How to look up while dribbling a basketball

How Can You Help Your Students Look up When Dribbling a Basketball?

By: Mark Banasiak @MoreThanGym

As you are aware, beginning and intermediate basketball dribblers love to look down at the ball because they lack the confidence to look up. After practicing and assessing the basic skill of dribbling in self and general space, I believe one of our jobs is to place the students in situations to increase their skill level as well as their confidence. As a result, I try to seek out and/or design activities that require the students to look up and use their peripheral vision while dribbling.

To help illustrate peripheral vision, I ask the students to hold their hands up to their eyes like binoculars. We talk about seeing straight ahead. We also mention that when they take the binoculars away, everything else they see is their peripheral vision. I further explain that using their peripheral vision (looking out of the corner of their eyes) allows them to confidently look up while dribbling a basketball.  I then have them participate in activities that require them to look up.  During any of these activities, the teacher should monitor and look for anyone who is continuously losing control and provide additional instruction as needed.

Here are some of those activities:

Dribble Freeze (K-2^nd): This activity allows the students to dribble and move at their own pace; however, if they lose control of their dribble then they are frozen. They simply stand with the ball above their head and wait for a peer to dribble by and tap them on the shoulder. The structure of this activity requires them to look up to make sure they do not bump into anyone and to see who they can unfreeze.

Dribble Tag (K+): This activity allows the students to dribble while moving around in general space. The teacher can use a half pool noodle to attempt to tag the student’s ball. If a student loses control or their ball is tagged by the teacher, they must then move to the perimeter of the gym and complete 10 basketball jumps (hug the basketball and jump up and down). The structure of this activity requires them to look up to make sure they do not bump into anyone, to look for the tagger, and to quickly change directions to get away from the tagger.

Follow the Leader (1^st +): This activity allows the students to spread out, face the middle, and follow the leader. As the leader, the teacher can dribble with either hand, alternating hands, go down on one knee, or lay down while dribbling. If you want to have some fun, let them try dribbling under their knees or allow them to spin the ball on their finger. I was surprised last year when one student who usually lacks motivation was the best ball spinner in the entire school! You may also consider allowing a few minutes of freestyle dribbling. This may provide you the opportunity to locate students who can serve as the leader. The structure of this activity requires them to occasionally look up to make sure they are following the leader.

Take That Cone (1^st +): This activity allows the students to dribble a ball while moving through traffic and attempting to collect cones. The students are divided in half and placed at opposite ends of the gym. A whole bunch of small cones are then spread out in the middle of the gym. As long as they are maintaining their dribble, they can bend down, collect one cone, and return it to their end of the gym. Similar to Dribble Freeze, if a student loses control of their dribble they are frozen. They simply stand with the ball above their head and wait for a peer to dribble by and tap them on the shoulder. After a few minutes, all of the cones will end up at either end of the gym. The students will then be walking around and dribbling with no cones left in the middle. Don’t say anything! One or two perceptive students will soon ask if they can take the other team’s cones. At that point, simply restate the goal, “You may collect any cone and take it to your area.” The frenzy then begins as a handful of students will begin to take the other team’s cones. In an instant, the speed of the activity picks up with the students dribbling longer pathways, dribbling faster, and weaving in and out of the other students. The structure of this activity requires them to look up to make sure they do not bump into anyone, to look for peers to unfreeze, to change levels, and to pick up an item all while maintaining their dribble.

Dribble Two at a Time (2^nd +): This activity allows the students to attempt to dribble two basketballs at a time. I like to pair the students up. One partner will attempt to dribble two basketballs at the same time while the other partner will execute 25 jumping jacks. They will then switch. The structure of this activity requires them to use their peripheral vision as they try to watch both basketballs.

