RECOMMENDED YOUTH BASKETBALL DRILLS

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1 BALL HANDLING Speed dribble Have players line up across the baseline 3-4 at a time and spread out. Dribble at full speed, keeping the ball in front (vs having to reach back for it) and waist high. Have players come to a jump stop when they get to the opposite baseline, pivot and wait for your whistle to come back. Come back using left hand. Once comfortable, add a defensive chaser that works at popping the ball up from behind (without fouling). This will help the offensive ball handler work on keeping the ball ahead. The defender should use his/her left hand to pop the ball out if it s on the ball handler s right side, and the right hand to pop if the ball handler has the ball on the left side. Zig zag Spread 3 players out evenly across the baseline, each with a ball. Dribble in a zig- zag pattern up the court and back, staying within the designated area. Focus on good, quick cross- over moves and exploding the other direction. First try right hand to left hand, simple crossovers. To add some complexity, have players get to a side, take 2 steps back, and then cross over and explode the other direction. This will simulate running into a trap and help them work on backing out of it without losing their dribble. You can also add other variations to the cross- over (i.e. behind the back, between the legs, a spin move). You can also add a defender and work on defensive slides and back pivots to force the ball handler the other direction. Defender should work on footwork skills and not stealing the ball. Toss across Pair up kids facing one another, each with a ball. Have them dribble laterally (shuffling their feet) up the sideline. Both players must maintain their dribble in one hand while tossing a tennis ball (or racquet ball or bean bag) back and forth with the other. This will help your kids focus on looking up while handling the ball and will develop their hand/eye coordination. To make it a little more challenging have the players switch to their less dominant hand to dribble. You can add a competitive twist by tracking how many successful tosses each pair had without losing their dribble. Crossover and Explode Set up cones or chairs at 3 different points around the perimeter. Have players in 3 separate lines behind the cones. They start by taking 2 hard dribbles to the cone and then making a crossover move to change direction and exploding to the basket. They can pull up for a jump shot or go all the way in for a layup. Start with a simple crossover, then a 2 up 2 back crossover move (take 2 dribbles to the chair, then 2 back to simulate backing out of a trap, then make a quick cross over move). To add some more complexity, try this with a behind the back crossover and a between the legs crossover.

2 Sharks (this is a fun drill for the younger kids) Have all players stand within a perimeter of the 3 point arc. On your whistle have them start dribbling. With their non- dribbling hand any player can knock out another player by swiping their ball out of the perimeter. Players must keep their dribble and stay within the perimeter or they are out. You can begin closing down the perimeter every 30 seconds or so to keep the game going. So, start at the 3- point perimeter, then the key, then below the 2 nd hash mark, etc. You can yell out different commands to challenge a little more (i.e. everyone has to dribble with their left hand now ). Last one standing is the winner. This drill should help your kids protect the ball by keeping an arm guard up and using their body to shield defenders. Try and keep the game going quickly by narrowing the perimeter, so you don t have kids standing around for lengthy periods of time that are out. Maybe have them keep practicing their ball handling skills until the last person is out. JUMP STOPS AND PIVOTS Coach says pivot Line up kids across the baseline, each with a ball. On your whistle everyone starts dribbling at ¾ speed. At various intervals, blow the whistle and yell out a command (i.e. front pivot left, front pivot right, back pivot right, back pivot left). On the whistle, players jump stop and then perform the pivot move you just yelled out. Make sure players are staying low and in triple threat position. Pivot challenge Divide players up into equal groups and line up on blocks. You will need 4 balls and 2 coaches for this drill. On the coach s command the first player in each line sprints to the chair opposite them and picks up the ball. Player pivots (coach can call out a different pivot move at various intervals) and explodes to the basket for a layup. The coach replaces the ball as it is removed from the chair. After player shoots the layup, they get their rebound and pass back to coach. The first team to 10 (or whatever point total you want to play to) wins. You can also move the lines to work on different cuts to the basket and reverse and forward pivot moves. You can also add jump shots in place of lay ups. PASSING Teach the technique and have the kids partner up about 5-10 feet apart to practice the various passes. Player receiving ball should practice stepping to the ball with hands out to receive versus waiting for it to come to him/her. In a game situation, if they wait for the ball to come to them a defender is likely to steal it. Chest pass elbows out, snap wrists (thumbs start up, end down), step to your partner, get ball to partner s chest. Bounce pass same motion as the chest pass but aiming for a spot on the floor a little more than half way to your partner. Passers should work on getting the ball to their partner quickly with a nice strong pass that stays at waist level. You can also work on moving the ball from hip to hip to simulate keeping it from a defender.

