--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I dribbled by the hour with my left hand…" description: "\"I dribbled by the hour with my left hand when I was young. I didn't have full control, but I got so I could move the ball back and forth from one hand ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/bob-cousy-16775_back-and-forth_i-dribbled-by-the-hour-with-my-left-hand_2011878.png" --- # I dribbled by the hour with my left hand when I was young… ![“I dribbled by the hour with my left hand when I was young. I didn't have full control, but I got so I could move the ball back and forth from one hand to the other without breaking the cadence of my dribble. I wasn't dribbling behind my back or setting up any trick stuff, but I was laying the…” quote by Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/bob-cousy-16775_back-and-forth_i-dribbled-by-the-hour-with-my-left-hand_2011878.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/bob-cousy-16775_back-and-forth_i-dribbled-by-the-hour-with-my-left-hand_2011878.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/bob-cousy-16775_back-and-forth_i-dribbled-by-the-hour-with-my-left-hand_2011878.png) > “I dribbled by the hour with my left hand when I was young. I didn't have full control, but I got so I could move the ball back and forth from one hand to the other without breaking the cadence of my dribble. I wasn't dribbling behind my back or setting up any trick stuff, but I was laying the groundwork for it.” [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early practice with limited skill builds foundational coordination for advanced moves later. **In simple terms:** Practice with basic drills builds later skill. Key Takeaway Focus on fundamentals before tricks. Themes practice skill development foundations Mood reflective inspirational Type anecdotal motivational When to use this quote - basketball training - youth sports - skill acquisition - coach instruction Key Concepts motor learning muscle memory progression Questions to Reflect On - How did early drills shape your later style? - What basic skill do you still rely on? A Different Perspective Neglecting fundamentals can limit creative play later. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back and forth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-and-forth/) [Balls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balls/) [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Behind my back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behind-my-back/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Cadence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cadence/) [Dribble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dribble/) [Dribble Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dribble-wasn-1180272/) [Dribbled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dribbled-1893854/) [Dribbled Hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dribbled-hour-3596816/) [Dribbling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dribbling/) [Groundwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groundwork/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Left hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-hand/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [NBA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nba/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Settings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settings/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tricks/) [Wasn Dribbling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-dribbling-3596815/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [Everything they were saying - he takes bad shots or he can't pass, he can't dribble - I wasn't worried about that. Because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-poole/everything-they-were-saying-he-takes-bad-shots-or-he-can-t-pass-he/) [Jordan Poole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-poole/) > [You can dribble on carpet. I grew up in Queens, and we had carpet in our living room. And actually, even in some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/you-can-dribble-on-carpet-i-grew-up-in-queens-and-we-had-carpet-in/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [The only time I would shoot from the outside was in practice, and then it was only when we were shooting for milkshakes. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikan/the-only-time-i-would-shoot-from-the-outside-was-in-practice-and-then/) [George Mikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikan/) > [I'm like, 'No, I don't wanna be the next Shaq. I wanna be Kobe.' So I always just dribbled the ball everywhere I went...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-randle/i-m-like-no-i-don-t-wanna-be-the-next-shaq-i-wanna-be-kobe-so-i/) [Julius Randle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-randle/) > [I don't know what goes on behind my back... I always feel like, if you don't have anything good to say, then don't say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-heckerling/i-don-t-know-what-goes-on-behind-my-back-i-always-feel-like-if-you/) [Amy Heckerling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-heckerling/) > [Bluebell, you couldn’t take me if I was blindfolded and had both hands tied behind my back.” “Bluebell?” Illium narrowed his eyes. “That’s it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/bluebell-you-couldn-t-take-me-if-i-was-blindfolded-and-had-both-hands/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [I don't mind if people are saying nasty things about me behind my back - I just don't want to know about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-campbell-bower/i-don-t-mind-if-people-are-saying-nasty-things-about-me-behind-my/) [Jamie Campbell Bower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-campbell-bower/) > [A wave of blood goes up to my head, my stomach shrinks together, as if something dangerous has just missed hitting me. It's as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-wave-of-blood-goes-up-to-my-head-my-stomach-shrinks-together-as-if/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I'm not going to go through life with one arm tied behind my back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/i-m-not-going-to-go-through-life-with-one-arm-tied-behind-my-back/) [James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/) > [On your best day, you're only as good as I am on my worst with one arm tied behind my back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/on-your-best-day-you-re-only-as-good-as-i-am-on-my-worst-with-one-arm/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [One's own vanities and humiliations I find a delicious subject for conversation. Things said of me behind my back I don't enjoy, and don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-pearsall-smith/one-s-own-vanities-and-humiliations-i-find-a-delicious-subject-for/) [Logan Pearsall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-pearsall-smith/) > [I need to write in a small room - the smaller the better. I can't write in a big room where someone might sneak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/i-need-to-write-in-a-small-room-the-smaller-the-better-i-can-t-write/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [So basically the understanding on these so-called reissues is that they were done behind my back, without my permission, and the band informed me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/so-basically-the-understanding-on-these-so-called-reissues-is-that/) [Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/) > [Part of my gestalt is that I still feel a little bit like a wallflower. Even in my own life. I talk about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/part-of-my-gestalt-is-that-i-still-feel-a-little-bit-like-a/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I love it all. I don't want to go through my career with one hand tied behind my back. I love making kids happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-love-it-all-i-don-t-want-to-go-through-my-career-with-one-hand-tied/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) ## More by Bob Cousy > [I had endured six years of frustration so I think winning it all meant more to me than most of the others on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/i-had-endured-six-years-of-frustration-so-i-think-winning-it-all/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [My biggest win was getting the meal money bumped from $5 to $7.