Around the Body
Warm up hand control moving the ball around the body.
What this drill teaches
Pure feel for the ball. Hundreds of quick hand-to-hand touches around the head, waist and knees teach the hands where the ball is without the eyes checking — the foundation under every catch and dribble.
In games: Players with ball feel don't fumble catches or lose the handle at first contact — fewer of those scrappy loose balls that end young teams' possessions.
- Eyes up while the ball circles
- Soft, quick hands passing it around smoothly
- The figure-8 flowing without stopping to look down
U8: slow waist circles and plenty of drops — completely fine. U14–U16: expect fast, clean circles both ways and racing for most in 20 seconds.
Equipment
1 ball each
Setup
Stand tall, ball in two hands.
Steps
- 1Circle the ball around your waist, 10 each way.
- 2Circle around your head, 10 each way.
- 3Circle around both knees, 10 each way.
- 4Finish with a fast figure-8 between the legs.
Coaching points
- Soft, quick hands.
- Don't drop it — control over speed.
- Keep your eyes up.
Why kids love it
Simple, everyone can do it, and it builds a feel for the ball fast.
Variations
Race — most clean circles in 20 seconds.
Waist circles only, slowly, one direction at a time.
Circle whichever body part the coach calls, changing on every shout.