DEVELOPING THE POINT GUARD

With an increasing emphasis in the game today on full-court pressure, either man-to-man or zone, the role of the good ball-handling guard continues to take on greater importance. The point guard has developed into a highly specialized position whereby his main function is to get the ball up the floor and control the offense. If you don't have such a guard, you had better spend some time developing one. All guard skills can be taught if you take the time to do so. These skills just don't happen naturally.

See:  Types of Dribble

Dribbling Techniques For Eluding The Defender

Several techniques we now accept as necessary for a guard to elude a close defender once were considered "hot-dog" moves. Now they are part of the complete guard's arsenal. It should be emphasized that the guard only use these moves when they are necessary to elude the dribbler.  Between the Legs.  Behind the Back.  Make sure you emphasize change of direction.  Change of Pace      To confuse the defender, the player may dribble very slowly and suddenly speed up, or vice versa. A change of pace makes it difficult for a defender to read the dribbler. The Cross-Over Dribble      This is a quick change-of-direction move.   Dribbling with the right hand and moving to the right, the dribbler plants the right foot and pivots to the left  while crossing the ball in front of the right leg to the left side. The left  leg then moves forward in the new direction and the player dribbles with the left hand.   Spin or Reverse      Dribbling with the right hand, the dribbler plants his left foot and  does a reverse pivot, taking the right leg and crossing it behind the left. The player pulls the ball back and around behind him far enough so that as it bounces to the floor, it is already moving forward in the new direction. He then continues the dribble with the left hand. Back-Up Dribble      Used with a change of pace from fast to stop, the dribbler backs up a couple of steps which should give him some space between himself and the defender.  This will allow a better opportunity to see the floor and change direction with less pressure.  Behind the Back      Use the same steps as above but instead of crossing the ball in front, the player brings the ball behind him and maintains his dribble with the left hand.                        Step Fake      With the defender directly in front of him, the player dribbles with the right hand and makes a quick step fake with his left foot. When the defender reacts to what he thinks is a move to the left, the dribbler pushes off that left foot and continues to the right. an accompanying ball fake complements this move.

Drills to allow players to practice these ball-handling skills.

1. Put two rows of chairs or pylons around the gym.  Players dribble around the chairs performing the dribbling techniques listed here. for example, have the players do a crossover dribble at each chair the first time through, then a behind the back dribble at each chair, etc.      2. To further develop the guard's ball-handling skills, have a coach or a manager stand at the end of each row of chairs. The coach or manager then holds up his hand and the players must continuously call out how many fingers he is showing as he changes the number of fingers he exposes. This forces the dribbler to keep his head up.        3. As the players become better at these maneuvers, put them in a one-on-one situation against a defender. Divide the floor into three lanes. Have them dribble within their lanes and try to beat the defender using these techniques. When they get to the end of the floor, have them switch positions and come back .      4. One-On-Two to Center. Two defenders start at each corner of the free throw line.  The dribbler starts at the end line. The defender can't move until the dribbler starts his dribble. Once the dribbler starts, he has 10 seconds to get the ball over center against the two defenders. Rotate positions after each attempts.      5. Jump Shot from free-throw line.  One player rebounds the ball and outlets it to the point guard who in turn dribbles down the court at full speed.  Stop at the free-throw line for the jump shot.  Rebounder follows and becomes the new point guard.  You can work in many players into this drill.

Coaching Points

Players should practice the individual skills around chairs or pylons while in the learning phase so that the defense will not hamper concentration on the fundamentals. Gradually increase the defensive pressure-type drills as the players gain confidence in handling the ball.  Particularly emphasize the change of pace and back-up dribble. High school guards usually get themselves in trouble by trying to out-run the defender. It is much more difficult to guard someone who is frequently changing pace rather than someone who is always running at top speed.