Which one is better? Obviously the second! The player looks more in control, ready for action, and seems to be starting his move. In the other photo, which was taking immediately after the second, doesn't have the same 'feel' to it. The player doesn't look like he has control of the ball and the overall feel is rather akward.
If you have a SLR camera with a quick motor drive (by quick I mean 3 frames per second or faster), you can just hold the shutter button down and fire away while your player is dribbling the ball. This should get you at least one good shot.
If you have a slow motor drive (or a point and shoot camera), there are two things I would suggest. First, concentrate on getting a photo while your player is holding the ball with both hands. This often happens when inbounding the ball, looking to make a pass, or about to shoot.
The other is to try timing the shot when he or she is dribbling. This is much harder to do, however, and requires timing and practice. You have to press the shutter button before the ball reaches their hand. How much before depends on the particular amount of lag your camera has between pushing the button and capturing the picture. SLRs have a short lag, while point and shoots (especially digitals) can have a lag nearly up to a second.
Tomorrow I will talk about pre-focusing to help those who have a long lag.
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