The speed dribble is how you move the ball up the floor fast in the open court, when no defender is close. You push the ball out ahead of you, run to it and push it again, with your head up so you can find an open teammate. The rule that limits it: go as fast as you can, but never faster than you can control the ball.
Set up
Use it only in the open court, when the nearest defender is well away from you. If a defender is close, use a low control dribble instead.
Open floor, go.
Control the ball with your fingertips and finger pads, not your palm. Your forearm and wrist do the pushing.
Fingertips, not palm.
Dribble
Move your hand behind the ball, not on top of it, so each push sends it slightly forward instead of straight down.
Hand behind, ball goes forward.
Push the ball several feet out ahead of you and let it bounce up to at least waist or hip height.
Push it out, let it come up.
Run to the ball and push it out again. Keep the rhythm going without stopping the dribble.
Push, run, push.
Keep your head up and eyes forward. Look at the whole court to find the open teammate, not at the ball.
See the floor.
Run as fast as you can while you still control every bounce. If the ball starts getting away, ease off the pace.
Quick, but never hurry.
When a defender closes in, drop to a low control dribble, below the knee, behind and close to your body, with your body between the ball and the defender.
Defender near, ball low.
To finish the run, gather the ball with a jump stop so you keep control and avoid a travel.
Land on both feet, ball secure.
Feel it
A good speed dribble feels like you're running freely with the ball out in front, not stopping your stride to bounce it. Your eyes are on the court, your hand meets the ball from behind, and you could still slow down or switch to a low dribble at any moment. Coach Wooden's line fits: be quick, but never hurry.
Fix-its
- The ball gets away from you You're running faster than you can control it. Slow down a step and push it only as far ahead as you can reach on the next stride.
- You chop your stride to dribble Your hand is on top of the ball, so it bounces straight down. Move your hand behind it and push it forward and out in front.
- Your eyes are on the ball Lift your head and look up the floor so you can see the open teammate. Your fingertips, not your eyes, keep track of the ball.
- You keep a high dribble with a defender close The high speed dribble is for open court only. When someone closes in, switch to a low control dribble, close to your body, and shield it.
- You slap the ball with your palm Spread your fingers and let the finger pads touch the ball. Push with your forearm and wrist.
Drill
- Walk, then jog, the length of the court with your strong hand and come back with your weak hand. Start slowly and focus on technique before adding speed.
- Full court speed dribble down with the right hand and back with the left. Finish each length with a jump stop.
- Ball cost test: time a 20 m sprint without the ball, then 20 m speed dribbling with each hand. Take the best of 2 tries with a few minutes' rest. The gap between the times is what the ball costs you; work to shrink it.
- Fast-break finish: speed dribble from half court, then gather and go into a layup.
Sources
- Coach's Clipboard — Dribbling and Dribble Moves
- Altavilla, Di Tore, D'Isanto & Raiola — Some Teaching Method Elements of the Basketball Dribble, Journal of Sports Science (2017)
- Conte, Scanlan et al. — Dribble Deficit quantifies dribbling speed independently of sprinting speed, Biology of Sport (2020)
- Sportplan — Dribbling at Speed (session plan)
- Basketball For Coaches — How to Dribble a Basketball
Last checked 2026-10-26.