DRIBBLING

Explode - Every kid has a ball. You get them all around you dribbling their balls as close as they can get. Make sure they begin dribbling using the insides of both feet…no toe balls at the first practice! Make them keep control of the ball (always within one step) and don’t let them run into one another or dribble their ball into another ball or another player. Keep telling them to get their heads up and see the open spaces. Yell “Explode!” at which point they all run away dribbling their balls as fast as they can. The first one to get to a boundary or cone wins.

Flags - Players start with a ball and two flags (a flag is a cloth strip about two inches wide and a foot long). Flags are stuck into the waistband of the player’s pants at each side. A player is eliminated when they lose both flags and their ball. A ball is lost when it is kicked out of bounds by another player with a ball or stolen by a player with at least one flag but no ball. You can only take someone’s flag away when you have a ball. The first flag usually goes quickly. The real fun comes when they learn to protect both the ball and the remaining flag by using the flagless side to shield.

Dribble Relay - Set up an obstacle course with cones as “gates.” Divide the players into two teams. Team A races Team B (the players have to go out and back). If they lose control and miss a gate, they have to regain control and go through the gate. A variation is to have a small square at the end. Players then have to stop the ball in the square, then sprint back and high-five the next player before that player can take off. Another variation is to have several parents positioned at different places along the “course” and have a different one hold up a number of fingers at random times during the race and award points to the player that sees it and correctly yells out the number first. This gets the players’ heads up.

Freeze Tag - Set up a large rectangle with cones and have the players dribble in the rectangle. After a short time, take the ball away from one or two players who then become “it.” Any player whose ball is touched by an “it” player becomes frozen and has to stop dribbling, spread his legs apart, and hold his ball above his head. He is “frozen” in position until another player dribbles his ball between the “frozen” players’ legs. Switch the “it” players often and make it a contest to see who can freeze the most at one time.

Red Light/Green Light - Each player lines up with a ball at one end of the penalty area. A coach stands at the other end and yells, “Green light,” and turns his back to the players. The kids race across the penalty area to see who can reach the coach first. After a few seconds, the coach yells, “Red light.” At that command, the players must stop and put a foot on top of the ball. The coach turns back around and looks for players whose balls are still moving. Those players must move a certain distance back to the starting line. Repeat calling “Red light/Green light” until someone wins the race. This game encourages fast dribbling while keeping the ball close.

Simon Says - Just like the children’s game, the coach gives instructions like, “Simon says…dribble the ball with your left foot” or, “Simon says…switch balls with someone.” The players only follow the instructions if they begin with “Simon says…” Anyone following instructions that don’t start with “Simon says…” are knocked out. But the knocked-out players should be doing something with the ball and not just watching the game continue. Continue the game until there is one player left.

Follow the Leader - Pick a “leader” and have that player dribble anywhere on the field, encouraging that player to make lots of turns, change speed, etc. All other players have to follow the leader and do whatever that player does. Switch leaders often.

Get’ Em - All players must stay within a grid. Player “A” is “it” and is the only player to start with a ball. Player “A” dribbles and attempts to hit the other players below the waist with the ball. When hit, that player gets a ball and joins “A.” The game is over when all of the players have been caught. The last player caught starts with the ball for the next game. If you think the task will be too difficult for one player to get another at the start of the game, start with two players being “it.” Encourage quick movements and sudden changes of direction to catch players off-guard. Encourage deceptive passing of the ball: look one way and pass the other; use the outside of the foot. Players not caught should jump, run and use zig-zag movements.