Spinning a basketball on your finger is fun and really not that hard, because the ball will balance itself if spun fast enough. So the first step is to learning how to spin the ball fast. The direction of the spin does not matter. Hold a ball with one hand close to your chest and the other hand on the ball away from your chest. The hand closest to your chest should have its thumb pointing down and the hand away from your chest should have its thumb up. Put some pressure on the ball and pull your elbow back and snap your wrist. This method should put a lot of spin on the ball. The height of the toss should be just above your eyes. At the point the ball reaches the top of it’s rise; place your finger in the middle before it starts to coming back down. Your finger should be making contact with the ball about eye level. As the ball starts coming down, bring your finger down with it gradually. This will make for a smooth landing and keep the ball from bouncing off your finger. Stop lowering your finger when it gets to chest height. Keep on practicing this over and over and you will get it. The ball spinning fast is the key. Get a hard spin and then worry about a smooth landing later. If the ball isn’t rotating fast, getting it to balance on your finger will be extremely difficult. Remember, it is the small simple things we learn and master that make the hard things look simple. Don’t be afraid to just practice the spin over and over without trying to get the ball on your finger. Take it one step at a time and learning will become a "Piece of Cake".
If you would like to learn faster and have me walk you through the steps, buy my "How to Spin a Basketball" DVD (BUY NOW)!You will also learn how to hit the ball to keep it going! Good luck and have fun with your new hobby. Once you learn, please send me a picture showing off your skills to jimjone@aol.com.
Video Tips on How to Spin a Basketball
Click on a video below to view highlights from Jim's instructional video on How to Spin a Basketball.
Spinning a basketball on your finger is fun and really not that hard, because the ball will balance itself if spun fast enough. So the first step is to learning how to spin the ball fast. The direction of the spin does not matter. Hold a ball with one hand close to your chest and the other hand on the ball away from your chest. The hand closest to your chest should have its thumb pointing down and the hand away from your chest should have its thumb up. Put some pressure on the ball and pull your elbow back and snap your wrist. This method should put a lot of spin on the ball. The height of the toss should be just above your eyes. At the point the ball reaches the top of it’s rise; place your finger in the middle before it starts to coming back down. Your finger should be making contact with the ball about eye level. As the ball starts coming down, bring your finger down with it gradually. This will make for a smooth landing and keep the ball from bouncing off your finger. Stop lowering your finger when it gets to chest height. Keep on practicing this over and over and you will get it. The ball spinning fast is the key. Get a hard spin and then worry about a smooth landing later. If the ball isn’t rotating fast, getting it to balance on your finger will be extremely difficult. Remember, it is the small simple things we learn and master that make the hard things look simple. Don’t be afraid to just practice the spin over and over without trying to get the ball on your finger. Take it one step at a time and learning will become a "Piece of Cake".