Dribble Hand-Off (DHO)
Execute a dribble hand-off — a moving screen-and-hand-off between two players.
What this drill teaches
A hand-off that doubles as a screen. Because the dribbler must hand the ball tightly AND get in the defender's way, two players learn to create an advantage together — timing, contact and a downhill attack in one action.
In games: Gives your team a simple way to start offence against tight man-to-man on game day — the DHO gets a guarded player the ball already moving at the rim.
- Ball handed, not thrown — a tight, secure exchange
- Dribbler's body genuinely in the defender's path after the hand-off
- Receiver attacking immediately, not catching and resetting
U12: fumbled exchanges are normal — walk it at half pace. U14–U16: expect live reads, including faking the hand-off and keeping it when the defender jumps early.
Equipment
1 ball, 1 hoop
Setup
One player with the ball on the wing, a teammate on the perimeter.
Steps
- 1The ball-handler dribbles toward the teammate.
- 2They hand the ball off tightly, then screen the receiver's defender.
- 3The receiver comes off the hand-off going downhill.
- 4Receiver attacks the rim or shoots off the DHO.
Coaching points
- Hand the ball, don't throw it — tight and secure.
- The hand-off doubles as a screen — get in the way.
- Receiver: come off tight and attack immediately.
Why kids love it
A staple of modern offence that flows into everything — great for teaching timing and reads.
Variations
Add live defenders and let the receiver read it like a ball screen.
Walk the hand-off at half pace until the exchange is tight and the screen is still.
Let the dribbler fake the hand-off and keep it whenever the defender jumps early.
Have the defender jump above the exchange so the receiver must drive baseline instead.