Bouncing the Ball While Skipping

- Palms are open, do not make fists. - Run on the balls of the feet, not on the whole foot or heels. - Light, easy steps, no stomping or pounding. - The arm bent at the body moves alternating with the leg movement and not away from the body. - First perform the movements slowly and then gradually increase speed. A short ground contact time and fast coordination of arms, ball, and legs is the goal. - In the skipping motion, push off powerfully upward with the left leg. The right leg is bent. The left (bent) arm also goes into the upward movement. The left leg is almost fully extended and pushes off on the balls of the feet. When the right ball of the foot touches the ground, the same sequence begins with the left side. During this jumping motion, the ball is bounced with the right hand toward the left arm side. - This exercise presents an enormous coordination challenge. Therefore, the coach may need to be patient with the player.