All players have to be able to dribble well on the basketball court. It's not just the point guard's responsibility to get the ball upcourt. He may have the bulk of the ball-handling duties, but all players need to dribble well to be effective basketball players. Big men have to make one or two dribbles to set up an interior shot, and the shooting guard and small forward must use the dribble to take pressure off of the point guard.
Ten in A Row
Give each player a basketball and have the first player start at the baseline under the near basket. Have him dribble to the other end of the court and make a layup. Have him retrieve the ball and dribble back to the near end and make another layup. Each player will make 10 trips down the court and make 10 layups. Each player has four minutes to complete this drill. This exercise gets all players used to handling the ball.
Five Cones Drill
Players have to work on handling the ball with both hands. Dribbling around cones will help players improve in this area. Set up five athletic cones just past midcourt. Each cone should be about four feet from the previous cone. Have a player start off at midcourt and dribble to the right of the first cone, the left of the second cone, the right of the third cone and continue on in that manner. After she finishes the course, have her reverse course and dribble back in the same manner. Each player should get at least two turns dribbling through the cones.
Agility Ladder Dribbling
Dribble through the spaces in an agility ladder to improve your opposite hand dribble. Have right-handed players dribble with their left hand and left-handed players dribble with their right hand. Lay the ladder on the basketball floor and have the players start out behind it. They should dribble the ball through each ladder rectangle in a 12- to 15-foot ladder, using their opposite hand to dribble. After completion, players should turn around and repeat the drill.
Two-Ball Dribble
To get players used to handling the ball, give each player two basketballs to dribble. On the coach's whistle, each player will dribble the ball in her dominant hand to the free-throw line while holding the other ball. At that point, she will dribble both basketballs to the midcourt line. Then she will dribble the ball in her weaker hand to the far free-throw line and then will dribble both balls to the opposite end line. Repeat this drill at least three times to improve ball-handling ability.
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