Toss & Catch Eyes-Up
Train the habit of dribbling with eyes up by tossing and catching while looking ahead.
- Duration
- 5 min
- Steps
- 3
- Equipment
- 1 item
- Difficulty
- Beginner
How to run it
- 1
Dribble with the right hand while tossing a soft object (or the guide hand) up and catching it.
- 2
Keep eyes on the toss, not the dribble — feel the bounce.
- 3
30 seconds each hand, 2 rounds.
Coaching points
- If you have to look down, slow the dribble until you don't.
- The toss is the distraction that forces eyes up.
- Keep the dribble in a consistent spot beside you.
Equipment
- Basketball
Why it works
Eyes-up dribbling can't be taught by telling kids to look up — they peek and lose the ball. The nugget: a ball-handler who watches the ball is blind to the game — they miss open teammates, walk into traps, and can't read the defense. The toss gives their eyes a real reason to leave the ball, building the habit through a task. This is the single most important dribbling habit: see the floor, not the ball.
Toss & Catch Eyes-Up
Purpose: Train the habit of dribbling with eyes up by tossing and catching while looking ahead.
▶How to run it
- 1Dribble with the right hand while tossing a soft object (or the guide hand) up and catching it.
- 2Keep eyes on the toss, not the dribble — feel the bounce.
- 330 seconds each hand, 2 rounds.
✓Coaching points
- ✓If you have to look down, slow the dribble until you don't.
- ✓The toss is the distraction that forces eyes up.
- ✓Keep the dribble in a consistent spot beside you.
▢Equipment
★Why it works
Eyes-up dribbling can't be taught by telling kids to look up — they peek and lose the ball. The nugget: a ball-handler who watches the ball is blind to the game — they miss open teammates, walk into traps, and can't read the defense. The toss gives their eyes a real reason to leave the ball, building the habit through a task. This is the single most important dribbling habit: see the floor, not the ball.