You should consider a choice-based handling approach. When I want to play with my Children’s python, I open the enclosure. If he comes out, we play. If he doesn’t, we don’t. Interacting with your snake when it doesn’t want to interact with you increases the chances of getting bit.
That said, I do sometimes need to handle my snake when he doesn’t want to be handled. This is usually when it comes time for him to return to his enclosure after playtime is over. That’s when the hook training comes in handy.
However, it’s while maintaining his enclosure (e.g. water changes) that I’ve taken the most bites, so I’ve started wearing gloves. I tried letting him see and smell me before reaching into his enclosure to avoid being mistaken for food. This worked well when I could see him. The problem came when I didn’t see him and thought the coast was clear only to have him strike from a hiding place.
I also target train, so you could safely say I take a kitchen sink approach to avoiding bites. All this is probably overkill on my part. My snake is tiny compared to yours. I do it mostly because I like training my snake. It's fun to have a purpose to your interactions. In your case, adopting one or more of the above approaches is more of a necessity.
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