3 Overhead pass have partners back up so there is more space between them. Ball should be held above the head with two hands and then thrown at partner s chest. Lateral race Pair up and have partners laterally shuffle up and down the court working on various passes. Here you can focus on lead passes, keeping the pass in front of your partner so they re not reaching back for it. Make sure they are looking up at their partner, staying low and not crossing their feet. You can add a competitive spin and have partner pairs race up and down the court without traveling. Bazooka Divide up your players as shown in the diagram. Players 1 and 4 start with the ball (5 and 8 in the other group). Player 4 passes to 3. Player 1 passes to 4 after 4 releases. Player 4 passes to 2. Player 3 passes to 4 after 4 releases. Player 4 passes to 1. Player 2 passes to 4 after 4 releases. On the other side, Player 8 passes to 7. Player 5 passes to 8. Player 8 passes to 6. Player 7 passes to 8. Player 8 passes to 5. Player 6 passes to 8. Repeat the rotation for a set amount of time. Player 4 (and 8 in the other group) should slide back and forth to face the passer. Focus on accuracy and quick release passes. You can compete on how many accurate passes each team gets before dropping the ball. 3- man- weave This drill is great to work on passing, catching on the move and conditioning. Players start at one end of the court in three lines, one in the middle and one near each sideline. The middle player 1 starts the weave by passing to one of the sideline players. Player 1 then cuts wide around and behind player 2. Player 2 now passes to the opposite sideline player, player 3 and cuts around and behind player 3. Player 3 now passes to the original middle person player 1 and cuts around player 1. The weave continues until the player with the ball nears the free throw line extended. That player will jump stop and make a good bounce pass to the wing for a layup. No dribbling is allowed except for one dribble to finish the lay- up. The ball should never touch the floor except that the last pass to the shooter is always a bounce- pass. You can run the drill first with chest passes and then again with bounce passes. Receivers should move toward the ball, and show a target with their hands up for the passer. Players should stay wide and always cut around and behind the player they just passed to. The next three- some can start once the previous group is beyond half- court. Start a new line at the far end, and when all groups have come to that end- line, go back the other way.

4 Pass and Swap Partner players: 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8 as shown in the diagram below. Balls start with players 1 and 2. Players pass the ball to their right then sprint to swap positions with the player they are partnered with. They need to sprint to get to their spot before the ball gets there. Coach can call out which type of pass to work on and switch it up. You can also add a little competition to see how many passes can be made without a dropped ball or how many successful passes the team can make in a certain amount of time. Crazy train Coach takes shot. Player 1 rebounds, pivots and passes to player 5. Player 5 steps to the pass, jump stops, pivots and passes to player 7. Player 7 steps to the pass, jump stops, pivots and passes to player 9. Player 9 steps to the pass, jump stops, pivots and dribbles in for a layup. Player 9 grabs the rebound, power dribbles to the sideline, then speed dribbles up the sideline, jump stops at the free throw line extended and passes to coach. Player 9 then gets back in the rebounding line. Coach repeats with player 2 after player 1 has started. Once players make their initial pass, they go to the line they passed to. Open man Player 1 must pass ball to a player in the 2 nd column (either player 2 or 5). Player 8 is on defense trying to steal or deflect the pass. Then player 2 tries to get a pass to either player 3 or player 6 while 9 is defending. Then player 3 goes back to try and pass to 2 or 5 while player 8 is defending. And player 2 then tries to pass to 1 or 4 while 7 is defending. Keep going for a set amount of time. Players should not hold ball for more than 2 seconds. They should use ball fakes, pivot to create space and passing lanes and pass away from the defender. Work on bounce, chest and overhead passes.

