One of the great things about basketball is that your child doesn’t need access to a gym, a team practice, or an expensive trainer to improve.
Sometimes all she needs is a basketball, a driveway, and a willingness to work.
This is a ball-handling routine that Grace began using during the pandemic. I really like this workout because it combines ball handling with movement.
Many young players spend a great deal of time practicing dribbling while standing in one place. Stationary drills certainly have value, especially when a player is learning a new move, but eventually she needs to become comfortable performing those same moves while moving down the court.
After all, basketball isn’t played standing still.
For the video accompanying this article, I shortened the distance Grace normally uses so the entire workout could be demonstrated more easily. When we do the complete drill, I typically have her perform each movement for the full length of a basketball court.
The goal isn’t simply to complete the move.
Players should work on staying low, keeping the basketball under control, using both hands, keeping their eyes up whenever possible, and performing each move with purpose.
Here are the five movements we use:
1. Crossover
The crossover is one of the most fundamental ball-handling moves in basketball.
The player pushes the basketball from one hand to the other while changing direction.
Encourage your child to stay low and make the crossover quickly rather than allowing the ball to float slowly across the body.
The goal should be to eventually perform the move confidently with either hand.
2. Between the Legs
Dribbling between the legs provides another way for a player to change direction while keeping the basketball protected from a defender.
Players should practice going from right to left and from left to right.
At first, young players may need to slow down while learning the movement. As their confidence improves, encourage them to increase their speed without sacrificing control.
3. Behind the Back
The behind-the-back dribble gives a player another option for changing direction while protecting the basketball.
This move can initially feel uncomfortable for younger players, so patience and repetition are important.
Don’t worry about performing it quickly at first.
Control comes before speed.
4. Double Crossover Into a Between-the-Legs Dribble
Now we begin combining movements.
The player performs two crossovers and then transitions immediately into a between-the-legs dribble.
Combination drills are valuable because basketball rarely provides a player with a situation where one predetermined move works perfectly.
A defender reacts.
The ball handler has to react as well.
Learning to connect different moves helps a young player become more comfortable adjusting while she is dribbling.
5. Crossover, Between the Legs, Behind the Back
This is the most advanced sequence in the workout.
The player combines three different movements:
Crossover → Between the Legs → Behind the Back
The objective is to make the transitions between each move as smooth as possible.
At first, don’t worry about speed.
Have your child concentrate on performing each movement correctly while maintaining control of the basketball.
Once the sequence becomes comfortable, gradually increase the pace.
Eventually, you want the movements to begin flowing together naturally.
Repetition Builds Confidence
One of the messages I have continually emphasized with my daughters is that basketball skills require repetition.
A move that feels awkward today may eventually become something a player performs instinctively during a game.
But that doesn’t happen after five repetitions.
Or ten.
It happens after doing the same movement over and over again.
The driveway is a wonderful place for that work.
There is no scoreboard.
There are no referees.
Nobody cares if your child makes a mistake.
She can lose the basketball, pick it up, and try again.
That is how improvement happens.
I would encourage parents to resist the temptation to constantly correct every mistake. Give your child some instruction, demonstrate the goal, and then allow her to work through the movements.
The objective isn’t perfection.
The objective is progress.
A player who becomes comfortable handling the basketball while moving will have much more confidence when pressure arrives during a game.
And confidence with the basketball can open up everything else.
She can attack the basket.
She can escape defensive pressure.
She can create space.
She can find teammates.
And perhaps most importantly, she won’t panic when a defender gets close.
That is why ball handling has always been such an important part of our Driveway Academy.
Sometimes becoming a better basketball player really can begin with nothing more than a basketball and a driveway.
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