In basketball, the best way to improve yourself all around as a player is to get better at ball handling, as your ability to handle the ball influences every other aspect of the game.

Whether it’s keeping the ball away from the opposing team, running down the court, shooting, or dunking if you’re not comfortable maneuvering with a basketball, you’re likely to lose it.

Getting a feel for the ball is crucial to your survival on the court, which is why basketball dribbling drills transfer so well into your ability to play since they consist of you dribbling a basketball in a variety of different ways.

This builds your reflexes to better handle situations on the court, and with such a large number of drills available, you’ll be dedicating plenty of time during practice to bettering your control.

The drills in this article were chosen across multiple different categories of dribbling drills, each of which focuses on a select area, such as increasing the speed of your hand or improving your ability to escape a tight spot.

These are however just a select few from specific categories; there are many more drills you can use, and regardless of which ones you choose, they will all still lead to improvements in your handles.

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Basketball Dribbling Drills To Improve Handles

Before we look at the first set of drills, lets quickly go over some general key points on how to dribble a basketball better:

I’ll also mention that to begin to see impressive results in your handles will take both time and persistence. So with these key points in mind, let’s look at the first set of drills.

Crossovers

Crossovers, simple yet so effective

Crossovers are just about the most popular type of dribble you can perform, and for good reason.

They’re a fundamental move to keep the ball flowing between hands, making it more difficult for a defender to cover you and steal the ball by allowing you to change direction and move quickly.

In the process of performing a crossover, you can easily fake out the defense by transferring over to the opposite side.

You can then pass the basketball, take a shot, or even run towards the hoop, making the crossover a useful tool when learning how to dunk.

Without a good crossover, it’s unlikely you’ll get very far to the rim without getting heavily guarded and losing the ball in the process.

A tip when practicing the crossover is to sell it as best as possible by bringing the chest, head, and shoulders forwards and getting down low into an athletic/universal position, making the move more convincing.

Also, considering the simplicity of the crossover, while practicing try to maintain a rhythm or tempo that you follow, as this will make it easier to remain consistent throughout the process.

1. Continuous Crossover Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in one hand and your head up. With the basketball in hand, cross it over to the opposite hand by dribbling it in front of you, tapping the ground only once.

Proceed to cross the ball back from the opposite hand to the original hand; perform the crossover as wide as you can while still maintaining your position, and once you become more comfortable increase the speed at which you perform it.

You can also perform the crossover in between the legs and behind the back, transferring the ball from one hand to the other and then back.

2. Wall Touches Crossover Dribble Drill

In front of a wall, Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in your right hand and your head up.

With the basketball in your right hand, cross it over to your left hand by dribbling it in front of you, tapping the ground only once.

Once you perform the crossover, touch the wall with the hand that crossed over the ball, in this case, the right hand.

Once your left hand receives the ball, proceed to perform another crossover, transferring the ball from your left hand to your right hand, and touching the wall with your left hand.

3. 3-Bounce Crossover Dribble Drill

Keep count: 1, 2, 3 – crossover – 1, 2, 3 – crossover (repeat)

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in your right hand and your head up.

With the basketball in hand, dribble the ball three times, then cross it over to your left hand by dribbling it in front of you, tapping the ground only once.

Once your left hand receives the ball, repeat the same three bounces, then repeat the crossover. Continue for further repetitions.

4. Double Crossover Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in one hand and your head up.

With the basketball in hand, cross it over to the opposite hand by dribbling it in front of you, then cross it back from the opposite hand to the starting hand, tapping the ground twice.

After this, either pound the basketball once towards the ground to add a break in between or simply perform a quick pause. Perform the same steps again for the desired amount of repetitions.

5. Double Crossover Behind The Back Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in your right hand and your head up.

With the basketball in hand, cross it over to your left hand by dribbling it in front of you, then cross it back from your left hand to your right hand, tapping the ground twice.

After this perform a single crossover behind the back, transferring the ball back to the left hand.

Proceed to perform another double crossover, followed by a single crossover behind the back, at which point you should be back to the starting position.

Repeat the process for further repetitions, and push yourself to go as fast as possible.

6. Skip Crossover Dribble Drill

Holding the basketball in the right hand, hop up with the right leg towards the right. Once you land, perform a crossover to the opposite side.

Once you perform the crossover and your left hand receives the ball, bounce the ball once and then alternate by hopping up with the left leg towards the left.

Perform another crossover, and you should be back in the starting position ready to perform further repetitions.

Look straight ahead to make it more difficult

Pound Dribbles

Pound dribbles consist of you pounding the ball down as hard as possible in an attempt to make the basketball harder to control.