5 SHOOTING BEEF jump shot technique Line kids up each with a ball and teach proper jump shot form. B = balance. Your feet should be shoulder width apart, slightly staggered with your shooting foot slightly in front of your non- shooting foot. Knees should be bent and shoulders should be square with the basket. If you re properly balanced you should land in the same spot you jumped from. If you lean into the shot, you re going to shoot too strong. And if you fade away from the shot, you will typically be too short with your shot. E = elbow. Your shooting arm should form an L with your elbow tucked in, like a waiter holding a food tray. E = eyes. Your eyes should be focused on the back of the rim. F = follow through. You should end your shot with the shooting arm fully extended and as if reaching into a cookie jar on top of the fridge. Elbow shooting Player 1 passes to player 5. Player 5 jump stops, squares to the basket in triple threat position and releases a jump shot. Player 1 goes to end of opposite line. Player 5 follows shot, gets rebound and passes to player 2. Player 5 then goes to end of opposite line. Player 2 shoots, gets rebound and passes to player 6. Continue the rotation for a few minutes or until the team scores a set number of points. Make sure players are using good form, squaring to the basket. You can also add a ball fake and drive for a pull up jump shot. Layups Teach proper form and footwork at an early age. From the right side, players should be dribbling with their right hand, shooting with their right hand and jumping off the inside foot (in this case the left foot). The left foot should be planted while the right knee is elevated to get maximum strength in the jump. Pretend there is a string attached to your right hand and right knee. When shooting left handed layups, players should be dribbling with their left hand, shooting with their left hand and jumping off their inside foot (in this case the right foot). The right foot should be planted while the left knee is elevated. Pivot challenge (see JUMPSTOPS AND PIVOTS section above) Block to block challenge Place 2 balls on opposite blocks. Player 1 is the shooter and picks up the first ball and goes up strong for a layup, then goes to the opposite block and powers up for a layup. Player 2 rebounds. Player 3 replaces the ball on each block. Count how many layups made in 1 minute. Switch player 2 shoots, player 3 rebounds, player 1 replaces.

6 Elbow to block challenge Same concept as the block to block challenge but one ball is on the block while the other is at the opposite elbow. Player 1 takes a jump shot with the ball at the elbow, then goes down to get the ball on the block and powers up for a layup. Player 2 should rebound the jumper and replace it on the opposite elbow as the original shot. Then rebound the layup and replace it on the opposite block as the original shot. Continue for one minute and count how many made jumpers and layups. Knockout Line up all players at the free throw line, single file. The first two in line have a ball. The first player in line shoots a free throw. As soon as he shoots the second player in line can step up and shoot a free throw. If the first player makes the free throw, they get their rebound and pass it to the next player in line who then shoots a free throw immediately. If the first player misses their free throw they must get the rebound and make a layup before the second player makes their shot. If the first player makes their shot before the second player then they go to the back of the line and wait for their next turn. If the second player in line makes their shot before the first player then the first player is knocked out and the second player goes to the back of the line and continues in the game. Each time a player makes a shot the next person shoots to try and knock the person out who shot before them. The game continues until there is only one person that has not been knocked out. DEFENSE Zig zag with defender (see BALL HANDLING section above) Coach says Spread all your players out with plenty of room between them. On your whistle, everyone slaps the ground and yells defense. Players should hold a good defensive stance with butts down (like they re sitting on a chair), good balance with weight to the front/balls of their feet, feet spread a little wider than shoulder width apart and pointed straight out or slightly pigeon- toed to provide stronger push off. Shoulders should be over knees with chest out and back straight or slightly arched. Their eyes should be focused on you (simulating the ball handler) with one hand up to deflect the pass, one hand down to swat the dribble. Do not start the rest of the drill until everyone is in good defensive position. Then with hand signals point right and players should slide the direction you are pointing. Make sure they are sliding versus crossing their feet. Point the other direction and players should drop step and slide the opposite direction. Point up and players should jump up and down. Point down and players do happy feet (i.e. stomp right foot, then left foot as fast as they can). Point forward and have players sprint forward. Blow the whistle again and they should all slap the ground with both feet and yell defense. Repeat for a set interval.

