Basketball drills like this are great because they allow you to work on multiple things all at the same time. You are working on lateral quickness, ball handling, hand-eye coordination, conditioning, thinking, etc. To be a great ball-handler, you need to handle the ball, read the defense, and run the offense all at the same time. This partner tennis ball basketball dribbling drill does a good job of training the ball handler to dribble without having to think about it.
Basketball Drill Overview
Drill Name: Lane Line Tennis Ball Toss Basketball Drill
Equipment Needed: 1 basketball, 1 tennis ball, and a partner.
Similar Basketball Drills and Resources
- Wall Ball Reaction Basketball Drill
- Toss Rhythm Dribble Tennis Ball Basketball Drill
- Lane Line Tennis Ball Toss Counter Basketball Drill
Goals of the Drill
- Work on eye-hand coordination, ball handling, thinking while dribbling, defensive slide, and conditioning.
Coaching Points
- Stay in a low athletic stance as you dribble the ball and slide up and down the lane.
- Think while you are doing this basketball dribbling drill.
- Don’t bring your feet together, and keep your dribble tight.
Basketball Drill Instructions
- Begin on the lane line under the basket across from your partner.
- The person with the tennis ball can throw it 3 different ways; in the air, bounce pass, or roll it on the ground.
- The man with the ball has to catch the tennis ball and return it the same way he got it (if it is rolled, just throw it back underhand to the coach/partner).
- Begin dribbling the basketball with your right hand and slide along the lane line at the same pace as the coach.
- The coach/partner decides how he throws the tennis ball to the ball handler and when he throws it.
- Slide back and forth continuously for a minute (30 seconds dribbling with the right hand and 30 seconds with the left hand).
