Step 1/2Each player dribbles a basketball; the extra ball is the small soft ball
Orange = offense · blue = defense · solid line = cut · dashed = pass · zig-zag = dribble · T = screen · dotted arc = shot
Passing drill
Basketball Handball
Everyone maintains a basketball dribble while two teams pass a small ball and try to send it through cone gates.
- Time
- 8 min
- Players
- 4+
- Ages
- 10+
- Level
- Intermediate
Equipment: 1 basketball per player, 1 small soft ball, 4 cones for two gates, 4 boundary cones
How to run the drill
- 1Setup: play 2v2 in a square about 8 metres across. Mark two gates, each about 1.5 metres wide, on different edges. Every player has a basketball. Teams share one small soft ball; use this for passes and goals.
- 2Start: everyone begins dribbling their own basketball. Give the small ball to one team. Keep the basketball dribble alive while passing or receiving the small ball with the free hand.
- 3Rules: move freely without the small ball. Its holder may pivot but cannot run with it. Defenders can intercept the small ball but cannot steal basketballs or knock it from a player's hand. Use gentle throws below shoulder height.
- 4Scoring and reset: throw or bounce the small ball through either gate from at least 2 metres away for 1 point. On a goal, small-ball turnover, ball out or loss of a basketball dribble, stop and give the small ball to the other team. Restart with defenders 2 metres away and all basketballs controlled.
- 5Rotation: play two-minute games and change teammates between games. With larger groups, use separate courts so everyone keeps taking part.
- 6Progression: start without basketballs to learn the gate game, then add them. Widen the gates or use a larger soft ball if catching while dribbling is too difficult.
Coaching points
- Keep eyes up to track both balls
- Pass to a teammate's free hand
- Control the basketball before restarting
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