Dribbling

[7][8] A skillful dribbler is often hard to dispossess; unsuccessful tackles (which do not reach the ball) may result in a useful free kick situation and a reprimand for the offender in the form of a penalty card.

[11][non-primary source needed] Similarly at the end of the 15th century comes a Latin account of a football game which was played at Cawston, Nottinghamshire, England.

It is one in which young men, in country sport, propel a huge ball not by throwing it into the air but by striking it and skillfully rolling it along the ground, and that not with their hands but with their feet... kicking in opposite directions".

Dribbling allows players to move the ball down the court, evade defenders, and create scoring opportunities.

In the NBA, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Kyrie Irving who currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks are generally considered the best ball handlers, and players like Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets have also made their mark in the league as great dribblers.

The ball is propelled ahead of the player with the wake created by alternating armstrokes, and often accompanied by occasional nudges using the nose or forehead.

Using short, and rapid arm strokes with high elbows, the dribbling player is often able to shield the ball from tackling attempts by the opposing team, particularly those chasing from behind or approaching adjacently.

The requirement that a player perform a specialist skill in order to be allowed to run with the ball is common and necessary in many sports.

Introducing these skills prevents players from taking the ball in hand and running the length of the field unchallenged.