Basic Dribbling Drills Worksheet

Welcome to the Change of Direction Drills section of our basketball practice! In this worksheet, you will practice various dribbling techniques focusing on changing direction quickly and effectively. Complete the following drills to improve your ball-handling skills.

Drill Examples:

• Dribble the ball in a straight line for 10 meters, then quickly change direction to the right and continue for another 10 meters.
• Weave through a line of cones set up in a zigzag pattern, changing direction with each cone.
• Perform a crossover dribble, switching the ball quickly from one hand to the other while moving forward.
• Practice a behind-the-back dribble while moving in a figure-eight pattern around two cones.
• Combine a spin move with a crossover dribble to evade a defender and drive to the basket.

Challenge Drills:

• Dribble the ball while performing a hesitation move, faking in one direction before quickly changing to the other.
• Practice a between-the-legs dribble while moving at full speed in a straight line, then abruptly stop and change direction.

Real-World Problems:

• Imagine you are playing in a game and need to quickly change direction to avoid a defender. How would you execute a crossover dribble in this situation?
• You are on a fast break with a defender approaching from your right side. How would you use a behind-the-back dribble to create space and score?

Answers:

Answers will vary for the drills and challenges. Ensure you practice these techniques regularly to improve your dribbling skills.

1. Problem: Player A is practicing dribbling and wants to improve their ability to change direction quickly. They start at the baseline and dribble towards the free-throw line. At the free-throw line, they quickly change direction and dribble back to the baseline. How many times can Player A complete this drill in one minute?

Answer: Player A can complete this drill 10 times in one minute.

2. Problem: Player B is working on her crossover dribble. She starts at half-court and dribbles towards the three-point line. She performs a crossover dribble and continues to the opposite three-point line, then changes direction again with another crossover dribble. How many crossovers does Player B perform in one repetition of this drill?

Answer: Player B performs two crossovers in one repetition of this drill.

3. Problem: Player C is practicing his hesitation move. He starts at the top of the key and dribbles towards the basket. As he approaches the paint, he hesitates briefly before driving to the basket. If Player C hesitates for 2 seconds each time, how many times can he perform this drill in 30 seconds?

Answer: Player C can perform this drill 15 times in 30 seconds.

4. Problem: Player D wants to work on his behind-the-back dribble. He starts at the baseline and dribbles towards half-court. At half-court, he executes a behind-the-back dribble and continues to the opposite baseline. How many behind-the-back dribbles does Player D perform in one repetition of this drill?

Answer: Player D performs one behind-the-back dribble in one repetition of this drill.

5. Problem: Player E is focusing on his spin move. He starts at the free-throw line extended and dribbles towards the baseline. When he reaches the baseline, he executes a spin move and heads back towards the free-throw line. How many spin moves does Player E perform in one repetition of this drill?

Answer: Player E performs one spin move in one repetition of this drill.

6. Problem: Player F is working on his euro step. He starts at the top of the key and dribbles towards the basket. As he approaches the defender, he uses a euro step to avoid the block and score. If Player F practices this move continuously for 2 minutes, how many euro steps does he perform?

Answer: Player F performs 60 euro steps in 2 minutes.

7. Problem: Player G is practicing his between-the-legs dribble. He starts at half-court and dribbles towards the three-point line. At the three-point line, he executes a between-the-legs dribble and continues to the opposite three-point line. How many between-the-legs dribbles does Player G perform in one repetition of this drill?

Answer: Player G performs one between-the-legs dribble in one repetition of this drill.

8. Problem: Player H wants to improve his crossover step-back move. He starts at the wing and dribbles towards the top of the key. At the top of the key, he performs a crossover dribble and takes a step back to create space for a jump shot. If Player H practices this move for 5 minutes, how many crossover step-back moves does he perform?

Answer: Player H performs 100 crossover step-back moves in 5 minutes.

9. Problem: Player I is working on his behind-the-back spin move combo. He starts at the baseline and dribbles towards half-court. At half-court, he executes a behind-the-back dribble followed by a spin move and continues to the opposite baseline. How many behind-the-back spin move combos does Player I perform in one repetition of this drill?

Answer: Player I performs one behind-the-back spin move combo in one repetition of this drill.

10. Problem: Player J is practicing his hesitation crossover move. He starts at the elbow and dribbles towards the baseline. As he approaches the defender, he hesitates briefly and then executes a crossover dribble to drive towards the basket. If Player J practices this move continuously for 3 minutes, how many hesitation crossover moves does he perform?

Answer: Player J performs 90 hesitation crossover moves in 3 minutes.

1. Start by setting up cones in a straight line about 5 feet apart.
2. Begin dribbling the basketball with your dominant hand while moving forward in a straight line.
3. Approach the first cone and perform a quick change of direction by dribbling around it with your non-dominant hand.
4. Accelerate out of the turn and continue dribbling to the next cone in a straight line.
5. Repeat the change of direction move around each cone until you reach the end of the line.
6. Once you reach the last cone, reverse the drill by dribbling back through the cones in the opposite direction.

• Game 1: Zigzag Dribble Race
  • Divide students into pairs and set up a zigzag course using cones.
  • One student from each pair dribbles the basketball through the course while the other student times them.
  • After the first round, students switch roles and try to beat their previous time.
  • The pair with the fastest combined time wins the race.
• Game 2: Red Light, Green Light Dribble
  • Designate one student as the "traffic light" and the rest as dribblers.
  • When the traffic light says "green light," dribblers can move forward while dribbling.
  • When the traffic light says "red light," dribblers must stop and freeze.
  • Any dribbler caught moving during a "red light" must go back to the starting line.
  • The first dribbler to reach the traffic light wins the game and becomes the new traffic light.
• Game 3: Dribble Tag
  • Choose one student to be the "tagger" and give them a soft object like a foam ball.
  • All other students dribble their basketballs around the playing area.
  • The tagger tries to tag other students by hitting their basketball with the soft object.
  • If a student's basketball is tagged, they become the new tagger.
  • The last student dribbling without being tagged wins the game.