Scattered Square Dancing (2^nd +): This activity allows the students to dribble while having them participate in scattered square dancing. This is a simple dance where you call out movements and the students find the closest person to complete them with. There are individual skills that include changing directions (amongst the chaos of people moving everywhere) and partner skills. Have you ever tried to perform the elbow trim with a partner while dribbling a basketball? The structure of this activity requires them to look up as they perform the individual and partner dance moves.

Balance the Bagel (2^nd +): This activity allows the students to progress based on their individual skill level. Each student will attempt to dribble a ball around the gym while balancing a bagel (sliced up pool noodle) on a ping pong paddle. As they successfully make a trip around the gym, they can stop and add another bagel to their stack/tower. The structure of this activity requires them to use their peripheral vision as they try to watch their bagels and the ball. The last time we participated in this activity, anyone who completed a lap with 5 bagels was allowed to trade for a small rubber ball to balance while dribbling.   **Click for a free lesson plan – Balance the Bagel**

Dribble Stare (3^rd +): This activity allows to students to challenge each other. The students will stare into the eyes of one another and count down from 3. At that point, they may begin dribbling while continuing to look in each other’s eyes. If they remove their eyes from the other person’s eyes, they lose that round. The structure of this activity requires them to continuously look up to make sure they are staring into the eyes of their partner.

Put a Ring on My Finger (4^th +): This version of Dribble Stare allows the students an opportunity to progress through three different levels (the gym is divided into three sections). All of the students begin in one level. They can select any opponent and participate in a round of Dribble Stare. If you win, you move up a level and select a new opponent from within that new level. If you lose, you move back a level and select a new opponent from within that level. If you make it to and win at the third level, you can get a ring (sliced up pool noodle), put it on your finger, and return to the first level. The structure of this activity requires them to continuously look up to make sure they are staring into the eyes of their partner while trying to collect as many rings as possible.  **Click for a free lesson plan – Put a Ring on My Finger**

Dribble Tag – Good, Better, Best (4^th +): This activity allows the students to select which level they want to participate in. I divide the gym in thirds and define each section as one for those who think they are good at dribbling (high school level), one for those who think they are better (college level), and one for those who think they are the best (professional level). The students then dribble around their area. If they lose control for any reason, they must go to the side and do 10 basketball jacks (see below). For example, if you lose control of the dribble while moving and changing directions or if someone strikes your ball away from you, you must then go to the side. This activity provides for self-assessment. If the students feel they over or under estimated their ability, allow them the opportunity to change sections after a few minutes. The structure of this activity requires them to continuously look up to make sure they are staying away from anyone who may try to strike their ball away.

Note: A basketball jack has the same footwork as a jumping jack; however, instead of taking their hands from their sides to over their head, they hold the ball at their waist and take it above their head.

In order to help increase each student’s skill level as well as their confidence, I encourage you to seek out and/or design activities that require the students to look up and use their peripheral vision while dribbling!

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Unique Way To Keep Players Head Up While Ball Handling

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By David Jooss

Over the past couple of years, I have used balloons with my youth players to assist with weak hand development and for keeping their eyes up on the dribble.

We incorporate them into ball handling drills similar to how many coaches use tennis balls. I have found that these drills are best done with youth players ranging from 3rd-6th grade. My youth players really enjoy the balloon series and I have found them effective for increasing floor vision and for weak hand development.

Instructions:

Level 1: Each player will have a balloon, basketball, and space to move. The goal for the players is to work on their pound dribbles while keeping the balloon in the air by tapping it up with the hand that is not dribbling. We will go for a certain amount of time with each hand and then switch our dribbles to the other hand. If the balloon hits the ground, the players can restart and try again.

Level 2: After players have mastered level 1, we would now have them do stationary crossovers or scissors dribbles while trying to keep the balloon in the air.

Level 3: Once players feel confident with level 2
we will challenge them with our circle sprint drill.

In this drill, players will be working on their speed dribble by popping the balloon up to start and then speed dribbling to the other side of the circle and back before the balloon hits the ground. Players will then pop the balloon up again and keep going.