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/my-biggest-win-was-getting-the-meal-money-bumped-from-5-to-7/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [Back then every small town had a gym, and if itseated more than 2,000 then we'd be interested in playing in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and-if-itseated-more-than-2-000/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [People have been killing because of racial differences since the time of Adam and Eve, but in this country racism has been primarily aimed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/people-have-been-killing-because-of-racial-differences-since-the-time/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [We hung out on the streets, played stickball, and did all of the things that other kids did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/we-hung-out-on-the-streets-played-stickball-and-did-all-of-the-things/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [Kerner decided to trade my rights to the Chicago Stags, which sounded better to me than Tri-Cities, but the Stags folded up almost immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/kerner-decided-to-trade-my-rights-to-the-chicago-stags-which-sounded/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful in anything that you put your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/do-your-best-when-no-one-is-looking-if-you-do-that-then-you-can-be/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [We played every night. Sometimes we'd stay overnight after a game, but we'd usually drive on to our next destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/we-played-every-night-sometimes-we-d-stay-overnight-after-a-game-but/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [My family was poor, my father drove a cab for a living, but we felt normal because everybody else was in the same boat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/my-family-was-poor-my-father-drove-a-cab-for-a-living-but-we-felt/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [The MVP award was very satisfying in terms of personal accomplishments, but the championship was the most important thing of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/the-mvp-award-was-very-satisfying-in-terms-of-personal/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [It also didn't take me long to decide that Tri-Cities wasn't for me, and that I wasn't going to go there to play basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/it-also-didn-t-take-me-long-to-decide-that-tri-cities-wasn-t-for-me/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful at anything you put your mind to](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/do-your-best-when-no-one-is-looking-if-you-do-that-then-you-can-be-2/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [I once heard that Paul Seymour said as much as winning an NBA Championship, he'd like to see the Celtics lose a game after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/i-once-heard-that-paul-seymour-said-as-much-as-winning-an-nba/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [French was my first language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/french-was-my-first-language/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [Every jock gets up and tells the world how lucky he is. But I feel that I may be the luckiest one of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/every-jock-gets-up-and-tells-the-world-how-lucky-he-is-but-i-feel/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) [Explore all 39 Bob Cousy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) ## More Back and forth quotes > [He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns. Take the hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/he-should-release-the-tax-returns-tomorrow-it-s-crazy-you-ve-got-to/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [I think my work comes out of both an intense desire for connection and what it means to feel isolated. There's always going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/i-think-my-work-comes-out-of-both-an-intense-desire-for-connection/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [It is an intimately communicative affair between the painter and his painting, a conversation back and forth, the painting telling the painter even as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shahn/it-is-an-intimately-communicative-affair-between-the-painter-and-his/) [Ben Shahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shahn/) > [Belief in oneself is a crucial quality of leadership, because 'a house divided against itself cannot stand.' A leader who fluctuates back and forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/belief-in-oneself-is-a-crucial-quality-of-leadership-because-a-house/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [CS: I always say there's a tribal element in a rock concert. There's a real back-and-forth thing that goes on between the audience and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-stein/cs-i-always-say-there-s-a-tribal-element-in-a-rock-concert-there-s-a/) [Chris Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-stein/) > [I'm a southern girl, and I grew up with this slightly schizophrenic upbringing where I bounced back and forth between Atlanta, Georgia, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-myracle/i-m-a-southern-girl-and-i-grew-up-with-this-slightly-schizophrenic/) [Lauren Myracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-myracle/) > [Originally, one of the reasons I was drawn to photography, as opposed to painting or sculpture or installation, is that of all the arts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/originally-one-of-the-reasons-i-was-drawn-to-photography-as-opposed/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [Until presence becomes your predominant state, you may find yourself moving back and forth for a while between the old consciousness and the new,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/until-presence-becomes-your-predominant-state-you-may-find-yourself/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Real communication is an attitude, an environment. It is the most interactive of all processes. It requires countless hours of eyeball to eyeball, back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/real-communication-is-an-attitude-an-environment-it-is-the-most/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [People jump back and forth in pursuit of pleasures only because they see the emptiness of their lives more clearly than they do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/people-jump-back-and-forth-in-pursuit-of-pleasures-only-because-they/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [How long were the stretches of toilsome tacking back and forth, of being blocked, of being thrown back again and again. But all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathe-kollwitz/how-long-were-the-stretches-of-toilsome-tacking-back-and-forth-of/) [Kathe Kollwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathe-kollwitz/) > [The relationship with the words someone uses is more intimate and integrated than just a quick read and a blurb can ever be. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/the-relationship-with-the-words-someone-uses-is-more-intimate-and/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [ One day he \[Wagner\] was batting against a young pitcher who had just come into the league. The catcher was a kid, too .… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burleigh-grimes/one-day-he-wagner-was-batting-against-a-young-pitcher-who-had-just/) [Burleigh Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burleigh-grimes/) > [If I were just to read briefing books or I were just to engage in the political back and forth, would I have heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-were-just-to-read-briefing-books-or-i-were-just-to-engage-in-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [ Writing two stories \[in the Thorn and the Blossom\] about the same set of events that were complete stories in themselves, but also added… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/writing-two-stories-in-the-thorn-and-the-blossom-about-the-same-set/) [Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/) [Browse all 224 Back and forth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-and-forth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I dribbled by the hour with my left hand when I was young. 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