Impress your friends on the court and taunt the competition by learning how to spin a basketball on your finger. Check out our step-by-step guide.
Steph Curry may be one of the best basketball players in the world, but in 2017 he admitted he couldn’t spin a basketball on his finger. He could be forgiven, considering he’s regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time, and as the greatest shooter in NBA history. Although, Handles Franklin and Scooter Christensen from the legendary Harlem Globetrotters were on hand to teach him this famous basketball trick.
The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team, combining athleticism, theatre, and comedy in their style of play. Their acts often feature incredible coordination and skillful handling of one or more basketballs, such as passing or juggling balls between players, and balancing or spinning balls on their fingertips. It sure is impressive to watch. But have you ever tried to do it yourself? It’s not as easy as it looks, though almost anyone can learn how to do this famous basketball trick. Check out our step-by-step guide to learning how to spin a basketball on your finger like a pro.
Looking to improve your game? Any basketball player worth his salt will tell you learning the fundamentals and actually implementing them on court are two very different things!
Once you start learning how to spin a basketball on your finger, it can become quite addictive. You can really learn to spin a ball on any finger, though most people start with their index or middle finger.
This trick doesn’t require any special equipment, but here are a few tips to help you get started.
• Use an old basketball: It’s best to use an older basketball for this trick. One that’s worn and possibly even slick will spin easier on your finger. A new basketball will have more grip and will cause more friction, making it more difficult to spin.
• Trim your fingernails: If your nails are too long it may make it more difficult to spin the ball. Or worse, you might bend a fingernail back which can be really painful. So you might want to give your nails a trim before you start.
• Have plenty of space: When you’re just starting out, the ball will be flying all over the place. Beware of breakable objects in the house, and try to practice outside or in the garden if you can.
• Be patient: It’s unlikely you’re going to be able to spin a basketball on your finger on your first go. This trick will take some time to master, and like any skill, you need to practice. You’ll need to do it over and over again until your muscle memory takes over and it becomes second nature.
Once you get really good at spinning a basketball on your finger, there are lots of different variations you can try. You can try spinning the ball on other things like your head or your toes. Or you can see how long you can keep it spinning for. Did you know, the longest time a person has been able to spin a basketball on one finger is more than 11 minutes? Narayan Bhattarai of Nepal set the record in 2018, and he practised for more than 15 months! But of course you can have fun without breaking records. So how do you actually spin a basketball on your finger?
Spinning a basketball on your finger, like any skill, takes practice. But it is something you can learn relatively quickly if you follow a few basic steps. Of course there is always more than one way to learn or do something, so you might find a better way that works for you. But here are our tips to get you started.
Get an old basketball and find yourself some space. Spinning a basketball may not seem strenuous, but if you do it too hard or too quickly you can strain your wrists or even fracture a finger. So spend a minute or two stretching your fingers and arms to warm them up before you start.
Before you can spin the basketball on your finger, you need to first learn how to toss it up and spin it in the air. You want to get a good straight rotation and the faster it spins the better.
There are two methods of spinning the ball: the one-handed spin and the two-handed spin. The two-handed spin gives you more control and power, and allows you to get more speed on your initial spin. Though the one-handed spin does look cooler. You can use either or both, whichever works for you.
ONE-HANDED SPIN:
1. Hold the ball at chest level in your dominant hand with the stripes vertical. Rest the ball on your fingertips with your hand at the bottom of the ball. Your thumb should be pointing away from your body.
2. Twist your hand and fingers so that your thumb comes towards your body. As you are twisting your hand, move your hand slightly up in one motion and release the ball straight up into the air.
3. Don’t worry about the speed to start off with, just concentrating on getting a good steady spin on the ball. And then once you have a consistent spin, you can increase the speed by putting more power into it.
TWO-HANDED SPIN:
1. Hold the ball at about chest level on its side with the grips (black lines) vertical. Put one hand with your fingertips extended around the bottom of the ball and the other flat on the side.
2. Twist your hands with a slight upwards motion, and spin the ball, releasing it up into the air. Don’t throw it too high in the air or you’ll lose control of the ball or injure yourself.
3. At this point, just concentrate on getting a good feel of the ball and getting a good constant, stable spin in the air - you should see the stripes moving steadily around in a nice circle. You can then work on increasing the speed.
Once you’re getting a good spin, you’re ready to try spinning the basketball on your finger. Use your preferred method to spin the ball up into the air, though be careful not to get too much height on it as you’ll lose control of the ball and you might hurt your finger.
Toss the ball up quickly but gently onto your index finger. Once you've mastered the speed and height of the ball toss, you should be able to catch the ball on your finger without too much difficulty. The closer you can keep your hand to the ball, the easier it will be. Keep your finger in the centre of the ball where the grooves meet - this position will make it easiest to keep the ball in a steady position. You might need to adjust the position of your finger slightly until the spinning ball is balanced on your finger.
Eventually, the ball will begin to slow down and lose momentum. And if it slows too much it will fall. You can keep the ball spinning by slightly slapping the side of the ball with your free hand to keep it spinning. Make sure you do this lightly so you don’t knock the ball off of your finger.
Continue practising until you can balance the ball perfectly. It might take a while for you to master the spin, but you’ll get there if you practice every day. And once you’re able to spin the basketball for more than 30 seconds, you’re a pro!
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