This will enhance your overall ball control because over time you’ll progressively adapt yourself to the intensity of the pound dribble during practice, making it more manageable.

This allows you to better handle the basketball in-game when the intensity of your dribble is scaled back, allowing for more fluid movement and better control.

As such, you should push yourself to slowly increase the intensity, even to the point of losing control of the basketball.

The more challenging you make it, the more improvements you’ll see.

1. Knee Pound Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in one hand and your head up.

Bounce the ball as hard as you can at around knee height, and continue to dribble for further repetitions. Once you finish practicing with one hand, alternate to the opposite hand to equally train both sides.

2. Low Pound Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in one hand and your head up. Bounce the ball at about shin to ankle height. Repeat for further repetitions, and once you are finished with one hand alternate to the other.

I will say to be a bit more cautious when performing low pounds and to treat them a bit more like quick taps since pounding the basketball at such a low level may lead to injury such as a jammed finger.

3. High Pound Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in one hand and your head up. Bounce the ball as hard as you can at around eye level. Repeat for further repetitions, and alternate hands once you finish.

4. Pound UTEP Two-steps Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the ball in the right hand and your head up. Pound dribble the ball once, then perform a crossover in between the legs, transferring the ball from the right hand to the left hand.

Once you receive the ball with the left hand, perform a crossover in front of you, keeping the ball below knee-level, and then repeat the process.

Visually, the ball should be going around your left leg; be sure to alternate afterward and go around the right leg by starting the sequence with the right hand.

5. Pound Cross-Betweens Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the ball in the right hand and your head up. Pound dribble the ball, then perform a crossover in front of you, transferring the ball from the right hand to the left hand.

Perform a crossover in between the legs, transferring the ball back to your right hand, and then repeat the process.

Visually, the ball should be going around your right leg; be sure to alternate afterward and go around the left leg by starting the sequence with the left hand.

Pullbacks

Pullbacks, the ultimate ankle-breakers

With pullbacks, you essentially pull the basketball back by dribbling it towards yourself as you take a step back. This is a fantastic tool that allows you to get some distance from defenders and give yourself space to look around.

You could then pass the ball or even transition into your shot; the pullback is extremely versatile and offers a variety of different uses.

It’s also a great tool to have early on as it makes many of the other fundamentals of basketball easier to learn, such as how to shoot a basketball properly.

Much like the crossover, you want to make your pullback appear convincing so that it tricks your defenders. As such, you want to incorporate your body into the pullback, bringing your chest, shoulders, and head forwards while remaining low to the ground in an athletic position.

1. Tempo Pullbacks Dribble Drill

With the basketball in your right hand, put your right foot and your right hand out and pull the ball back by dribbling the ball towards yourself, catching it with the left hand.

Inbetween the catch, switch the positioning of your feet from the right foot in the front and left foot in the back to the left foot in the front and right foot in the back.

Proceed to perform a pullback with the left hand, catching the ball with the right hand, and switching the position of your feet.

As the name describes, with the tempo pullbacks you want to get into the rhythm of performing the move, and of course, make it as convincing as possible by throwing the shoulders, chest, and head forwards and then using a hesitation.

2. Pullback Crossover Dribble Drill

With the basketball in your right hand, explode forwards with a single bounce. Perform a crossover, transferring the ball from the right hand to the left hand, and moving side to side or laterally to the left.

Explode forwards again with a single bounce,  put your left hand out and pull the ball back by dribbling the ball towards yourself, catching it with the right hand.

Complete the sequence with a finish of your choice, such as a shot to the hoop, or if you’re not on a court simply pretend to transfer into a finish.

Repeat the process for further repetitions, and be sure to alternate aftward by starting the sequence with the left hand.

3. Zig-Zag Pullbacks Dribble Drill

This drill requires some space, so it’s best if you can perform it on a court or in a wide, open area.

With the basketball in one hand, perform an explosive dribble at an angle and stop with a convincing hesitation. Bring your hand out and pull the ball back by dribbling the ball towards yourself, catching it with the opposite hand.

Create space by moving back while dribbling, and then perform another explosive dribble at an opposing angle. The pattern you create when you change directions should resemble a zigzag.

Continue with as many repetitions as possible until you reach about halfcourt or until you run out of space.

Behind The Back

Great crossover variation for lateral movement

This is essentially a crossover behind the back, but it’s extremely effective at helping you cover a lot of ground with a side-to-side or lateral movement.

A dribble behind the back can be used to avoid a trap, get separation from or even evade defense, and relieve pressure. That allows you to put yourself in a position to pass the ball, shoot, or drive up to the hoop.

