My 7-8 year olds love to run!  So, while I try to teach them to dribble without looking at the basketball, at the same time that they want to run. We do the following simple drill:

I stand at one end of the court and hold up fingers while they dribble towards me as fast as they can, but still under control.  They have to look up at my hand to see how many fingers I have up and then yell out the number.  I keep changing until they all reach my end of the court.  Then they turn around and go back towards my assistant basketball coach.

Simple but effective — hope this helps others teach the kids to dribble without looking at the ball.

Another great basketball drill for our young kids is a “no dribbling drill.” We play 5 on 5 for about 10 minutes with absolutely no dribbling. It’s amazing to see how they spread out, look for the open man, protect the ball, and make cleaner shots when they’re not concerned with driving. Even our big kids down low have broken bad habits of putting the ball on the floor after an offensive rebound.

What’s great about this basketball drill too, is that it shows immediately in the games. And when they do dribble, there is more patience and control.

Technorati Tags: kids basketball drills and plays, basketball, basketball coach, basketball drill

Two things I do to help alleviate confusion with players who are just starting out with the sport and have so much to learn are the following:

1. When substituting, I make them high five the player they are going in for and during the high five, exchange the number of the player that he/she is guarding.  This had alleviated some of the confusion during subs as to “who do I have?”.  If  the other teams subs, I have them call out the new player.  This lets everyone (including the basketball coach) know that they know who they have.

2. Switching hoops at the half has been problematic for my team so now I switch my position on the bench relative to the players at the half as well.  If they get confused, they look up to see where I am and know that they are shooting toward the end of the bench where I am sitting.

They actually ask me at the half to make sure I remember to move my seat!  Simple but they help give structure to your youth basketball players.  Give them a try.

Technorati Tags: basketball coach, youth basketball drills, basketball, youth basketball

It is rather easy to recognize those players who will be starters and contribute to the program, however, in the good programs that are successful year after year the coaching staff find the younger or less experienced players and develop them.

Near the end of the basketball game or half when two starters are on the bench with foul troubles, the players who have to contribute are a few non-starters.  Assistant coaches need to work with players to prepare them for those situations.   Also, when injuries and illness challenge us during a season we need other players to step up.

As a basketball coach I now spend more time with the entire team learning and repeating time and score situations, especially with substitutes on the floor.   Along with this I have found that I can carefully facilitate player growth by putting the substitute in situations where they will more likely be successful rather than in a tough situation that will attack their weakness.

The team concept has become a critical component and the team has to honor every players contribution.

Technorati Tags: basketball coaching information, basketball game, basketball coach

• Line everyone up and number them for example one to ten.
• Number one will shoot, 2 free throws, and everyone else is jogging up and down the court.
• Then number 2 will get number one rebound then pass it to him.
• Once number one has taken his second shot, number one then joins in with everyone else and jogs and number two gets his own rebound and shoots.
• If there are ten players, the target will be 30 shots; if I see anyone walking I add another five shots and so on until they reach they target.
• While they are jogging they need to be going at a reasonable pace.

Technorati Tags: basketball drill, coaching youth basketball, basketball

This is a fast transition down the court that I used with my under 12 girls basketball team!
Player 1 rebounds the ball. Player 2  v-cuts past 1 to receive pass, then passes to 4 who has run out to right wing. 5 cuts to left wing, crosses over to middle, receives pass from 4 near half-court, then dribbles to top of foul line. At this point there are a couple of options for player 4, ie. layup or give and go with player 5.

Player 1 should be to the right of & behind 5 as protector, 2 has filled in trail position behind 5. 3 has crossed from left low post at one end through middle of court and ends up at right low post at opposite end. 4 continues across middle of court after passing to 5 from right wing and ends up in left low post at opposite end.

Option:

If 1’s pass goes to 3 instead, this fast break basketball drill can then be run with 2 & 3 exchanging positions as well as 4 & 5 exchanging.

Technorati Tags: youth basketball drills, fast break basketball drill, basketball, basketball drill

Have all your basketball players line up and each player gets to shoot 2 shots.  When they miss one that adds 1 to their list. If they make one that takes away.  However many they end up with they run that many suicides.  If they end up with a negative number (which isn’t very often, the other coach and myself run that many.

