Once the season is over, most players want to take a little time, perhaps a few days at most, to recuperate from the daily practice and game schedule. But once a player has “unwound”, how does he or she recover the love and joy of basketball that will propel them to get better in the off-season? I have a suggestion:
Forget about “working” on your game for a little while and have some fun with ballhandling. Most players have a new dribble, a new “trick”, or a new move with the ball that they want to add to their game. There’s a lot of satisfaction awaiting any player who sees themselves getting better and adds a weapon to their repertoire! If you’re not sure about what you’d like to add to your ballhandling, then I suggest you look through the 30 workouts and 200 drills On-Demand at BetterBasketball.com
Could you hit the weight-room, get stronger, and feel good about yourself? Of course, and I hope you do, but that takes time.
Could you add a new shot and/or increase your shooting percentage? Of course and I hope do, but that takes quite a bit of time as well.
But adding a new wrinkle to your ballhandling can take very little (relative) time, it can stir your creative juices and bring back the joy of the game that you had in the first place. Creativity is the key:
- Dribble up and down steps
- Dribble on handrails
- Dribble with 2 balls
- Dribble from class to class
Try “Urban Dribbling”: This is where you dribble off every object you can while weaving your way down a street, a path, an alley, a playground, etc.
And by the way, EVERYBODY can use a better handle on the ball!
