Ever since Stephen Curry’s breakout season a couple of years ago, kids from all over the world want to play just like him. The two-time MVP—and first unanimous MVP—point guard changed the way the game is played with his shooting accuracy from way downtown, and not to mention his ball handling skills that often leave opponents befuddled. To help your promising basketball stars improve their ball handling and shooting skills, we reached out to Lonny Levine, founder, president, and CEO of Fastbreak Sports/Fastbreak Kids, for guidance on how kids can dribble and shoot like their idols.
Dribbling
- Kids should be on balance in an athletic position: chest up, knees bent, and hips dropped.
- Children should work on a hard pound dribble with their fingers spread, eyes up, and not looking at the ball.
- Bounce the ball in the same spot each time and keep the dribble higher than the knee and lower than the waist. Kids should work on their right and left hands with more time spent on improving their off hand.
- As children improve, they can practice going full speed up the court and add different moves. For example, players can add dribbling around cones using an in-and-out dribble, a between the legs dribble, and a behind the back dribble to their practice routine. Players should always remember to keep their head up and look down the court. Try not to look at the ball. An advanced technique would be to practice dribbling two balls at the same time. Dribbling while bouncing or catching a tennis ball with the other hand is also a wonderful way to improve your hand-eye coordination and dribbling skills.
Shooting
Shooting starts with being on balance and solid mechanics:
- Kids’ feet should be in a comfortable position where they can involve their legs in the shot.
- Elbow should be under the ball, fingers spread, with a quick wrist snap, and follow through.
- Kids age 8 should shoot on a lower hoop (8-9 feet) to develop good habits and proper form.
- After kids have developed a solid foundation and good form, they should practice shooting off the catch and shooting off the dribble going to the right and the left.
For more information on Fastbreak Sports/Fastbreak Kids, visit fastbreakkids.com.