7 Go Go Go Divide players into two equal teams and line them up as in the diagram. Players should be facing the court. The first player in each line gets into a defensive stance. Coach yells Go 1, 2, or 3 times. With each Go the next player on each team steps up to the baseline, gets into a defensive stance and does a defensive slide to the sideline. Then the players turn (still facing the court) and do a defensive slide up the side line to half court. At half court, they back- peddle to the center circle. As the first player starts to back- peddle to the center circle, the coach tosses a ball somewhere in the half court area. After touching the center circle, the two players will fight for possession of the loose ball. The winner is on offense and the other player becomes the defender. If the coach has yelled Go more than once, the first player has to decide if he/she is going to wait for help from the other player(s). Play stops when a basket is scored or the defense gets the ball back. You can play to a set number of points (i.e. first team to 5 wins). Make sure all players complete their defensive slides and touch the center circle regardless of when the play ends. Also ensure you have some help to watch that no one is cutting corners on the slides. Close out/box out Position 4 or 5 offensive players outside the 3- point line as shown. Five defenders match up and assume position at the edges of the key as shown. Place a ball on the ground just in front of the hoop. On the coach s first whistle, defensive players sprint to close out on the offensive players. The last 3-4 steps should be wide and choppy with the body leaning slightly back and arms raised to shoulder height. The idea is to try and close out the defender as opposed to running out at him as he runs right past the defender. On the coach s second whistle, all offensive players pretend to shoot a jump shot. Defenders all contest the shots shouting shot and getting a hand up in their face (without fouling). As the shooters come down, the defenders should turn and box out. The offensive players try to get to the ball near the hoop. The drill is still live until one of the offensive players gets to the ball. You can compete on which team is able to hold off the offense the longest.

8 Corner close out Line up players as shown in the diagram below. The drill starts with defender 1 passing the ball to player 3 at the top of the key. Player 3 immediately throws a pass to player 1 in the corner. As soon as he throws to the top of the key, defender 1 sprints and closes out on the offensive player 1 in the opposite corner. The two players then play 1 v 1. Limit the offensive player to 4 dribbles to keep the drill moving quickly. The ball is live until the offense scores or defense gets the ball back. The rotation works as follows: defender 1 goes to the passing lane at the top of the key. The passer at the top of the key (player 3) goes to the shooting line. And the shooter (player 1) goes to the defender line. You should focus defenders on proper close out technique, not getting beat for an easy layup, and cutting off baseline. Fight for it Divide the team into 2 groups. Have one team stand around the jump circle facing the middle. The other team stands behind them. Set the ball in the middle of the circle. On the coach s whistle, the team on the outside attempts to get to the ball. The team on the inside has to box them out to keep them from getting to the basketball. When boxing out players should make contact with the player they are guarding and get in front of him/her. Get low and wide with feet and arms out. And get your backside into the offensive player, sealing him/her away from the ball. Teach kids to be aggressive and not let the offensive player push them around. If this happens under the basket then a taller opponent with long arms will simply outreach them for the ball. A height disadvantage is easily taken away if they can learn to box out correctly. Loose ball drill Divide your players into two teams and line them up as shown in the diagram. The first player in each line stands on the block (or you can have them lie down on the block). And coach throws the ball somewhere into the ½ court area. Mix up the throws so it s not predictable where the ball will land (i.e. roll one out, bounce the next one up in the air, toss one out far, toss one out short). The two players fight for possession of the ball. The one that wins is on offense. The other is on defense. Play stops when the offense scores or the defense gains possession of the ball. You can make this competitive and have the first team to a set number of points win.

