Basketball Dribbling Skills

Basketball dribbling, ball handling, and explosiveness is what separates the good from the great. It’s what makes a guard different then the rest of the dime a dozen guards out there.

I had the chance to play for Kent State during the 2002 NCAA tournament. It was a long time ago, before I started going grey and losing my hair, but it still feels like yesterday. We were a #10 seed and we were coming in with the country’s longest winning streak. I had just come off a Team USA Olympic Try-out in Colorado Springs, Colorado in which I had competed against the likes of Jason Williams (Duke), Chris Duhon (Duke), Frank Williams (Illinois), Dan Dickau (Gonzaga), and other top point guards in the country.

I didn’t make the Team USA, but I felt good about my experience. Coming into my senior year, I had been ranked in the top 7 Point Guards in the country by various college basketball magazines. Granted, I had felt the pressure of expectations (which was new to me) and used them to train harder, smarter, and more efficiently. My tiny city in Northern Michigan wasn’t exactly a hotbed for producing NBA talent—so you could say not being the underdog was new to me!

The attention, or the spot light-- both nationally and locally-- added a different challenge for me. But I learned to deal with it, to visualize my success and my path going forward. What really matters isn’t accolades or success or being on national TV; what matters is gratitude and humility while incessantly trying to be your best. It’s a simple formula: to continue to work on being a better basketball player, human, and athlete. Do this simple task and you’ll have no regrets about your where your path takes you.

My pro trainer Jason Otter is a prime example of my quote above—to continue focusing on what we control: increasing your awareness, knowledge, and skill as a basketball player, human, and athlete will open doors for you that you never knew existed.

The OtterBasketball System taught me how to dribble effectively and efficiently at the highest level. Granted, at first, his dribble skills and ball handling drills amazed me, but it was more than just looks, it was how he taught movement, rhythm, ball location, and footwork.

I found this link of me playing in 2002 (I mean, at least you’ll know I’m not pulling your leg). Copy and paste this in your web browser: www.vault.ncaa.com/?game=306SR141_s01&seconds=4660

When my team lost in the Elite Eight to Indiana, I was admittedly sad about my college career being over. But there was the next challenge waiting for me and it was going to take a lot more dedication, perseverance, and awareness. Contact Christy Otter or Trevor Huffman at 1.866.357.2966 to find an elite point guard camp or start our Online OtterBasketball Training School today!