There are 3 main points to spinning a basketball...

1.) You must get the ball to spin at a high rate of speed. Therefore, your initial 'twist' of the ball must be quick. You can grab the ball with one hand and 'twist' your hand to create the spin, or grab the ball with two hands to do this (recommended for kids 11 and under). We have our kids practice creating enough spin on the ball by tossing the ball up while putting spin on it, and then catching it. Toss it up and catch it. Try to 'twist' the ball faster each time.

2.) Make sure that the spin on the ball is parallel to the ground. If you toss the ball up and it's spinning at an angle, you will not be able to 'catch' the ball on your finger. Therefore, as you practice 'twisting' the basketball, make sure the ball is level to the ground, and not at an angle.

3.) Make sure that your finger is bent slightly. Your finger needs to act as a 'shock absorber', absorbing the force of the ball as it lands, and also allowing for any imperfections to the roundness of the ball. If you were to put a pen in
a vice, and then spin the ball on the pen, it would fall off right away. However, if you were to put the pen in your hand with the ball spinning on it, you can spin it for many seconds. The reason is that you have created a shock absorption system allowing the ball to spin on its axis more effectively. Every basketball has a 'spin point' - that is, an area on the ball that your finger will go to every time you spin it. The ball will appear to wobble until it gets to the spin point at which time it spins better. Having your finger bent assures that it can withstand the wobble of the ball. Also, with the finger slightly bent, the ball will spin on the top of your fingernail (keep them cut somewhat short - but not too short). There is less friction on the nail as opposed to the tip of the finger, and it will spin much longer. You may get a bloody fingernail or two when you first begin, but they toughen up soon.

Other Tips:
When you start your spin, get the ball high enough that you can see the bottom of the ball. Then it's easier to get your finger in the right spot.

'Fan' the ball to maintain speed. To fan the ball means to gently, but quickly, slap the ball with your fingertips in the direction it is spinning. If you can fan the ball faster than it is rotating, then the ball will pick up speed and will stay spinning longer. Continuing to fan the ball allows it to spin indefinitely. We recommend that you be able to spin a ball 5 seconds without fanning it to assure that you can get it going fast enough at the start. Then fan away to get it really whipping!

Once you learn to spin the basketball really well, you can start doing many tricks. Start by bouncing the ball off of a knee, or arm, or head, and then catch it spinning. Then try it on your opposite hand. When you get really good, you can spin 2 at once, or do somersaults while spinning basketballs, or spin 10 or more at once, or go behind your back spinning, and on and on. These are all things the Aces do in their shows.

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Alexandria Aces Basketball Performance Team
Coach Larry Novotny • Email: LNovotny @ AlexandriaAces.com
2400 Bradford Bay • Alexandria, MN 56308 • (320) 762.5154

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