While practicing try to maintain a rhythm or tempo that you follow to make it easier to remain consistent throughout the process.

1. Wall Touches Behind The Back Dribble Drill

In front of a wall, Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in your right hand and your head up.

With the basketball in your right hand, cross it over to your left hand by dribbling it behind you, tapping the ground only once.

Once you perform the crossover behind the back, touch the wall with the hand that crossed over the ball, in this case, the right hand.

Once your left hand receives the ball, proceed to perform another crossover behind the back, transferring the ball from your left hand to your right hand, and touching the wall with your left hand.

2. 3-Bounce Behind The Back Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in your right hand and your head up.

With the basketball in hand, dribble the ball three times, then cross it over to your left hand by dribbling it behind the back, tapping the ground only once.

Once your left hand receives the ball, repeat the same three bounces, then repeat the crossover. Continue for further repetitions.

3. Lateral Bounds Behind The Back Dribble Drill

With the basketball in your right hand and your head up, perform a crossover behind the back, transferring the ball from your right hand to your left hand.

Once your left hand receives the ball, laterally shift your body to the left. Perform another crossover behind the back, transferring the ball from your left hand to your right hand, and laterally shifting your body to the right.

Focus on covering as much ground as possible, and don’t worry about losing control over the ball.

4. Behind The Back Shifts Dribble Drill

With the basketball in your right hand and your head up, perform a crossover behind the back, transferring the ball from the right hand to the left hand.

Once the left hand receives the ball, laterally shift your body towards the right, and then perform an in and out dribble with the left hand, bringing the ball in towards the center of the body and dribbling it outwards.

Proceed to perform another crossover behind the back, transferring the ball from the left hand to the right hand, laterally shifting your body to the left, and performing another in and out.

Continue this sequence for further repetitions.

Between the legs offers good cover in the front and back

Between The Legs

A crossover between the legs is one of the safest moves you can use to dribble a basketball since you keep the ball out of reach from defenders.

By dribbling under the legs, you safely transfer the ball from one side to another, making it an amazing tool to keep the ball from getting snatched.

It can also be used when you’re being guarded heavily from the front and need to safely change directions and divert a defender.

Whether it be to get some space from a defender or to put yourself in a better position to pass the ball, shoot, or drive-in, the between the legs dribble is a definite go-to.

1. Wall Touches Between The Legs Dribble Drill

In front of a wall, Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in your right hand, your head up, and your left foot in front of your right foot.

With the basketball in your right hand, cross it over to your left hand by dribbling it between the legs about mid-way across the floor, tapping the ground only once.

Once you perform the crossover between the legs, touch the wall with the hand that crossed over the ball, in this case, the right hand.

Once your left hand receives the ball, proceed to perform another crossover between the legs, transferring the ball from your left hand to your right hand, and touching the wall with your left hand.

Be sure to alternate the positioning of your feet afterward, with the right foot in front of the left foot.

2. 3-Bounce Between The Legs Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in your right hand, your head up, and your left foot in front of your right foot.

With the basketball in hand, dribble the ball three times, then cross it over to your left hand by dribbling between the legs, tapping the ground only once.

Once your left hand receives the ball, repeat the same three bounces, then repeat the crossover between the legs.

Continue for further repetitions, and once you finish alternate the positioning of your feet by having the right foot in front of your left foot.

3. One Bounce Between The Legs Change Direction Dribble Drill

Squat down into an athletic/universal position with the basketball in your right hand and your head up.

Explode forwards at an angle performing one bounce, then perform a crossover between the legs, transferring the ball from the right hand to the left hand.

Once the left hand receives the ball, explode in the opposite direction, dribbling the ball once, and performing another crossover between the legs.

The pattern you create from changing directions should resemble a zigzag; continue the sequence for the length of the full court or until you run out of space.

Final Suggestions

Practice these drills to improve your ball handling

With each of these drills, it’s important to keep in mind that they should be done at maximum intensity by dribbling the ball hard and moving as quickly as you can. By pushing yourself to keep up with and adapt to the difficulty, the in-game action will be much easier to execute in comparison.

In this way you’ll have much better control over the ball, giving you an entire arsenal you can use to bypass defenders and avoid getting your shot blocked by using fakes and directional shifts.

Also, don’t limit yourself to performing each of these drills in isolation; every once in a while mix things up by incorporating multiple drills together and keeping yourself guessing.

Although I think you should use the same warm-up to maintain a consistent routine, you could try differentiating the sequence of your routine according to the days of the week.

Hopefully, with these 21 basketball dribbling drills, all of which are great at improving ball handling, you found at least a few to incorporate into your training to start seeing impressive results in your handles.