Improving Your Weak Hand
You might be an incredible athlete with a great shot and the ability to get to the basket, but if you can only use one hand to dribble and shoot, you’ll be very predictable and your skills won’t hold up against the competition. A basketball player with a high IQ will quickly be able to determine your dominant hand and drive you to your weaker side. In order to prevent this from happening, you’d better learn how to dribble and shoot with both hands equally. Here are a few basketball tips and drills from CoachUp that you can use to improve your weak hand and bring your game to another level.
Dribble Nation: Population, You
Your dribbling should be the first thing you should work on developing. Try dribbling using only your weak hand while keeping your dominant hand behind your back. Once you’ve got the hang of that, grab a second ball and dribble with each hand at the same time. This will improve your coordination and ball handling skills in both hands.
As you grow more comfortable handling the ball with your weak hand, you can start driving the ball on that side of the court. If your defender doesn’t know which way you’ll be going, you’ll have a huge advantage.
Challenge From The Free Throw Line
If you want to practice shooting with your weak hand, the best place to start is with free throws. It will feel weird at first, but use your weak hand to shoot and your dominant hand to support the ball. Shoot free throws with your weak hand as many times as it takes to start feeling more comfortable with the motion. After you get used to the shooting motion, you can start practicing layups with your weak hand. For an added bonus, put it all together by forcing yourself to dribble to the hoop and putting it up with your weak hand.
Your Best Friend Is A Basketball
Walk with your basketball. Talk with your basketball. Dribble to school. Dribble it between classes. Dribble it before class. Dribble it after class. Dribble it in your kitchen. Dribble it in your room. Dribble it in the shower — well, you get the point. Take advantage of your basketball’s accessibility, the more comfortable you are with your hand, the better. The more you spend your free time working on dribbling with your weak hand, the quicker you’ll become comfortable behind it. This might sound like some cliche myth — but it isn’t! Stay connected to your ball and it will take care of you.
(Related: Read about improving your overall offensive game here.)
Huddle Up
Developing your weak hand is difficult and requires dedication and practice. You won’t learn how to handle the ball with your weak hand overnight, so don’t give up if it gets frustrating. Once you get the hang of it though, you’re going to see a significant improvement in your game and the added ability to keep your opponent guessing.
But if you’re still having trouble with the mechanics or flow of dribbling with your weak hand, consider booking one of CoachUp’s private trainers to set you straight. Their advanced habits and abilities will have you feeling more confident and agile in no time — what are you waiting for?
