I always use my snake hook when getting my pythons/boas out of their cages (doors open on the front - not on top so I can't get above them to grab their bodies). The hook works well just to see how they're feeling and what kind of mood they're in - I pull them out of the cage a little than grab them with my hand and they're usually fine when out of the cage - they just have a crazy feeding response and think every time I open the cage they're going to get food, once the hook goes in they kind of figure it out though - and I only use the hook when I'm taking them out, never on feeding days, just to keep some repetition.

I had a corn snake that was a real big bitter when in the cage (another snake with a great feeding response, he was a little too excited for food!). He was in a glass terrarium where the top opened up, so I would take the top off and all the hides out of his cage - then place a shirt over him (covering the face) and pick him up. A friend who worked at a reptile store showed me this and it actually worked perfectly, once under the shirt the snake didn't move - once out of the cage the snake never tried to bite - this may not be a good idea for a ball python though!