Basketball Techniques

Lessons

Senior 4 · Physical Education

Basketball Techniques

3 lessons

Lesson 2 of 3

Dribbling the ball

25 min

A ball that loses energy at every bounce

Before a FIBA game, a ball is tested by dropping it from about 1.80 m: it must bounce back to between 1.035 m and 1.085 m, measured to the underside of the ball. So at every bounce the ball loses roughly two-fifths of its energy, and a dribble only keeps going because the hand pushes energy back in on every touch. Dribbling is the skill of controlling that push so the ball comes back to the hand, at the right height, while your eyes stay up and your body stays between the ball and the defender. This lesson refines the dribbles you met in Senior 1 and adds the rules and the physics behind them.

Definition

Dribble: the movement of a live ball caused by a player in control of it who throws, taps, rolls or bounces it on the court (FIBA Article 24).

Control dribble: a low dribble, about knee height, with the body between the ball and the defender, used when closely guarded.

Speed dribble: a higher dribble, about waist height, pushed out in front so the player can run at full speed in open court.

Crossover: a quick, low dribble from one hand to the other in front of the body, used to change direction.

Change of pace: slowing down (a hesitation) and then accelerating past the defender with the same hand.

Illegal dribble (double dribble): starting a second dribble after the first has ended, or dribbling with both hands at the same time.

Carrying the ball: placing the hand under the ball and carrying it from one point to another, or bringing it to a pause and then dribbling on; a violation.

Coefficient of restitution, $e$ : the ratio of the speed after a bounce to the speed before it; for a drop test $e = \sqrt{\frac{h_{2}}{h_{1}}}$ .

The dribbles and their teaching points

Dribble	Teaching points	Use it when
Control dribble	Knees bent, back fairly straight, ball below the knee and beside the back foot; the off arm bent up as a bar to protect the ball (it must not push the defender); head up.	A defender is close; you are waiting for a team-mate to get open.
Speed dribble	Push the ball out in front at about waist height; run onto it; fewer, longer bounces; eyes on the court ahead.	Open court, such as a fast break.
Crossover	Low, quick push across the body from the outside of one foot to the outside of the other; step with the new lead foot.	The defender leans one way; change direction past him or her.
Change of pace (hesitation)	Slow down and rise slightly as if to stop, then push the ball out and accelerate.	The defender relaxes when you slow down.
Reverse (spin) dribble	Plant the foot nearer the defender, pivot on it with the back to the defender, pull the ball round with the same hand, then change hands.	A defender is cutting off your path; keeps the body between ball and defender.
Between the legs, behind the back	Low bounce through the legs or behind the hips into the other hand.	Changing hands when a crossover in front would be stolen.

The rules (FIBA 2026, Articles 24 and 28, summarised). A dribble ends when the player touches the ball with both hands at the same time, or lets it come to rest in one or both hands. The player may not then dribble again unless the ball has left his or her control by a shot, a touch by an opponent, or a pass or fumble that another player touched. During a dribble the hand may not go under the ball to carry it, or bring it to a pause and dribble on. There is no limit to the number of steps while the ball is not in contact with the hand. A team in control of the ball in its backcourt must bring it into its frontcourt within 8 seconds.

Worked example

Worked example 1: what the FIBA bounce test means. For a drop from $h_{1}$ that rebounds to $h_{2}$ , the coefficient of restitution is $e = \sqrt{\frac{h_{2}}{h_{1}}}$ , and the fraction of the kinetic energy kept at the bounce is $\frac{h_{2}}{h_{1}} = e^{2}$ .

Lowest legal rebound: $e = \sqrt{\frac{1.035}{1.80}} = \sqrt{0.575} = 0.758$ ; energy kept $0.575$ , or 57.5%.
Highest legal rebound: $e = \sqrt{\frac{1.085}{1.80}} = \sqrt{0.603} = 0.776$ ; energy kept 60.3%.

A legal ball keeps about 58–60% of its energy at each bounce and loses about 40%. An under-inflated ball keeps less, so the dribbler must push harder and the ball comes back late; that is why the referee checks the ball before the game.

Worked example

Worked example 2: why a low dribble is safer. Compare how long a ball takes to fall from the hand to the floor from knee height, $0.5\,\mathrm{m}$ , and from waist height, $1.0\,\mathrm{m}$ , if it is simply released ( $g = 9.81\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-2}}$ ). From $h = \frac{1}{2} g t^{2}$ , $t = \sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}}$ .

