A good basketball point guard can see an open teammate right when they are getting open. If you struggle with keeping your eyes up while dribbling the basketball, this is a great drill to help fix that. Because the tennis ball makes you keep your eyes up, it trains you to dribble the basketball and make moves without looking down.
Adding a tennis ball to your basketball dribbling drills will also help increase the difficulty of the drill. The ball handler will now be challenged to make a move, but at the same time, toss and catch a tennis ball. Basketball drills like this also help with developing hand-eye coordination and quick hands.
Basketball Drill Overview
Drill Name: Progression Toss Between the Legs Tennis Ball Basketball Drill
Equipment Needed: 1 basketball and 1 tennis ball.
Similar Basketball Drills and Resources
- Partner Tennis Ball Toss Between the Legs Basketball Drill
- Between the Legs Toss Tennis Ball Basketball Drill (Stationary)
- Between the Legs Walking Dribbling Basketball Drill (2 Ball)
Goals of the Drill
- Work on hand-eye coordination and condition yourself to keep your eyes up on the dribble.
Coaching Points
- Keep low in an athletic stance, make sure the dribble stays tight to your body, and give yourself a good toss.
Basketball Drill Instructions
- Begin on the baseline.
- Take 1-3 dribbles while moving forward (number of dribbles determined by the level of the player).
- Toss the tennis ball up in the air, dribble the basketball between your legs, and then catch the tennis ball with your hand that just dribbled the basketball between your legs.
- Repeat this all the way down the floor, alternating hands each time.
- After you reach the other baseline, come back, but this time do the drill moving backward.
