Arts Entertainments

How to dribble like a pro, even if you’re not tall

Tall children are not supposed to be able to handle the ball well. I mean, tall kids aren’t supposed to be good at dribbling. I’m not sure if we think this because they’re so much higher off the ground than shorter people or what, but it’s silly.

I’m a tall person so I know what I’m talking about.

But there is nothing fundamentally that says that a tall child CANNOT dribble the ball well. There are no laws of physics that prevent a tall child from dripping. In fact, most point guards in the NBA are tall compared to high school students. Michael Jordan, for example, is six feet six inches tall. That would have made it one of the highest centers of my high school in the history of the school!

But we don’t think of Jordan as tall because NBA centers are so much taller than that.

So if you are a tall kid and want to pick up some crazy skills as a ball handler and dribbler, listen to the rest of this article carefully.

There is nothing stopping you from becoming a good dribbler. The only thing you need to focus on is practice. And when it comes to dribbling, there is only one way to practice. Do you know what that is? Yes, you guessed it; it is leaking.

Get in the habit of carrying a basketball EVERYWHERE you go, and dribbling as you walk. Forever. Try not to look at the ball when you dribble. Get in the habit of not looking while you dribble, make it a part of you. Turn it into muscle memory.

And here is another exercise you can do. Jog and dribble at the same time. Aim to run at least one mile a day, and as you run, dribble the basketball. Running more than a mile is better, like three to four miles, but a mile a day is a good start.

But always dribble while running. Yes, it will look like fun to those who see you, but do you care? You should not! And yes, it will be difficult to do! You will dribble with your foot and lose the ball all the time when you start to do it. But keep it up and eventually dribbling will become second nature to you, like breathing.

And a tall kid who can dribble is unstoppable at the high school level!

Here is another good exercise. You can turn it into a game that is actually quite fun. The only problem is that you need two or three more people, the more the better. Find an open space, like a gym floor or a parking lot. Then have one person dribble and the other two or three join the dribbler and try to steal the ball.

Whoever steals the ball becomes the dribbler, and the others try to steal it again.

It is a strenuous exercise but very beneficial and useful to learn to dribble well. If you can dribble and prevent two, three or four people from stealing the ball with ease, then it will be much easier when you find yourself in a game situation and only find one person defending you.

Dribbling is essential for basketball. How well you can dribble, no matter what position you play in, will determine whether or not you make the team, start or not, and win or not.

So practice as often as you can on your dribbling.

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