who have a tendency to bounce the ball TOO hard. This causes the ball to go high, making it hard to control or protect. This equals loose balls, mistakes, and most irritating...steals. While a player should have a solid bounce, they should also remember that both body and ball should be kept as low as possible while still allowing for maximum agility and movement. This will eliminate the chance of player losing control and committing turnovers.
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