During a basketball dribbling lesson, do you tire of watching your dribbling students running aimlessly away from defenders? Here is an activity that can help you teach them some basic principles of effective ball protection by using poly spots to help students place their pivot foot.

Activity:

Select a student to try to steal the ball away from you while you are dribbling it. Correctly model how to properly protect the ball by turning your back to the defender, but rather than paying attention to him/her, look at the ball while you dribble instead. It will only be a matter of time before your opponent steals the ball from you, right? Ask the class if they notice that you are doing something wrong. Now dribble once again; only this time keep your eyes on the defender, and keep a pivot foot in place while you continually turn your body to keep your back between the ball and your opponent. It should now be much more challenging for the defender. Introduce the poly spot by placing it on the floor. Tell the class that the idea is to keep your pivot foot on the poly spot at all times. Once you lose control of the ball or step off of the poly spot, you must trade tasks with your partner and become the new defender. Pair up your students and begin!

Signal the class when it is time to change partners. On the signal, everyone must select a new partner they have not practiced with. This may prevent the most skillful dribblers from dominating the activity.

Informal Assessment: Observe the dribblers to see if they are practicing the principles you taught about protecting the ball while dribbling.