Basketball Tip

Ball Handling Drills

PURDUE 8

Warm-up: Slap ball into hands – hard!

1. Slap ball around leg – one leg at a time. Reverse ball every three or four rotations. Then switch legs. Remember to slap ball hard into hands.

2. Figure 8 – Slap ball through legs in a figure 8 motion. Change directions every three or four rotations. Get the ball moving as fast as possible and slap the ball hard into your hands. Keep your eyes up.

3. Slap ball around body. Start at the ankles and work up to around your head and then back down the body. Change directions every three or four rotations.

4. Dribble Figure 8 – Dribble ball in a figure 8 motion around your legs. Dribble the ball as low as possible. Work to keep your head up.

5. Fingertip to fingertip – Tip the ball back and forth between your fingers. Keep the elbows locked and work the ball up and down your body.

6. Fingertip and dance – Elbows locked with arms straight up. Tip ball back and forth between hands with the ball on the fingertips. While tipping ball swing feet back and forth in a pendulum motion.

7. Speed Drill – start with ball in front of body. Swing around back and slap the ball hard in hands between legs – drop the ball and reverse the hands. Take the ball around front, then all the way around back and repeat. Always slap the ball whenever it hits your hands.

8. Walk & Dribble and Run & Dribble – Walk: Slap the ball between your legs with every step. Dribble: run in a Z pattern – dribble the ball between legs when changing direction.

Do the warm up drill for 10 seconds – then one of the ball handling drills for 30 seconds. Repeat.