Should I Use the Inside or Lace of My Feet to Dribble?

On looking at your dribbling guide I learned that I should use the lace chop dribble, but my coach tells me to use the inside of the foot.  Which is right?

Answer

It is a common misconception among coaches that players should dribble primarily with the inside of the foot; however, when dribbling through open space (especially with speed) using the lace dribble is more effective.  

The reasons for this is when players use the inside of the foot they:

1. Don't have as much control over the ball 

When you perform a chop dribble you can easily keep the ball close.  While this is possible with an inside dribble it is much harder when you are dribbling forward.

2.  Dribble Slower

 Remember that to dribble forward with the inside of your foot you need to turn your body, while while using a lace dribble you can control the ball straight on.  This turning of the body is helpful in certain situations where shielding is necessary, but while dribbling generally into open space this only slows you down.

With a lace dribble you can dribble with the most speed out of any touch, and you can move in a straight line, which also increases speed.

Conclusion

You should use a lace dribble when dribbling in general.  Seeing that the coach thinks otherwise you are presented with a touch situation.  It is best that you attempt to communicate with the coach, so you do not practice the vital skill wrong.  

However, this is getting into a different problem entirely, so I will leave this question at that.