Dribble Penetration: Protecting the Ball in Traffic

In our first installment on the topic of dribble penetration we will discuss how to protect the ball when going through traffic in the paint.


I have to be honest.  This is a bit of an art form.  All of the great dribble drivers have an uncanny ability to protect the ball when in traffic.  The most common ways are the following:
  • One handed tuck close to the body - This is very common and it looks a lot like a running back running with the football.  You should feel comfortable tucking the ball with either arm as you will need to use the arm that is furthest away from your defender when using this move.
  • Two handed tuck - This method secures the ball even more and is a lot like a 2 handed carry in football.
  • Over the head - This move is used a lot by some of the taller more athletic players.  You see it used when a player is driving to the basket and a defender attempt to beat him to a spot and swipe at the ball.
I found a nice video which covers this topic pretty well:


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