There are all kinds of different dribbling drills out there. As a coach, you need to constantly be looking for drills that are different and can be fun but challenging for the players. A good drill will keep the players engaged and working to get better at the drill. They will improve while having fun doing it. Without thinking about what they are doing, they are improving and those results will show up in games.
Two of the biggest issues I see with players learning how to dribble or how to improve their dribbling are watching the ball the entire time and having trouble dribbling with their weak hand. Drills need to be used that will get the player’s heads up and looking at something other than the basketball while also using both hands to dribble the ball. Some drills that are working to accomplish this are good while there are many I see that are bad.
One of the drills I have found that works on accomplishing both of these goals is to introduce a smaller ball into a dribbling drill. I mostly use a ping pong ball or tennis ball as that smaller ball but anything smaller will work. The smaller ball is used in a number of ways while the players are dribbling the basketball. The smaller ball forces players to look at it so they are not looking at their own basketball. And both hands are being used so the players have no choice but to use their weaker hand as well.
While this list is not everything that can be done, these are a few ways I like to use a smaller ball within a dribbling drill. Unless specifically stated each variation can be done while the player is standing still or as the player is moving.
Small Ball Toss with Same Hand Toss and Catch
This drill has the player dribbling with one hand while holding the smaller ball in the other. They are not moving for the drill. The player will remain stationary for the drill. For instance dribbling the basketball with their right hand and holding the ping pong ball or tennis ball in their left hand. As the player is dribbling the basketball, they will throw the tennis ball up in the air and catch it as it comes down. They will complete a set number of tosses and catches. After they complete the required amount of throws, they will switch hands and repeat.
Small Ball Toss with Change of Direction Dribble
This drill has the player staying in one spot, tossing the tennis ball up in the air, completing a change of direction dribble and then catching the tennis ball as it comes down. The player will continue to toss the tennis ball up, complete a change of direction dribble, and finally catch the tennis ball in the opposite hand that threw it.
The change of direction dribbles are a crossover, between the legs, and behind the back. As an example, the player will have the basketball dribbling with their right hand. The tennis ball will be in their left hand. The player will toss the tennis ball up in the air, complete a change of direction dribble, and catch the tennis ball. The tennis ball is tossed with the left hand. The player will do a crossover dribble bouncing the basketball from their right hand to their left hand. As the basketball is now in their left hand, the tennis ball will be caught by their right hand. This repeats for a set number of times before changing the type of change of direction dribble.
One Hand Dribble; One Hand Catch with Partner
This drill has the players partnered up. The partners will be about 5 to 6 feet apart facing each other. The player going forward will be dribbling the basketball(player A). The player walking backward will have the tennis ball(player B). The two players will walk down the court as they perform the drill. Once they complete going down the court, they will switch who has each ball and return back to the start.
Player B is walking backwards and matching the pace of Player A. Player A is dribbling the basketball with their right hand. Player B will toss the tennis ball to Player A’s left hand. Player A will catch the tennis ball with their left hand and toss it back to Player B. Player B will catch the tennis ball and then toss it back to Player A’s left hand. This tossing back and forth will continue down the length of the court.
Once the two players walk down the length of the court, they switch who is walking forwards and backwards and who has the basketball and who has the tennis ball. After going down and back, they will repeat the drill but not the basketball will be dribbled with the left hand and the tennis ball will be tossed back and forth with the right hand.
Change of Direction Dribble During Partner Toss
Players are partnered up again. Player A is dribbling the basketball forward. Player B is walking with the tennis ball backwards. Player B will now toss the tennis ball to the hand of Player A that is dribbling the basketball. As the tennis ball is tossed, Player A will perform a change of direction dribble and catch the tennis ball with the hand that was just dribbling the basketball. So, Player A has to dribble the basketball, react to the tennis ball being tossed, and complete a change of direction dribble while catching the tennis ball.
Player A is dribbling the basketball with their right hand. Player B will toss the tennis ball to Player A’s right hand. As the tennis ball is tossed, Player A will do a crossover dribble to get the basketball into their left hand. Player A will then catch the tennis ball with their right hand and toss it back to Player B. Player B will catch the tennis ball and toss it now to Player A’s left hand. Player A will crossover dribble to get the basketball back into their right hand. Player A will then catch the tennis ball with their left hand and toss it back to Player B.
This routine continues down the length of the floor. The two players will switch who is dribbling the basketball and who has the tennis ball. The two players can continue going down and back the court using the crossover dribble, behind the back dribble and between the legs dribble. This drill can continue changing the change of direction dribble for as long as you want the drill to last.
Wall Toss WIth One Hand
This drill has the players working individually. They have the basketball in one hand and the tennis ball in the other. The players will be about 5-10 feet away from a wall. The players will dribble the basketball. As they are dribbling, they will toss the tennis ball against the wall and catch it as it bounces off the wall with the same hand as the toss. They will continue for either a set amount of time or a set amount of tosses.
Wall Toss with Change of Direction Dribble
The players will be in front of a wall. They will be dribbling a basketball in one hand and holding a tennis ball in the other. They will do a change of direction dribble like a crossover as the tennis ball is in the air. They will complete the change of direction dribble moving the basketball from one hand to the other. After the crossover, they will catch the tennis ball with the hand that did not toss it against the wall.
For instance, the player will be dribbling the basketball right handed. The left hand will toss the tennis ball against the wall. The player will do a crossover dribble to move the basketball to their left hand. Then they will catch the tennis ball with their right hand. They will continue this for a set amount of time or tosses. They will then repeat the drill using the behind the back dribble and between the legs dribble.
Conclusion
Dribbling is the biggest fundamental skill that separates players into bad, average, good and great levels. The better a player is able to dribble the ball, the more they can contribute to the team. Good ball handling skills are not limited to position or age. Good ball handling skills will have a player improving and make them a better all around player.
This drill can be done using a basketball and a tennis ball or ping pong ball or really any smaller ball. It can be done stationary at first as the players learn how to dribble while catching a 2nd smaller ball. Then as they improve they can add in change of direction dribbles. This is a great drill because it forces players to learn good ball handling skills.
This drill forces players to learn to dribble with both their right and left hands. It forces them to keep their head up and eyes forward. It forces them to complete change of direction dribbles quickly and effectively. All of these skills will translate over to a game easily. I have coaches constantly tell players to keep their head up. This drill forces that to happen without the coach having to say anything.
Add this drill to a practice and see what happens. Players that have not done it before will struggle at first. But the more they practice the drill, the better they will become. Those skills will then start to show up in games. The drill can be made easier by not having the players move or do a change of direction dribble. But as they become better dribblers, those minor changes can be added to keep making the drill more difficult to keep the players improving.
