Ballhandling has many derivative meanings within basketball. The obvious definition is the act of “breaking your defender down” with a dribble move, fool your defender, and score with an open jump shot or layup.
Ballhandling has natural connotations of an aid to shoot the ball. I believe there are other reasons for ballhandling, which are more devout, used from a team perspective, and can go unnoticed.
Good ballhandling skills include:
- Ability to use both hands
- Change of speed ability on court
- Finger tip control
- Eyes up at all times with dribble
- Knowledge of when to use dribble
- Change of angle to make pass or shot
Here is a good dribble drill that can help with fundamentals: full-court dribble with each hand to a layup on right side and left side. (Eyes up, fingertip control.) If on the right side of the court, use your right hand; if on the left side, use your left hand. As you continue this drill, pick up some ballhandling moves (between legs, crossover, fake cross, behind your back) as you go for the full-court layup. Do not worry if you don’t do it correctly at first. Losing the ball and missing layups are all part of the improvement journey.
Some types of simple/basic ballhandling moves include the following:
- Catching the ball correctly
- Through the leg move
- Behind the back dribble
- Crossover and fake crossover
- Euro step
- Spin dribble
- Stutter step
Many of these can be used as combo moves within a play.
All these vital ballhandling attributes/moves can be used in every possession seamlessly, without fanfare, and fade into the abyss of the game, whereas the one “great move” will be identified/remembered by all afterwards. This partisan view of ballhandling overlooks the fundamental part of handling the ball: Applying the unselfish ballhandling skills mentioned above results in an excellent assist/turnover ratio.
Since the game of basketball is best played unselfishly, ballhandling is always best as a supporting participant towards success, rather than a protagonist. The game of basketball has an undeniable ability to reward “flow” offensive teams. This means the dribble is used sparingly, and, not more than two dribbles occur before moving the ball. The minimal amount of ballhandling is a cousin to the art of passing the ball, and is equally rewarded by the game.
Great usages of minimal ballhandling successes include:
- Changing angle to make entry pass
- Organized post moves in the block using mostly footwork
- Breaking of full court pressure then moving it up court with a pass
- Using on ball screens efficiently to a pass/shot
If used correctly, ballhandling defines your team fundamentally, and will lead frequently to a victory. The reality is teammates will move more off the ball when there is less dribbling/more passing. It is an aspect that has been true for years and still is. Use ballhandling for the game, and not only for yourself.
Charles Marquardt, Sr., is the Men’s Basketball head coach at Mercy University and all-time winningest coach at Molloy University. Charles Marquardt, Jr. is a professional basketball player who led the Canadian Basketball Super League in scoring and was named Most Valuable Player.