9 Crash the boards Position players as in the diagram. Player 1 and 5 toss the ball up against the backboard and pull down the rebound at as high a point as they can. Focus on getting the timing of the jump so that players are grabbing the rebound as high off the ground as possible. Players should keep the ball high with elbows out to protect the rebound, then pivot to the baseline player (player 2 and 6) and give them a strong outlet pass. Players 2 and 6 should yell outlet and have their hands out ready for the pass. Players 1 and 5 immediately get low and post on the block ready for the bounce pass back from players 2 and 6. Once they receive the pass, they take a quick drop step, dribble and put back up the shot. Then players 1 and 5 toss the ball back up, pull down the rebound and this time pivot toward players 4 and 8 and deliver a strong chest pass. They then get low and post asking for the ball back from players 4 and 8. Players 4 and 8 deliver a bounce pass back to players 1 and 5 who back pivot and put the ball in the basket. The rotation works as follows: players 1 and 5 go to the 2 nd outlet line. Players 2 and 6 go to the rebounder line. And players 4 and 8 go to the back of the 1 st outlet line. Reaction rebounding Position 3 offensive players as shown in the diagram. Position 3 defensive players in the lane and assign numbers to each defensive player. The coach should have the ball somewhere on the court. The coach passes the ball to one of the perimeter players and calls out a number (1, 2, or 3). The player in the lane that had their number called sprints to close out and block out the shooter. The other 2 players have to identify who they block out. This will force the other 2 players to react quickly and communicate to cover the remaining players. Once the defense secures the rebound, the defender should make a good outlet pass to the coach. And the drill starts over.

10 TRANSITION OFFENSE 3 on 2, 2 on 1 Put two of your players at one end of the court, and the other three at the opposite end. The group of three should have a basketball. On the coach s whistle, the 3 players with the ball will do a 3- man- weave to half court. For younger kids you can have them just pass back and forth without dribbling. This is meant to get them in the habit of looking up ahead for offensive help versus putting the ball on the ground and over- dribbling. Once they get to half court the player with the ball will dribble until a defender commits. The ball handler should make the defender commit before picking up his/her dribble. Once the defense commits, they should pass the ball to one of the open offensive players on either side and the team will try to score a quick basket. You can add a time limit to make it more game like and ensure they are capitalizing on the advantage (i.e. the offense must take a shot within 5 seconds). The player who either takes the shot (make or miss) or turns the ball over will sprint back to the other end of the court and play defense. The two original defenders will become offensive players and execute a two on one break going the other direction. Fast Break drill This is a variation on the 3 on 2, 2 on 1 drill and forces the concept of getting a quick shot off while you have the player advantage. Divide your players into 2 teams and line them up per the diagram. Three players will start with the ball near mid court. Two defensive players are in a tandem by the hoop. On the coach s whistle, the 3 players on offense start the fast break and try and get a quick score. As soon as the 3 cross half court, the coach will blow the whistle again, signaling another player from the red team (player 3 in this example) to sprint and touch the center circle, then hustle to help his/her teammates play defense. The blue team is attempting to put up a score before they lose their advantage (i.e. before the 3 rd defender shows up. If the blue team scores, the red team is on offense coming the other direction and players 4 and 5 from the blue team hustle to the opposite hoop to play defense. Once the red team crosses half court, one more blue team member sprints to the center circle and tries to help their teammates defend the break. The drill continues on until one team gets to a set number of points.

11 1 on 1 Offensive Skills Pivot challenge with V- cuts, L- cuts, Backdoor cuts and Screens Same format as the Pivot challenge with coaches at the top of the key, each with a ball. Players do an L- cut to get open, receive the ball, pivot and square up to the basket in triple threat position. Then drive in for a layup. First team to a designated score wins. Then move to V- cuts as in the second diagram. First team to a designated score wins. Then move to Backdoor cuts as in diagram 3. Make sure players are leading their defender by taking one hard step toward the ball, then exploding to the basket. Teach players to use this cut any time they are overplayed by their defender. Then move to screens. Set up kids as in diagram 4. Player 2 screens for player 1. On the other side, player 6 screens for player 5. Make sure players are setting good screens, getting low and wide, and then pivoting quickly and looking for the ball. Also very important to work on WAITING for your screens. Make sure players do not leave ahead of their screens or they will not be open. You can add a defender here to better illustrate. Once players receive the ball, they should pivot and square to the basket quickly and pull up for a jump shot. They can do that one round, and then do another round where they make the pass into the post that just screened for them. The rotation works as follows: player 1 (and 5 on other side) goes to back of line, player 2 (and 6 on other side) goes to the low post and player 3 (and 7 on the other side) steps in to be the screener. First team to a designated score wins. You could also mix this up by adding a high screen and roll as in the last diagram. Make sure players are making hard cuts and really working on breaking free from a defender. You could also add a defender once everyone has gone through once without. Ensure players are also working on getting into good triple threat position. You could add a ball fake or pass fake before they initiate a move to the basket. You could also have them mix it up by going all the way in for a layup or pulling up for a jump shot. You don t have to try and do these all in one practice but all are critical, fundamental offensive techniques to help players get open without the ball. So maybe do a couple each practice and then add more complexity over time.

