Dribbling at the Cone

In threes, each player dribbles at a middle cone, sells a fake, cuts past it and bursts to the far side — then lays the ball off so a teammate attacks the cone right back.

Young players learn to dribble without opposition — and it's a fabulous place to introduce the fakes and feints that win an edge on a real defender.

Ages 4–12Groups of 3, one grid each10 minCones, balls

Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive

Grab: Cones for the grids, a 9-inch cone for each middle, and one ball per group of three.
Build: Build a 20-by-10 grid for every three players with a 9-inch cone in the middle — add more 9-inch cones in the area as your numbers need.
Place: Two players on one side with the ball, one player across from them, the cone in between.

Show me the setup picture

A 20-by-10 grid with a 9-inch cone at its center, two players with a ball on one side, and one player waiting across from them.

One thing to remember: Dribbling without opposition — total control on the approach, a convincing fake, a clean change of direction at the cone, and a burst of speed past it.

How it runs — the whole game in one sentence

Dribble at the cone, fake, cut past it and burst to the far side, then lay the ball off to the player waiting there — who attacks the cone straight back.

1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Make groups of three, one grid each — two players on one side with the ball, one across from them, the 9-inch cone in the middle.
Coach says
Threes! Two of you here with the ball, one across the way — that cone in the middle is your defender.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk one trip — dribble at the cone under total control, change the ball's direction as you make your move around it, then push the speed to finish at the far side and lay the ball off to the waiting player, who runs the same fake coming back.
Coach says
Dribble right at it, make your move, and go — then pass it off. Your teammate does it coming back.
3Play▾
Coach does
Keep the trips rolling and hold the standard — a controlled approach to the cone, a real change of direction, the move sold like the cone might buy it, and a burst of speed after.
Coach says
Sell it! Make that cone believe you — then burst!
Look for: The change of direction — the ball actually moving onto a new line at the cone, not just a body wiggle over it.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Play continues until you call a new feint, then everyone runs that one — the scissors, the swerve, or a hard step with a dropped shoulder and a change of direction.
Coach says
New move! This one's the scissors — sell it big.

If it's not working

If every move looks like the same wiggle, stop the line and ask — what would make a real defender lean the wrong way? Let a player answer out loud, then attack the cone again.

Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.

Why are we doing this?

With no opponent, all the attention goes to the move itself — approach under control, sell the fake, change the ball's direction, burst away — the exact edge a dribbler needs on the day the cone becomes a defender.

What are they learning?

Dribbling without opposition — total control on the approach, a convincing fake, a clean change of direction at the cone, and a burst of speed past it.

How can I change it?

Harder: Replace the cone with a defender.

Next: Dribbling to Beat a Defender — the same move and burst, now against a live defender on the middle line.