It really gets them to work hard because they like to see the basketball coach run!  I usually will run with them every now and then.  They really like that also.  Sometimes when I am running with them after a few I will say, “okay whoever can beat me this next time can sit out”.  If it looks like they are trying really hard I will let them win.

Technorati Tags: free youth basketball coaching tips, basketball, basketball coach

When one minute elapses, all 3 players rotate positions so the next player gets an opportunity to shoot.

Some younger players have the habit of getting passes then putting their head down, dribbling to a corner then looking for some one to pass to. We do a passing drill where each player must pass as soon as thy get the ball with out dribbling. If they dribble they run laps. starting with 1 lap for first dribble , 2 laps for 2nd, etc.  This helps with conditioning as well as gives them time to think about their mistake.

We will put 5 players on offense, 4 on defense and then try to score without DRIBBLING. Great way to teach young players to pass.

Technorati Tags: coaching youth basketball, basketball drills, basketball drill, basketball

I start my girls on the baseline. I ask for a volunteer and this athlete comes to the free-throw line.
Those players that think she will make the shot, line up outside the key. Those that think she will miss, stay on the baseline.
If she misses, the believers run a down–n-back. If she makes it, the non-believers run.

The kicker is that they can only miss 3 in row then they all run. I was surprised how many of the girls started to spend their free time at the free-throw line instead of throwing up 3 pointers. This has increased our free-throw percentage by almost 10%.

My other free throw basketball drill is called Spellers.

I have my players shoot around from within the three point circle.
One shot per player for every letter of the alphabet. The team, made up of three girls, gets to keep the letter that comes up on any basket they make. First shot is A, so if they make it they get to keep the letter. If they make three shots in a row they get to keep three A’s. Then they go on to B and so on.

The more shots they make as a team the more letters they get. The team that can spell the most words with the letters they earn is declared the winner and they get to choose the conditioning drill that the losing teams are required to do.

Technorati Tags: basketball shooting drills, Free Throw, basketball drill, basketball

Although the team has a wide range of skills and athletic abilities, each player has roughly the same chance to win the “Player of the Game” award each week. The winner might be the team’s most talented player one week, the least talented player the next.  The point is that ultimately each player is competing against themselves–-just as the true test of a basketball team is not how many wins and how many losses, but how it progresses over the course of a season.

In each basketball practice, after a few warmup basketball drills, we break to quickly review the last game and award the “Player of the Game”.  I always lead in with a couple of “honourable mentions”, followed by announcing the “Player of the Game”. In each case pointing out what actions and/or intangibles contributed to the selections.  For instance, I might point to setting screens away from the basketball, or blocking out for rebounds, or strong help defense, as contributing to the selection.  For those two minutes, I have the rapt attention of every player, and a very concrete opportunity to single out and reward behaviors that advance the team’s goals.

There can be repeat winners, but I remind the players that when they win, they raise the bar for themselves, i.e., their handicap is now higher.   The players take great pride in the award; it seems that at the start of every practice at least one player eagerly asks me “So who was the Player of the Game?”

The tangible award isn’t much; I buy one good basketball at the start of the year and write on it in permanent marker the name of each week’s winner.  But regardless of how we match up against our opponent in any given game, it gives every player something to shoot for, and provides a tangible symbol of progress as a basketball player that factors in a whole lot more than just individual points scored.

Technorati Tags: coaching youth basketball, basketball team, basketball practice, basketball drills, basketball

For example–double ball dribble, lay-ups, passes, etc.  If the child brings in his/her drill sheet to basketball practice where I can see they have checked off the daily basketball drill I give them a prize, a basketball card or something.

The kids like this system as it reinforces what we are doing at practice but it motivates them to work on their skills everyday.  Since at these age groups kids have different skill levels these drill sheets allow you to work with your team members on an individual basis.  This system has been worked well.

Technorati Tags: coaching youth basketball, basketball drills, double ball dribble, lay-ups, basketball drill, basketball