12 Team Offense 3 on 3 no dribble keep away The team on offense keeps the ball for two minutes, which is one round. The team with the ball gets one point every time they complete a pass to a teammate. There has to be a pass every five seconds. If the team does not pass within the five seconds, they lose a point. The coach will count each five second sequence out loud. A steal, taking more than five seconds to pass, dribbling, or a pass that goes out of bounds erases a point, but the offense gets the ball back for the remainder of the round. After one round, the offense and defense change roles and you play round two. The team with the most points after a set number of rounds wins. You should do this drill AFTER teaching the players how to L- cut, V- cut, backdoor cut, set screens away from the ball. Also work on basic defensive techniques before introducing this drill (i.e. denying the passing lanes, help side defense, staying between your man and the basket, cutting off baseline, seeing ball and man). Flat ball This is just like the 3- man keep away drill but played full court. The 3 offensive players are trying to cut and screen to get open and move the ball without dribbling (as if they are playing with a flat ball) to the other end of the court to try and score. Encourage players to use v- cuts, l- cuts, backdoor cuts, screens, screen and rolls to get open and score quickly without using their dribble. Once in the key, the players can use one dribble to score. For younger players, you may want to allow them one dribble to try and create better passing lanes. If the defense steals a pass, they try and do the same thing going back the other direction. First team to score wins. SAMPLE PRACTICE SCHEDULE Here are a few ideas to help structure a practice. While the various drills/games might differ slightly depending on the skill set of your team or the age of your team, the general structure of the practice should consist of the same 3 elements: 1. Dynamic warm up 10 minutes 2. Skill development 25 minutes 3. Skill work in team setting 20 minutes 4. Cool down 5 minutes Dynamic warm up examples: I would recommend doing ball handling drills with ALL players EVERY practice as part of your dynamic warm up. When kids get comfortable with the ball, they become stronger, more confident players. And no matter what position, handling the ball is a basic fundamental skill that all kids should develop. Keep it fun, introduce new moves and ensure they are working on those moves at home. You would be surprised what 15 minutes of practice a day will do for a kids ball handling skills.

13 With the younger age groups, you might play a fun game to get the juices flowing. Ideas include: Sharks ensuring that as kids get out they are working on something else so they re not just standing around waiting for a winner. You could have them work on individual ball skills while they wait (i.e. zig zags, speed dribbles, dribbling around their body, dribbling in a figure- 8). Dribble tag - same premise as regular tag but everyone has a ball. Again, make sure those that are out are not just waiting around but working on something. Speed dribble Coach Says (with pivots or whatever other movements you want to throw in there) Zig zag ball handling (start with basic cross- over) For the older age groups you might use one or more of these: Zig zag ball handling (incorporating more complex moves) 3- man weave Toss across Lateral race Skill development examples: Pick a skill to focus on for your practice: Pivoting and Jump stops Passing Shooting Defense Offense Teach the technique then pick 2-3 fun drills to work on from whichever category you are focusing on for that practice. Skill work in team setting examples: 3 v 3 no dribble keep away Flat ball Fast break drill 2 v 2 or 3 v 3 game (you can either rotate subs in or create a 3 rd team that rotates in to play the team that scores 2 baskets first). At some point you will need to work on the dynamics of team offense with 5 players to prepare your kids for game days. However, I recommend NOT spending a lot of time on it and NOT at every practice. Kids will develop as they get more comfortable with the ball. And if all you do is play 5 v 5 scrimmages, your strong players will get lots of touches and your weaker players will not. With smaller teams, your kids will all get more touches and begin to develop proper spacing and how to better utilize their teammates. Cool down: make sure you take a few minutes to gather up your team and talk about what you learned at practice and what they can do at home to keep practicing those skills.