Good teams don't do a lot of dribbling. Not to say that dribbling isn't a great way of maintaining ball possession as detailed in Keep Away vs. Kick Ball (see category - right margin). However, a lot dribbling can be bad because:
- It shrinks the attacking space - the player with the ball can draw double or triple coverage resulting in a trafic jam.
- Teammates tend to stop playing and watch. Passing lanes are not formed - it becomes dribbler vs. the other team.
Three Touch Rule - a great way to prevent excessive dribbling is to mentally adapt a "Three Touch Rule"; that is, a player has only 3 touches on the ball before she must get rid of it - kind of like the proverbial hot potato. Here's the sequence:
- First Touch - control the incoming ball. Not an easy thing to do especially indoors. See Receiving - Soft Feet (right margin) for some helpful hints.
- Second Touch - move the ball to open space (if necessary). The ball attracts opponents like flies to honey. Pushing the ball to one side usually gives you time to make the next and final touch.
- Third Touch - an accurate, on the ground, controllable pass to a teammate.
Result - the Three Touch Rule can keep your opponents spread out and your teammates' heads in the game. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be waltzing your way down the field - 1,2,3 - 1,2,3 - 1,2,3. Get the picture???
