Basketball Fundamentals — Dribbling

A student at Calvary Chapel Bible College, Isaiah Belleth is also a sales advisor at Sport Chek in Woodstock, ON. He previously worked for the Thames River Melons and as a UPS Delivery Helper during his schooling at Woodstock Collegiate Institute. Alongside his professional and academic pursuits, Isaiah Belleth is a successful student-athlete who has won numerous awards for playing basketball.

One of the most basic fundamentals of basketball is dribbling. This is the continuous bouncing of the ball on the court using a single hand. Players use dribbling when creating distance between themselves and defenders, as well as for advancing the ball to the hoop and controlling the ball on the court.

A key part of successful dribbling is keeping the head up and the eyes on the game instead of looking at the ball. This allows players react to their surroundings and avoid different obstacles as they move around the court. Furthermore, it lets them adopt a defensive stance when opposing players are getting too close. This stance involves using the non-dribbling arm as a shield against defenders while also keeping the ball lower and closer to the body so stealing it is more difficult.

Another important part of dribbling has to do with how the fingers and hands are placed on the ball. Similar to shooting, dribbling is most effective when done with the fingertips instead of the entire palm. Despite having less surface area, the fingertips grant players more control and grip on the ball. Ideally, the fingers are also spread apart to increase the surface area of their grip.