Resources · Ball Handling

Ball Handling Drills for Young Players

Ball handling is the one skill every player uses on every possession. The good news: it's also one of the easiest to practice at home, and small daily reps add up fast.

Start with stationary work

Before any movement, players need to be comfortable with the ball in their hands. Stationary drills build that comfort:

• Wrap-around: ball circles the waist, then the legs, then the head.
• Pound dribbles: hard dribbles with each hand, eyes up.
• Crossovers: low, controlled, in front of the body.
• Figure-eight: ball moves between and around the legs in a figure-eight pattern.

Two minutes a day of stationary work is plenty. The point is the contact, not the workout.

Add movement next

Once stationary is comfortable, add walking and jogging drills. The ball shouldn't change — only the feet. This is where most young players break form. The cue: eyes up, ball low.

Two-ball work, when appropriate

Two-ball drills are great for older kids and advanced ball handling, but they can be overwhelming for beginners. Save them for kids who are already comfortable with one-ball stationary work.

Change of direction, not just speed

The most useful ball handling move at the youth level is a clean change of direction. A crossover that drops the hip, a behind-the-back that protects the ball, a between-the-legs that buys space — these are moves that work because of the footwork, not the flash. Drill them slow. Build up.

Drills that work at home

You don't need a gym. A driveway, a garage, or a patch of concrete is fine. Three drills:

1. Two-minute stationary: 30 seconds wrap-arounds, 30 seconds pounds, 30 seconds crossovers, 30 seconds figure-eight. Each hand.
2. Length-of-driveway zigzag: walking zigzag, dribbling with the outside hand. Both directions.
3. Wall touches: standing 5 feet from a wall, two-ball pound-and-touch. (Older players only.)

What a ball handling camp should include

A good ball handling camp is mostly repetition with coaching cues. Look for a program that scales drills by age and has time for individual feedback, not just group drills.

Ball Handling & Shooting Camp at RCE combines ball handling with shooting form, since the two skills reinforce each other.

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