Ball-handling drill

Cone dribbling drills for basketball

Cones give your dribble moves a target. Instead of crossing over in empty space, you attack a spot, change direction at it and get out of it, the way you would against a defender.

What is the cone dribbling drill?

Cone dribbling drills use cones, or any markers, to stand in for defenders and spots on the floor. You dribble toward a cone, make a move at it, and burst past it. The cones force you to make your move at a specific point and to keep your speed through the change of direction.

There are three setups worth knowing. A line of cones a few feet apart trains repeated moves at speed. A box of four cones trains changing direction at every corner. A gate, two cones about three feet apart, trains attacking a gap with one hard move. Each setup can be run with almost any move: crossover, between the legs, behind the back, hesitation or in-and-out.

The cones themselves are cheap and the drill needs no hoop. Water bottles, shoes or chalk marks work just as well if you have nothing else.

When to use it in a game

Cone drills bridge the gap between stationary moves and live play. You already know the crossover standing still; the cone teaches you to do it while moving forward, at the right distance from the defender, and to come out of it going downhill. That is what makes a move useful in a game.

Use them after a stationary warm-up and before any live one-on-one work. They are also a strong option for solo practice, since you do not need a partner to get realistic change-of-direction reps.

How to do it, step by step

1. Set up your cones. For a line, place five cones in a straight line about six feet apart.
2. Start at the baseline or a marker with the ball in your strong hand and your body low.
3. Dribble toward the first cone at a controlled speed with your eyes up.
4. About one step before the cone, make your move, such as a crossover, so the ball switches hands at the side of the cone.
5. Push off your outside foot and take a hard dribble past the cone, staying low.
6. Repeat at every cone, alternating sides so both hands attack.
7. At the end, turn, rest briefly and come back with a different move.
8. Once the line feels clean, rearrange the cones into a box or gate and repeat.

Common mistakes

• Making the move too late. If you cross over right on top of the cone, you would be crossing in a defender’s hands. Start the move about a step before.
• Slowing down at every cone. A move that kills your speed does not beat anyone. Focus on accelerating out of each change of direction.
• Standing up between cones. Popping up after the move makes your next dribble high and slow. Stay low from start to finish.
• Watching the cones. Glance at the cone once as you approach, then keep your eyes up. Defenders do not stay in one place.
• Same move every time. Mix moves so you learn which ones work at which speeds. Use the dribble combos guide for ideas.

Three progressions

1. Box drill. Set four cones in a square about ten feet apart. Dribble around the outside, making a different move at each corner, then reverse direction.
2. Gate attack. Set two cones three feet apart. Start ten feet away, attack the gate with a hesitation or crossover and explode through without touching either cone.
3. Combo line. Use the cone line but make a two-move combo at each cone, such as crossover into between the legs. Keep your speed the same as with single moves.

5-minute cone dribbling drill workout

Set up five cones in a line about six feet apart, with room to turn at each end. Go at a speed where you stay in control; add speed only when every cone is clean.

How Handles AI coaches it

Handles AI trains the stationary half of this work. Prop up your iPhone, step back about 8 feet, and Coach Ace calls moves out loud so you react instead of pre-planning, the way a defender forces you to choose in real time. Each rep is graded Clean, Nice work, or Next rep.

A good pairing is a Game Moves or Combo Lab session with the app, then a cone line to take those same moves on the move. Your Speed and Creativity ratings track how quickly and how variedly you can change direction.

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