Better Ball-Handling in the Off-Season!

Off-Season Ball-Handling

It’s officially the off-season!
…You have about 9 months to make a significant improvement in your game and reach the next level!
You only need one thing to practice and improve your ball-handling… a basketball. You don’t have to go to a court to practice ball-handling. You can do drills in your basement, backyard, park, etc.
At Premier Hoops, we strongly believe that any player at any skill level has room for improvement in his/her ball-handling ability.
Below are some areas to focus on when working out
1) Improve Your Endurance – Any player can pick up the basketball and try his/her hardest for the first 10 minutes. The players, who can continue to go their hardest after 45, are the ones who have built up a high level of stamina and endurance. If you want to be a top player, you need to be able to sustain a high level of endurance throughout the entire game.
2) Practice Going Game Speed – You will always play the way you practice. Practice not looking at the ball in every drill! If you practice half-speed on your skills, this will reflect in your game and in your future season. To be an elite ball-handler you have to motivate yourself to go your hardest in every drill to the point where you are messing up. Perfect practice will build your endurance and skill level.
3) Practice Being Unpredictable – You do not have to be the quickest or most athletic player to be unpredictable. It’s all about practicing switching speeds and directions; going fast to slow and slow to fast. When practicing your moves make sure you are imagining yourself playing against someone else. Practice hesitating and switching speeds in your drills.

Below are some good drills to practice in the off-season!



3 Speed Dribbling
1) Circle In and outs
2) In and out cross overs
3) Behind the backs
4) One pound through the legs
5) “V” through the legs

Wall-Dribbling
One hand always has to touch the wall
Try to get 30 in a row and then switch!
1) Cross overs
2) Through the legs
3) Behind the backs

Two-Ball Drills
Go up to half-court going forwards
Back going backwards
Make sure not to look at the ball
1) Simultaneous pounds
2) Alternate pounds
3) Side to side pounds
4) Windshield wipers
5) Front to back pounds