Knee height: $t = \sqrt{\frac{2 \times 0.5}{9.81}} = 0.32\,\mathrm{s}$ .
Waist height: $t = \sqrt{\frac{2 \times 1.0}{9.81}} = 0.45\,\mathrm{s}$ .

The trip down and back up takes roughly twice these times, about 0.64 s against 0.90 s. A real dribble is pushed down, so it is quicker, but the comparison holds: the ball is out of the hand for less time at knee height, so a close defender has less time to reach it. In open court the extra time does not matter, and the higher, longer push lets the dribbler run faster.

Video: "The Crossover Dribble | Basketball", SIKANA English. As you watch, check the height of the ball, where the ball crosses in front of the feet, and where the player's eyes are looking.

Tip

"Fingertips, low, eyes up." Control the ball with the finger pads, not the palm; keep it low and away from the defender; and look at the court, not the ball.

Warning

Common mistakes. Slapping the ball with a flat palm. Watching the ball, so you cannot see open team-mates. Dribbling with no purpose: every dribble should move the ball somewhere or open a passing angle. Picking the ball up too early, which ends the dribble and lets the defender press. Crossing over high and wide in front of a defender. Turning the hand under the ball to carry it.

Safety. Most basketball injuries are to the ankle, usually on landing or a sharp change of direction. Warm up first, wear shoes that grip and keep the court free of loose balls and bags.

✦

Practice

Give three teaching points for a control dribble.
State two ways in which a player's dribble ends under FIBA Article 24.
A ball dropped from 1.80 m rebounds to 0.95 m. Calculate e and decide whether the ball passes the FIBA test.
Calculate the fall time of a ball released from 0.4 m (g = 9.81 m s⁻²).
A player ends her dribble by catching the ball, then a defender slaps it out of her hands; she gathers it again. May she dribble? Explain.
A guard receives the ball under his own basket with 24 seconds on the shot clock. He dribbles 20 m to the centre line at 4 m s⁻¹. Does he beat the 8-second rule? Show working.
Explain when you would use a reverse (spin) dribble instead of a crossover.
A coach tells a team to "never dribble when you can pass". Evaluate this advice.

Show answersHide answers

For example: knees bent; ball below the knee and beside the back foot; off arm up as a bar to protect it; head up.
When the player touches the ball with both hands at the same time; when the ball comes to rest in one or both hands.
e = √(0.95 ÷ 1.80) = √0.528 = 0.73. The rebound of 0.95 m is below 1.035 m, so the ball fails the test: it is under-inflated.
t = √(2 × 0.4 ÷ 9.81) = √0.0815 = 0.29 s.
Yes. Her first dribble ended, but the ball was then touched by an opponent, which is one of the three cases that allow a new dribble.
Time = 20 ÷ 4 = 5 s, which is less than 8 s, so yes (as long as he started the count when he gained control in the backcourt).
When a defender is cutting off your path on your strong side and a crossover in front would expose the ball; the spin keeps your body between the ball and the defender.
Mostly sound: a pass moves the ball faster than a dribble (Lesson 1). But dribbling has purposes a pass cannot serve: escaping pressure, a fast break with no one ahead, driving to the basket or creating a better passing angle. Better advice: dribble with a purpose.

Quick check

Under FIBA rules there is no limit to the number of steps a player may take while the ball is not in contact with the hand during a dribble.

Remember

Control dribble low and protected, speed dribble pushed out in front; crossover, change of pace and reverse dribble change direction.
A dribble ends when both hands touch the ball or it comes to rest; no second dribble unless a shot, an opponent's touch, or another player's touch comes between.
No carrying; no limit to steps while the ball is out of the hand; 8 seconds to reach the frontcourt.
FIBA bounce test: 1.80 m drop, 1.035–1.085 m rebound, so $e \approx 0.76$ and the ball keeps about 60% of its energy per bounce.

Sources and credits

Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA), Official Basketball Rules 2026 (version 1.1, July 2026): Articles 24 and 28 summarised, not copied.
FIBA, Official Basketball Rules 2026: Basketball Equipment, section 2.4: the bounce test.
Dribble, Wikipedia contributors, Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: the types of dribble. Adapted by Ganzaa.
Photo: Girls practicing sport after Covid-19 lockdown in Rwanda, Claude Nizeyimana, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Video: "The Crossover Dribble | Basketball", SIKANA English, embedded from YouTube.
Bounce-height diagram, tables, worked examples, practice and quick check: written by Ganzaa. The dribble heights are typical values.

This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1A ball that loses energy at every bounce

2The dribbles and their teaching points

A ball that loses energy at every bounce

The dribbles and their teaching points