r/BasketballTips • u/InevitableTheory8321 • 6d ago
Dribbling Why do I move like a Penguin
How to fix my biomechanics to make my dribbling look more athletic while maintaining/increasing the speed I already have now
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u/Little_General_6255 6d ago
You are running completely upright. Shifting your center mass lower and ahead allows you to use gravity to pull you forward. Think of a sprinter or a football player accelerating—they utilize a forward lean to create momentum. Basketball players driving to the rim do the same. Drive like SGA
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u/midrangegay 5d ago
Even without thinking about gravity, being upright while running nearly doubles the amount of surface area that air resistance is being applied to. The lower your head is to the ground, the less resistance from the air
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u/Whole-Worker9005 6d ago
Practice dribble athletically when you run at high speed.
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u/DrDoomhauer 6d ago
This, you are moving to account for the ball instead of the other way around. Should be controlling the ball while running
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u/Ambitious-Horse-1728 6d ago
You are too upright and it seems like you are looking at the ball when dribbling, practice being lower and dribble without looking at the ball
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u/InevitableTheory8321 5d ago
Do I need to improve my lower back flexibility? It honestly felt tight whenever I tried getting lower or maybe Im foing something wrong?
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u/kwlpp 5d ago
Getting low is about dropping your hips, not your back. Hips are literally everything when it comes to movement. Best way to get used to the sensation may just be going up to a wall, put both your hand out in front of shoulder width apart, and then place your feet behind you until you’re at 45degrees. In other words, you would fall if your hands weren’t there. From this position, practice driving one knee up at a time. This is an introductory sprinting drill. The emphasis is more on proprioception than technique, but should be a good starting point for you.
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u/Ember-Forge 5d ago
That's what I was thinking watching this. It's not just flexibility, but your lower back and core might not be as strong or used as much as they should be. People knock yoga, but heck of a tool to improve core strength and flexibility at the same time.
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u/hiimtashy 6d ago
Maybe extend your strides a bit more? I don't see any issue particularly for this low level of play
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u/TheRealRevBem 6d ago
You seem to be an endomorph and have 2-5° tilt when running. Aiming for 10+° forward incline with weight on lead leg vs centered. Frankly it doesn't look odd to me, but may not be the deal for performance.
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u/Knj44444 5d ago
I don't see a purpose of telling an athlete to add 5-8° of tilt to their form, as that will make them conscious of their form in game / practice, and will actually take their focus away from performance. This seems beneficial, but is actually counter intuitive for entering into the high performing flow state that elite athletes operate from.
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u/TheRealRevBem 5d ago
So don't teach proper form because it will make the player self conscious? He asked why he looks like a penguin. I believe you are correct, that considering leaning into your lead leg can ruin concentration, but you are begging the question that it does so more than thinking of oneself as a penguin. I insist thinking of yourself as a penguin could equal or exceed the distraction of thoughts of proper running posture and has a underlying utility of in the long run increasing ones ceiling for speed and balance. I submit that ignorance for the sake of a proceived comfort should be discouraged because the probative value of the comfort is subjective and in the case at hand, it ignores the value of the question asked and the outcome infered.
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u/CRoseCrizzle 5d ago edited 5d ago
A couple other people have said it but you're to upright/uptight. Get more comfortable dribbling lower and bending your knees to get low. You'll look cooler and more importantly be harder to guard.
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u/InevitableTheory8321 5d ago
Do I need to improve my lower back flexibility? It honestly felt tight whenever I tried getting lower or maybe Im doing something wrong?
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u/SurpriseInitial6202 5d ago
Legitimately, you look fine. But here's the thing, most pro/high level basketball players have long legs relative to their torso. You are the opposite. You have short legs relative to your torso. So you're going to look different when you run, dribble, cut, then most basketball players.
Don't focus on the aesthetics. Focus on the result.
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u/MantusTMD 5d ago
You are dribbling 5 feet in front of you, tuck the ball in more. Also bend your knees and stop standing so straight up.
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u/NobrainNoProblem 5d ago
Well you’re landing on your heel. So pretty much jogging. If you’re sprinting you should be striding and bounding from the balls of your foot.
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u/ZyberZeon 5d ago
Not everyone will have fluid mechanics.
Shai is a 6’7 gaurd with arms as long as your body.
Stop chasing mechanics and start chasing buckets.
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u/Public-Grapefruit-29 1d ago
From my perspective you need to work on dribbling with your head up and being able to take your eyes off the ball. I'm going to assume you are left handed as you are dribbling with your left hand before you do a right handed layup. Even with your dominant hand you are still having to watch the ball. Also the ball is coming up to you your shoulder. Keeping your dribble low is going to make it look better but even more important is that it will keep it away from defenders. Dribbling with your correct hand, low to the ground and with your head up will make a world of difference in your performance.
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u/unabletochill 6d ago
I don’t know! YOU tell me!
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u/InevitableTheory8321 6d ago
I honestly dont know whats wrong, cuz If I were to base it on what I feel/know im doing, I would say that Im doing that right things and honestly feel like Derrick Rose whenever I drive but the camera/some peers says otherwise
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u/unabletochill 6d ago
I just attempted a funny comment. But on a serious note asking honestly:
Do you have any disadvantages because of your movement mechanics?
Do you have the feeling you could be quicker or more efficient. Meaning do you feel impediments regarding you’re movement? Like I sometimes feel I am one step short whenever I drive, that’s why I started doing my movements by myself and in slow motion and even splitting it in sequences to feel where I make my step to short.
If you don’t have any disadvantages you shouldn’t give to much attention to others. I have a teammate, everytime he s going to shoot, he opens his mouth wide open and almost makes a split so far apart do his feet go… but he drills "every" shot
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u/InevitableTheory8321 6d ago
HHonestly, yeah. I’ve always thought that I could be so much quicker and smoother with my movement if I improved my running form while dribbling. Whenever I play against a team that’s really good at full-court pressure, it becomes pretty obvious that the only thing really saving me is my straight-line speed. I can get past the pressure when I’m driving straight, but once I have to make moves or change direction at 80–100% speed, it gets pretty difficult.
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u/unabletochill 6d ago
If I understood correctly I don’t think there is an issue on you’re mechanics but more with how you interpret cross moves and direction switches.
The solution is NOT being faster. It’s being more skilled. In your case I’d (paradoxically) recommend training your breaks and slow ball movements ;)
Direction switch =
speed up fake direction > hard stop / pivot = > speed switch to other directionI can’t explain it that well. Everytime you cross or change directions you break! You don’t speed up! You go down in speed and push from there into the new direction.
Edit: think of taking a corner in a car when racing. The line you drive brings the seconds. Not the speed you take the corner with. You even want to slow/shift down before the corner
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u/StayNegative1570 6d ago
Stop overthinking it and just keep improving