Basketball Dribbling Moves

Dribbling is one of the three choices for the triple threat position. Dribbling is how a player is able to move around the basketball court without passing the ball. Especially in tight situations when the defense is playing the offense tight and aggressively, and there is no one to pass the ball to. The best basketball players are able to put the ball on the floor and dribble the basketball and create a play without getting the ball stolen.

Some Tips to learning how to dribble better are:

•  Stick to the fundamentals and know how to dribble pretty good in either hand
•  When dribbling look up
•  Protect the ball with your body all the time
•  Pass first and dribble second
•  Always dribble with purpose          
• Use your wrist and fingers to move the ball ,and never your palms
• When dribbling NEVER palm the basketball
• When dribbling up court ,never dribble by the sidelines to avoid the trap defense
• Never force the offense to score, take your time when dribbling
• Use your dominant hand when ever possible

Learning different types of basketball dribbles is important to be a better ball handler. To be a better ball handler you must master the following moves by completing basketball drills.

Behind the back dribble – a move behind the back that moves the basketball to the opposite side of your body.
Between the legs dribble- a move that puts the ball between the legs, while pushing the ball to the opposite side of the body.
Crossover- a move that quickly changes the direction of the basketball while dribble the ball directly in front of the defense.

Double Crossover – a double crossover is like the crossover except you cross your opponents twice.

Fake Spin - a move that rotates your body and the basketball 180˚.

Hesitation Dribble- also known as the stop-n-go, the hesitation is used to intimidate your opponent.

Improving the Off-hand- improving your non-dominant hand is the first step to improving your dribble.

In and out dribble – a dribble move used to evade the defense and get to the basket quickly.

Post Up Dribble- a low post dribble move used to back down the opponent towards the basket

Spin Move - a fancy dibble move that allows the offensive player to rotate (spin) around his opponent completely.

Stutter Step- also known as the hesitation dribble

How to make Better Passes

Passing is an essential skill that contributes to the chemistry of a team. Passing is one of the options to the triple threat stance. To be a good passer a player must have good awareness of his teammates. That is why passing skills are valued just as much as dribbling at the point guard position.


Passing the ball helps boost the morale of a team. When a player passes the ball to a teammate it signifies that the player that passed the ball, trusts the teammate he passed the ball to. This can eventually lead to better teamwork and faster ball movement and floor spacing. Passing the basketball around the court moves the basketball a lot faster than dribbling.

The Chest Pass

There are several ways to pass the ball. One way is the chest pass. The chest pass is a forward throw of the ball into the chest of a teammate.


Basketball Drills: Chest Pass -- powered by eHow.com


The Overhead pass

The Overhead pass is for when a player is trapped and needs to pass the basketball to an open teammate. This is I believe the 2nd most important type of pass.


Basketball Drills: Overhead Pass -- powered by eHow.com


The Bounce Pass

The Bounce pass is the 3rd most important pass. This pass is used when a player needs to avoid a pass from being stolen. A bounce pass is difficult for defenders to steal and helps keep your teammates in position. To perform a bounce pass follow these steps:

1. Hold the ball in your triple threat stance
2. Look for a teammate to pass the ball to
3. Aim the ball 3 quarters of the way to the teammate
4. Pass the ball by pushing off your back foot while stepping into your pass with your dominant foot.


Basketball Drills: Bounce Pass -- powered by eHow.com



The Behind the Back Pass

This bass is the most difficult pass for defenders to defend against. The behind the back pass is can be used when a player stands still, or when they are dribbling. The behind the back pass can be used off the dribble. This kind of pass is difficult to execute, but if it is done right than it can be very useful. This pass can create plays on the court that can turn into points made. A coach loves players that have good enough court vision to make this pass. Practicing this pass can make you better basketball players. To execute this pass:

1. Hold the ball in your hands
2. Lean your shoulders towards your back
3. Take your dominant and put the ball in that hand
4. Push the ball quickly to directly behind your back
5. Quickly let go of the ball and pass the ball.

*Be patient because this is a difficult pass to make. If you do not like this pass then you should not use. (Not everybody uses this pass)

The Alley-Oop

The ally-Oop is the most exciting pass in a basketball. An alley-Oop is when a player passes the ball over the basketball rim while another player catches the ball and dunks the ball. This pass boosts the confidence of the players who play the game the home crowd. Many exciting NBA duos like Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen, Lebron James & Moe Williams, use this play to build their team’s confidence during a slow game.



A team should only use the alley-Oop during fast breaks, or when the person who is dunking the ball has a lane towards the basket to perform the dunk. Alley-Oops should be practiced with your teammates before games. There will be times when a team goes to play a game, and the opposition will be too aggressive for the team to get an open jump shot. This is when the alley-Oop is most useful; because all the passer has to do is toss the ball at the rim and another player can put the ball.

The alley Oop has some critical requirements for it to be effective in a basketball game.

The person who passes the ball must have great passing skills and great court. This type of player should be able to position the ball where only his teammate can get the ball and easily get put the ball in the hoop. The second requirement is that the person who is performing the dunk of the alley-Oop should be able to easily get his/her hands above the rim to dunk the ball.



