Ball Handling 101: 2 Balls or Not?: (Read Time 30 Sec)

I get asked all the time of how to improve a players’ ball handling.  Youtube is jam packed with And 1 mix tape moves, two and three ball dribbling drills, and countless other viewpoints of how to get a better handle. Do you know that one of the of the absolute best guards (last year's Gatorade Player of the Year in Nevada) I know has never trained with more than one basketball? When people ask him WHY NOT do 2 and 3 ball drills, he simply responds by asking them “Do I get to dribble with two balls in a game?”

As I pondered, tested, and retested the curriculum for IGNITED, I chose to have IGNITED follow a game style format. I feel that when players work on game specific moves and ball handling, there is exact carry over.  While I see there can be value in doing two ball dribbling for coordination and have seen some fantastic drills for this, I tend to lean toward the philosophy of following a game like scenario in workouts as much as possible.  

WHY the weighted ball? Now, I’m the first one that doesn't like gimmicks or “training aids” that promise the world, so why the weighted basketball? My answer is simple: The weighted basketball is the single best tool I have personally found for increasing the speed and strength of a player’s ball handling ability. Its like lifting weights with the exact same size basketball a player is used to dribbling. All I can say is try it for yourself and tell me if you don’t see a huge difference in a matter of weeks and on a side note-stay away from the rubber versions as I’ve had players get blisters from them.

What the very best key to improving ball handling? POUND THE BASKETBALL. Yes, POUND IT.

To those that believe in and honor 100% TRUE GAME: Keep up the fight, it will pay off!

-Coach D