Color-Cone Dribble Slalom: Switch Hands
A dribbling slalom in lanes where each cone's color tells students which hand to dribble with or when to switch. Students practice dribbling with both hands, shielding the ball on the side away from the obstacle and linking codes to sides of the body.
How to play
- Set up 5 lanes of 6 cones 6 feet apart: red means right hand, blue means left hand, yellow means a front crossover. Groups of 5 with two balls (3 min).
- First pass at a walk: dribble in place at each cone with that color's hand, calling out color and hand (3 min).
- Slalom at a jog: go around each cone on the side opposite the dribbling hand to shield the ball. The next student goes when the one ahead passes the third cone (4 min).
- Each group shuffles its lane's colors and rotates one lane to the right (4 min).
- Challenge: in 2 minutes, count how many finish without a wrong-hand mistake; a mistake means redoing only that cone (3 min).
- Debrief: Which hand loses the ball more? Where should your eyes be? (1 min).
Rules
- Staggered starts: go when the student ahead passes the third cone.
- Jog back outside the lanes.
- If you lose the ball, continue from the cone where you lost it.
Variations
Easier
Cones 10 feet apart, only red and blue, dribbling in place at each one.
Standard
Six cones 6 feet apart with all three colors at a jog.
Harder
Cones 5 feet apart, eyes up, plus a green cone that requires a 360-degree dribble turn.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a student using a wheelchair dribbles beside the chair with the color's hand and pushes with the other between cones.
- Low vision: high-contrast cones and a partner calling "right" or "left" at each cone.
- Skill level: strong dribblers keep eyes off the ball; students who struggle may pick it up and restart at each cone.
Learning goals
- Dribble under control with the right and left hand.
- Link a color code to a side of the body.
- Shield the ball on the side away from the obstacle.
Equipment for a class of 25
- basketballs: 10
- colored cones: 30
Teacher tip
Review the code with gestures first and keep it the same all lesson. To get eyes off the ball, stand at the end of the lanes and have students call out how many fingers you hold up.
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