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Tap Drill – head, face, knees
Stand straight up with feet shoulder width apart, hold the basketball over your head with arms almost completely extended (elbows bent slightly). Quickly tap the ball back and forth from one hand to the other using only your fingertips
Variations: Repeat drill with arms extended out straight in front of your face. Repeat bent slightly at waist (keep back straight) with arms extended down so that the ball is in front of your shins
Around the world: head, waist, legs
Stand straight up with feet shoulder width apart hold basketball in front of your face, move the ball in your right hand only around the back of your head, reach left hand back behind the head and pass the ball from the right hand to the left hand, wrap the ball back around with your left hand so it is again in front of your face, at this point pass the ball back to your right hand. Each time you go around your head it counts as one repetition.
Variations: Repeat drill going around your waist. Repeat drill by going around your legs at approximately shin height. Repeat drill going in the opposite direction
Cork screw
The corkscrew combines the three variations of the “Around the World” drill. To complete the corkscrew you do one rotation around your head, one around the waist, one around the legs, a second around the waist, and a second around the head.
Variations: Repeat going in the opposite direction
Around one leg
Standing with legs wider than shoulder width, knees bent, bent slightly at waist. Move the ball around one leg passing from one hand to the other.
Variations: 4 different variations performed. 1) Right hand around right leg clockwise 2) Right hand around right leg counter counterclockwise 3) Left hand around left leg clockwise 4) Left hand around left leg counter clockwise
Figure 8
Standing with legs wider than shoulder width, knees bent, bent slightly at waist. Move the ball around your legs in a figure 8 pattern (in through front of your legs with right hand, pass to left hand wrap around left leg with left hand, pass back through the front of your legs with left hand passing to right hand, wrap around right leg with right hand and pass back through front of legs to left hand)
Variations: Repeat in both directions. Repeat by doing one repetition in one direction, dropping the ball, then switching directions.
Football hikes
Standing with legs wider than shoulder width, knees bent, bent slightly at waist. Hold the ball with two hands between, but in front, of your legs. Toss (or hike) the ball backwards through your legs with both hands similar to a football player “hiking” the ball. As soon as you toss the ball, quickly move both hands behind you and catch the ball as it comes through the legs, quickly catch and toss back between your legs, then move hands around to catch in front of you. Concentrate on moving as quickly as possible without looking down to catch the ball. Try to not move your body up and down as you go through each repetition.
Switch drill
Hold the ball with both hands in between your legs, right hand in front and left hand in back. Quickly switch your hands so that the left hand is in front and right hand in the back without letting the ball touch the ground.
Through legs and toss
Stand approximately 15 feet away from the wall (or preferably a partner). In this drill both partners will initiate a figure 8 with the same hand (right in this example). This means both players will begin by initiating a figure 8 by putting the ball through their legs from the front with their right hand. Complete the figure 8 where the last step is putting the ball between the legs from the front with the left hand…once you pass through the legs to the right hand, the ball should be passed with the right hand to the other player. The balls should be passed/caught by both players simultaneously at which point they should both initiate another figure 8. The ball can also be tossed off of the wall and then caught by an individual doing this drill. Concentrate on ball control with speed. Look the other player in the eyes.
Variation: Initiate figure 8 with left hand (pass will also be with left hand)
