Let's Dribble the Ball
By Tom Sampson
Hey, Kids! Does anyone know why the elephant wore tennies? Do ya, huh, huh? Well, I guess I'll tell ya… The elephant wore tennies because elevensies were two big, and ninesies were two small!
In basketball, the ball has to be kept moving--it's one of the main rules of the game. If a player decides to hold the ball, he has a limited time to either pass it off or to shoot for a basket. If the player doesn't do either within the specified time, he gets penalized by the referee.
The main method used in basketball to keep the ball moving is called dribbling. By dribbling the ball, or bouncing it up and down while moving it around the court, the ball stays in motion until it is passed to another player, or an attempt at shooting for a basket is made.
The same method is used in soccer, but instead of dribbling the ball with the hands, the feet are used to move the ball in diagonal directions to keep it moving. Diagonal means "sideways in a slightly forward direction." This is also known as dribbling, just as in basketball.
The soccer players lightly move the ball forward, or dribble the ball, in diagonal directions with the insides of their feet to move it up the field. The ball is also passed to teammates in this same manner. The ball shouldn't be kicked hard enough to send it out of the reach of the player's team as they are moving the ball up the field into position for a shot at the goal. The only time a soccer ball is really kicked hard is when a player is aiming for, and making a goal shot past, the other team's goalie.