A dribble is like a burglar alarm. When the opponent hears or sees one, especially a good player, he will get himself in defensive posi- tion, a help-and-recover position so that any scoring effort made by the dribbler will be difficult. Against a good team, when all four players off the ball hear that signal, it will be very difficult to score, even if you can beat your man.
For that reason, and despite the fact that reverse-dribbles are useful at times (especially against poor defensive teams), you should learn to score from everywhere with one dribble. That means, when you get the ball in shooting position (at a distance you can shoot from), you should expect to be able to get to the basket in one dribble. This can be done—and is done by good players all the time. It is a matter of wanting to get there in one dribble, practicing and developing the habit. One dribble is explosive, and one dribble does not signal the defense. By the time the defenders see a need to alter position, you are already shooting.
Concentration on scoring with one dribble will pay other dividends. You will rarely be surprised by a defender jumping in front of you, and you will learn to fake your opponent out of position using necessarily quick, violent, effective fakes instead of moseying around hoping for an opening or relying on scoring with indirect moves to the basket. Scoring the drive comes to be seen as going past your man, not going around him.
The problem with scoring on backyard moves involving reverse dribbles, spins and several dribbles after you get the ball is that these are less effective the better the team is that you play against. Your time is better spent perfecting a style of play which will be effective anywhere, anytime, against anyone.
The mediocre player will likely say, “But if I restrict myself to one dribble, I don’t get many opportunities.” The good player will admit to himself, “I haven’t learned to fake well enough yet.” One-dribble moves will provide you all the opportunities you will ever need. And once you learn to use them habitually, you will find that your fakes are so effective and your moves so explosive that once in a while you can take an extra dribble or two—just for showing off!
From Dick’s book Stuff
