- By Grant Young
A basketball guard’s ability to handle the ball directly correlates with how far they can take their basketball career.
First and foremost, basketball ball handling is essential for creating plays. Guards need to control the ball while navigating through defenses, setting up teammates for scoring opportunities, or finding their own shots. If a guard struggles to maintain control of the ball, they become less effective in running the offense, which can lead to turnovers and missed opportunities.
Effective ball handling allows guards to create space. Whether through dribbling, crossovers, or hesitation moves, a guard's ability to maneuver can create openings not just for themselves but also for teammates. Without these skills, defenders can easily anticipate their movements, making it harder to execute plays.
Basketball Coaches Clinic Vol. 7 - Strength and Conditioning featuring Coach Bob Alejo
Coaches look for and elect to play players who can contribute in multiple ways, especially when it comes to players who are responsible for holding the ball. Guards who lack solid ball handling skills may find themselves at a disadvantage when competing for minutes or spots on the roster. Teams value players who can not only pass but also drive and shoot effectively, and poor ball handling can limit a player’s versatility.
Not to mention that as guards progress in their careers, the level of competition increases. Defenses become more sophisticated, and having elite ball handling skills becomes even more critical to succeed. Players who can’t adapt risk being left behind, as those with better skills will take prime positions.
All of this is to say that developing as a ball handler is a must for any prospective guard. While there are endless drills a ball handler can use to try and improve their dribbling abilities, the four included below stem from coaches with decades of combined experience, during which they’ve singled these drills out as the most conducive for success as a ball handler.
Dave Severns - Pound Dribble Drill
Dave Severns is currently a basketball scout for the Indiana Pacers. Before that, he spent 14 years in the NBA as Director of Player Development for the LA Clippers from 2010-2016, Director of Player Development for the Chicago Bulls from 2008-2010, and Pro Personnel Scout for the LA Clippers from 2016-2021.
Coach Severns’ ‘Elite Ballhandling & Passing’ course includes two ball handling drills well worth your time. The first is called the Pound Dribble Drill, which requires getting in partners with one ball between them.
One player will be dribbling the ball with their fingers spread, eyes up, and not going past knee height with the ball while their teammate slaps and pulls their dribbling arm around, trying to make them lose control of their dribble.
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The benefit of this drill is that players will have to deal with their dribbling arms getting fouled throughout a game. But the theory is that they won’t ever have to deal with someone consistently doing so with as much force as this drill requires (at least not without a foul getting called), so this drill will prepare them for the worst-case scenario and help develop a player’s ability to dribble under duress.
Dave Severns - Scissor Drill
Another one of Coach Severns’ drills is called the Scissor Drill, which starts with a player dribbling the ball with their right hand, going between their legs, and then back between their legs again from their left hand to their right hand. After doing so, they’re going to make a push pass with their right hand to their partner, who is across from them about 10 feet away and doing the same thing at the exact same time.
This drill is difficult because both partners have to be in complete sync with each other if they aren’t going to throw the ball while the other is still dribbling. This requires the player to have the eyes up and focused on their partner, which will teach dribbling between the legs efficiently without looking down.
Zach Urbanus - Handle & Footwork Drill
Zach Urbanus was a 4-year starter as a guard at The Citadel, which is a Division 1 university. He finished his career Top 10 in both scoring & assists at The Citadel, and played point guard professionally in Denmark after his coaching career ended. Once his playing days concluded, Coach Urbanus became the Co-Founder and Chief Training Officer at Ballogy.
Coach Urbanus’ ‘Ball Handling the Right Way’ course details a Footwork and Ball Handling drill, which is fantastic because it helps hone two different skill sets at the same time.
This drill will start with the guard making a jab step and then dribbling into the paint before stopping on a dime. They’ll then transition into various different dribbling attacks from the top of the key at different points of the court.
It’s an effective drill because it practices jump stops, which can be difficult for guards who aren’t advanced at ball handling.
Jay Hernandez - Guard Crawls
In 2023, Jay Hernandez became an Assistant Coach for the Brooklyn Nets. He also has more than a decade of professional coaching experience with the Charlotte Hornets and the Orlando Magic.
Coach Hernandez’s ‘Advanced Point Guard’ course had a series of drills called Guard Crawls, which start with a player facing sideways, stepping with their right leg (if they’re dribbling with their right), and imagining sticking their left foot in between a pressing defender’s leg. This simulates dribbling up the court when a defender is pressing up on you, which is vital for any ball handler to be able to do.
From there, the series goes into how to develop this drill into a simulating cutting between two defenders, dribbling through a pick and roll, and how to dribble past a defender who’s trying to come over the top of a screen.
