Youth Basketball Drills

Youth Basketball Drills

Teaching the fundamentals of basketball is very important. When the players understand how the game is played, it makes it easier to teach them new drills and game strategies.

It is very helpful for coaches of very young players (5-8 years old) to teach proper techniques in dribbling, shooting and passing. Coaches can accomplish this by finding easy basketball drills to run though in practice that allows the kids to build confidence in their own skills.

Dribbling Drills

You can quickly improve a player’s attitude toward the game of basketball by increasing their dribbling skills. When they can dribble between their legs or control the ball during a fast break their confidence improves greatly. During practice, I always make my players dribble constantly (except when I’m talking). I get a bit of a headache from the constant noise, but it pays off during game time.

Passing Drills

Ball movement is key in basketball, and passing skills can be the difference between a win and a loss. Players need to be able to pass with power and confidence, they also need to be able to catch a receiving pass and know what to do with the ball. During many of my passing drills there is no shooting, mu players had a difficult time with this, but by the end of the season they were all passing with authority and we had fewer stolen passes during a game.

Shooting Drills

That’s where all the glory is for basketball, in the shooting of your team. It is best to work on the mechanics of your shot, and when to take the shot. Youth players often receive the ball and immediately turn and shot for the hoop. This does not make a winning team – just a very tired team. Shooting technique is very vital to beginning youth players, not if you make the shot or not.

Working on all three of these youth basketball drills can make your team successful and your players better with their all around skills. The goal with coaching kids is making your practices fun and easy to keep their interest in the sport.