Great basketball point guards can see the floor to find open teammates and read the defense. Do you think they can do this while still looking down at the basketball they are dribbling? If you cannot keep your eyes up when you dribble a basketball, this is a great basketball dribbling drill to do.
Tennis ball basketball dribbling drills like this one will force you to keep your eyes up and cause you to dribble the basketball without putting any attention on it. You will be so focused on tossing and catching the tennis ball each time instead of always looking down at the basketball.
Basketball Drill Overview
Drill Name: Partner Tennis Ball Toss/Bounce Basketball Drill
Equipment Needed: 2 tennis balls, 2 basketballs, and a partner.
Similar Basketball Drills and Resources
- 3 Dribble Partner Tennis Ball Toss Basketball Drill
- Partner Tennis Ball Toss Basketball Drill
- Pound Toss Tennis Ball Basketball Drill
Goals of the Drill
- Improve your eye-hand coordination as well as your ball handling.
- Be able to dribble a basketball without looking down or having to think about it.
Coaching Points
- Keep your eyes up the whole time.
- Focus on a good toss and a good catch.
- Stay low in an athletic position and don’t raise up.
- Pound the basketball.
Basketball Drill Instructions
- The players will start facing each other about 8-10 feet apart.
- One player will have the basketball in their right hand, and one in their left; tennis balls will be in the opposite hand.
- Before the drill starts, determine which player will bounce the tennis ball and which is going to toss it.
- Begin dribbling the basketball and toss/bounce the tennis balls back and forth as quickly as you can.
- Continue for about 30 seconds and then switch which hand the basketball is in and who is bouncing.
- To make this basketball drill more difficult, the coach can call out switch, and the players have to immediately switch who is bouncing and who is tossing the tennis ball.
- This causes the players to think while dribbling the basketball.
