Can you dribble a basketball with two hands? The answer is simply no. Dribbling the ball with two hands is not legal in a basketball game. There is one exception that I will talk about a little later in the article. Before we get there, I want to say that we all know dribbling with one hand does take some skill. So if you are a new basketball player dribbling with two hands may be your only option – and that is ok.
I have coached a lot of youth basketball and every kid’s favorite thing to do is dribble the ball–well, second to shooting the ball! The first couple times they dribble the ball it will almost always be with two hands and that is because they don’t have the hand and eye coordination yet. So I figured I would write an article that answers the question: can you dribble the ball with two hands?
Is Dribbling The Basketball With Two Hands Considered “Traveling”?
Dribbling the ball with two hands is NOT considered traveling. Dribbling the ball with two hands is called a “double dribble”.
What Is The Violation For Dribbling With Two Hands?
If you dribble the ball with two hands a referee may call a “double dribble” violation. This violation is common and can also be called If a player pauses after dribbling and then resumes dribbling. Both of these actions warrant a double dribble violation.
What Happens If You Dribble With Two Hands In A Game?
If a player dribbles with two hands in a basketball game and the referee calls a “double dribble”, your team will lose possession of the basketball. This means your team will lose the opportunity to score and the ball will be turned over to the other team. This allows the other team to switch to offense giving them the opportunity to score.
Why Is The Double Dribble Rule Important?
Offense normally has the advantage in every sport. This is the reason why rules are so important. In this case, the double dribble rule helps keep the game structured to avoid giving the offensive player too much of an advantage. If the offensive player was allowed to dribble and protect the ball from the defense by holding it and then dribbling it again the offensive player would have a significant advantage over the defense. More so than normal. That is one of the reasons the double dribble rule is so important.
The Reason It’s Better To Dribble With Only One Hand
In my opinion, it’s better to dribble the basketball with only one hand anyways because it allows the offensive player more flexibility in where he or she places the basketball. The player can use his or her body to protect the basketball. This is much easier to do if you use only one hand.
If you were able to use both hands to dribble, the offensive player would be limited to keeping the ball in front of his or her body because that is where their arms’ natural resting position is located. This would make it very easy for a defender to steal the ball.
One strategy players use to avoid getting the ball stolen from them is to use their body to protect the ball. This requires the ball to be dribbled at one side of their body, which is very difficult to do if the player is using two hands.
Is It Ever Legal To Dribble With Two Hands?
So the official NBA rule book actually says, the player can touch the ball with both hands before it touches the floor. Once it touches the floor, the player can only use one hand at a time when dribbling.
So when would a player actually use two hands to dribble the ball? That is a great question and the answer is most certainly during a power dribble! Think about it. A post player will establish their position and execute a power dribble using both hands to slam the ball onto the court and then catch the ball as they maneuver themselves into a position to dunk or layup for the score.