How to Perform the Alley-Oop

1. The person with ball must find a player who can dunk the ball and has a lane towards the basket.
2. Make eye contact with the player to signal that you want to perform the alley-Oop
3. Immediately toss the ball softly towards the rim so that it is barely above the rim
(The dunker should be at most 3 steps away from the rim by the time the ball is above the rim)
4. The dunker now leaps towards the rim and catches the ball and immediately dunks the ball in to the hoop.

*Alley-Oops take practice and the timing of it should be worked on ALOT.

How to Shoot Better

One day when Michael Jordan returned home from the Chicago Bulls practice, Jordan noticed that his sons were practicing dunking a basketball. Michael Jordan noticed this and told his kids “stop dunking and start shooting”. Marcus and Jeffery were puzzled because they did not understand what their father was talking about. So they asked him “why can’t we learn how to dunk like you”. Michael Jordan chuckled and explained that dunking is not as important as shooting because you will more likely shoot more shots in a game than dunk the basketball. Michael Jordan explained that if a person really wanted to “be like mike” then that person should learn how to shoot.

Shooting is how most players who score in basketball, score the most amount of points for their team. When a person shoots the ball it is called a jump shot. When a person shoots the ball falling away from the basket, it is called a fade away. If a basketball player can shoot a jump shot and a fade away very good, then they are a good shooter on a team. If you want to shoot the basketball properly and score more effectively, then follow these steps:

How To Shoot For Right Handed People

1. Hold the basketball in your hand
2. Point your feet into a 10 O ‘clock position
3. Bend your knees half way to create power in the legs (this is where your power comes from)
4. Spread your right hand fingers over the ball
5. Use your left hand to support the ball from the left side of the basketball
6. Next raise the ball over your head to create a good arc toward the basket. (Your wrist and elbow joints should be in a 90˚ angle.
7. Finally jump with your legs and shoot the ball by extending your arms and snapping your wrist. Use your index finger, thumb, and middle finger to guide the ball 

For Left Handed People 

1. Hold the basketball in your hand
2. Point your feet into a 2 O ‘clock position 
3. Bend your knees half way to create power in the legs (this is where your power comes from)
4. Spread your left hand fingers over the ball
5. Use your Right hand to support the ball from the left side of the basketball
6. Next raise the ball over your head to create a good arc toward the basket. (Your wrist and elbow joints should be in a 90˚ angle.
7. Finally jump with your legs and shoot the ball by extending your arms and snapping your wrist. Use your index finger, thumb, and middle finger to guide the ball.

Finally in order to shoot the basketball effectively, practicing shooting the ball often will make you a better shooter. The best shooter and scorer on a basketball team is the person who can shoot the best and dribble the best also.

Basketball History: Dr.Naismith's New Sport

Basketball is one the greatest sports ever invented. Basketball was invented by James Naismith in December 1891. Dr.James Naismith was a physical education instructor at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1891 when the New England winter came, Dr. Naismith needed a way to keep his student athletes in shape during the long winters. Therefore Dr. Naismith invented basketball in which could could as an indoor sport during the winter time. The original name of Dr.Naismith's invention was originally labeled "Basket Ball".

When Dr. Naismith designed the first official basketball game, it was very different from how we see basketball played today. There was no 3 point line and every shot made was counted as one point. The basketball court dimensions were half the size of the NBA official basketball court size. The basketball goals were hung on balconies where spectators watched the game. The goals were peach baskets nailed into the wall approximately 10 feet high, but the baskets still retained their bottoms.So whenever a player shot the ball into the basket and made the basket, someone from the balcony had to remove the ball from the basket and give it to the players. When there were no balconies for the goals to be hung on, players would nail the peach baskets into the wall to play the game. Then when a goal was scored a person would get a ladder and remove the ball from the basket. The basketball court dimensions were half the size of the NBA official basketball court size. The first shot ever made was a shot taken from 25 ft away from the basket. The first game ended one to zero.As basketball became widespread known, it also became very popular. Every YMCA in the United States and Canada began imposing basketball on its members. Basketball was so popular that by 1895 both countries loved the sport. Basketball was a huge hit, but after 10 years the sport was becoming very unpopular. The player's rough play and the uncontrollable spectator crowds caused alot of injuries and riots. Basketall games became a source of crime. This type of play was not what the YMCA was all about, so to get rid of this problem new rules were implemented. The referees of the games started to watch the players carefully to reduce the violence on the court. Thankfully, there were good times as basketball moved on through history.
After WW1 the Amatuer Athletic Union (AAU) organized better basketball than the YMCA. The AAU contributed to how organized basketball is played today. After WW2 in 1950 ,the NBA was formed having only eight teams. They were the Knicks, Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Royals, Pistons, Hawks, and the Nationals. Modern day NBA teams were added to the NBA from 1954- present. Then in 1996 The WNBA for women was founded. It is composed of 12 teams, and is the most recent action created to accomodate women's professional basketball.
Basketball has progressed over the years very well. I personally believe as a blogger that everyone should play basketball because it helps keep people in shape, and if a person plays it they might admire the sport.Basketball is in the top 10 most favorite sports in world, but majority of its fans are Canada and the United States.