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Dribbling | Playing technique

From Pivot's notebook

1. Don't be careless when making passes.

2. Pass quickly.

3. Be decisive when passing.

4. When releasing the ball, control it with your fingertips.

5. Before passing, distract the defender with your head and eyes.

One of the basics of basketball is the ability to securely control the ball. Now, starting to learn the dribbling, it's time to get acquainted with another important skill - the ability to control the movements of your body when in possession of the ball.

A dribbler or dribbler will only be able to keep the ball and beat the defense if he is constantly in a position of balance and has the opportunity to control his movements (diagram 41).

Guidance is achieved by movements of the forearm, hand and fingers. In the starting position, lean forward slightly, relax your knees, keep your forearm parallel to the floor and completely relax your arm. From this position, raise the forearm 10-15 cm up, keeping the fingers and hand relaxed, then lower it 30 cm. Keep the shoulder motionless, acting only with the forearm in the elbow joint with relaxed fingers and hand (Fig. 42).

The dribbling of the hand should not be like slapping the ball, but rather like pushing down with relaxed fingers. Practice these pushes until you can perform them smoothly and rhythmically with either hand. Then, using the same relaxed motion, start hitting the ball to the floor (fig. 43). Don't slap the ball, just push it down and then lift your hand up with the ball. After the push, keep your hand down, waiting for the ball to bounce. Then raise your hand up with him.

Now push the ball down again. During the movement of the forearm up and down, the fingers should constantly control the ball - this will allow better control of the ball during the dribbling.

Try the same with the other hand and practice until you can freely dribble the ball with either hand without looking at it. You need to look at the floor a few meters in front of you.

Once you have mastered the dribbling on the spot, start moving forward while continuing to dribble. Try not to look at him. If you look at the ball, you will not be able to see what other players are doing at that time. Walk first.
Remember: to move forward, you need to push the ball slightly forward, and not down, as when dribbling on the spot (fig. 44). When you learn to dribble the ball without visual control while moving slowly forward, transfer it to the other hand and continue to practice dribble with the other hand. Don't try to switch to fast dribbling until the movements of the legs and arms become free and natural.

It is quite obvious that while you are in a high stance, the ball is relatively unprotected. The defender will be able to easily hit the ball making a long journey from your hand to the floor (fig. 45). To prevent this, bend your knees, reducing the distance between your hand and the floor. Try this stance without the ball first. It is somewhat reminiscent of a sprinter's stance at the start. Move in a low stance.

Then, keeping a low position, proceed to dribble. Now you need to be especially careful in choosing the distance between you and the ball (fig. 46).

If you dribble too close, there is a danger that you will hit your knee and lose it. Conversely, if you push the ball too far, it will be difficult to keep control of it while dribbling. During training, you will find the best distance between you and the ball when moving at any speed and in any stance.

When you master the low dribble and start to increase your speed, you will have to move up to the high stance again. But at the slightest threat from the opponent, you need to switch to low dribble.

Figure 47 shows how to cover the ball while dribbling. The lower the dribble, the more difficult it is for the opponent to take the ball away.

Keep both hands in front of you while dribbling. You may find it more comfortable to lower your free hand down. However, it is better to keep it ahead. This is necessary in order to close the ball from the opponent (Fig. 48).
When dribbling, as well as when passing, the ability to see the court is the most valuable quality. A raised head will allow you to follow the actions of a partner and an opponent. However, remember that if each time you look in the direction where you are going to start the dribbling, then the opponent will be able to easily figure out your plan. If you keep your gaze on the floor in front of you so that it passes over the wrist of the dominant hand, you can follow your partners without looking at them, and your opponent will never guess your next move.

Dribbling is one of the most important techniques that every basketball player should master.

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Basketball dribbling - physical education, lessons

PURPOSE OF THE LESSON: to learn to dribble with the right and left hands without losing the ball while dribbling, to dribble without visual control.