Rules

Carrying in basketball

Carrying, also called palming, is a dribbling violation where the ball comes to rest in your hand and you keep dribbling. It is one of the most debated calls in basketball. Here is what it means, what officials look for, and how to dribble so you never get called for it.

What is carrying in basketball?

When you dribble, your hand should push the ball down toward the floor. A carry happens when your hand gets under the ball, the ball pauses or rests in your hand, and then you continue dribbling.

Think of it this way: during a legal dribble, your hand is on top of or on the side of the ball and the ball keeps moving. During a carry, you briefly hold it, scoop it, or turn it over in your palm, which gives you an unfair advantage because you can change direction or pause without the defender having a fair chance at the ball.

The penalty is a turnover. The other team gets the ball out of bounds.

What it looks like

Officials usually call a carry when they see one of these:

• Hand under the ball. The palm faces up for a moment at the top of the dribble.
• The ball pauses. It visibly comes to rest in the hand before going back down.
• Turning the ball over. The hand rolls from on top of the ball to underneath and back.
• Scooping on a crossover. Pulling the ball across the body with the hand under it, especially on wide, slow crosses.
• Carrying on a hesitation. Holding the ball at the top of a hesi to freeze the defender, then continuing.

Legal versus illegal hand position

The key word in almost every rulebook is the idea of the ball coming to rest. Touching the side of the ball is not automatically a carry. Holding it is.

Why carrying is called inconsistently

Many fans feel carrying is called less often at higher levels. Part of that is speed. At game speed, it is hard to see exactly where a hand is for a fraction of a second. Part of it is that officials at different levels emphasize different things, and leagues sometimes adjust their points of emphasis from season to season.

Do not build your game on what you see on highlights. Youth, high school and college officials may call it more strictly, and a move that works in a video can be a turnover in your league. The general principle is the same across the NBA, NCAA, FIBA and high school rules, even if enforcement feels different.

Why players carry

Most players who carry are not trying to cheat. It usually comes from:

• Dribbling too high. A high dribble takes longer, and players instinctively reach under it to control it.
• Soft dribbles. If you do not push the ball hard, it does not come back up with enough energy, so you have to catch it.
• Wide crossovers. Moving the ball a long way across your body tempts you to cup it.
• Palming instead of using fingertips. Slapping the ball with a flat palm makes control hard, so the hand compensates by grabbing.
• Copying moves too fast. Trying a flashy move before the basic control is there.

How to stop carrying the ball

1. Dribble lower and harder. A hard, low dribble returns quickly and keeps your hand on top. See how to dribble low.
2. Use your fingertips. Fingers spread, pads of the fingers in control. See fingertip control.
3. Shorten your crossover. Aim just outside your opposite foot, not toward the sideline.
4. Push through the hesitation. On a hesitation, slow the dribble instead of holding the ball.
5. Film yourself in slow motion. Phone slow-mo shows exactly where your hand is at the top of the dribble.

Drills to fix a carry

Pound dribble with the hand on top

Pound hard at knee height for 30 seconds per hand. Focus only on keeping the hand on top. Pound dribble.

Tight crossovers

Stationary crosses below the knee, landing just outside each foot. Count clean ones in 30 seconds. Crossover.

In-and-out with a side push

The in-and-out teaches you to work the side of the ball without rolling under it.

Wall dribbling

Dribbling against a wall at head height forces fingertip control and quick touches. Wall dribbling.

Training a clean dribble with Handles AI

Handles AI: Basketball Trainer tracks the ball with your iPhone camera while Coach Ace calls moves. A dribble only counts when the ball goes down, hits the floor and comes back up, and every rep is graded Clean, Nice work, or Next rep. That makes it a useful check that your dribbles are real, firm bounces rather than slow, held reps.

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