I have read through a lot of drills and felt this was the best for all ages. Please let me know your thoughts and other drills that helped your child or team. |
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Team Building Drills Here are some of my own drills to help build team support. This works well especially for the younger group of kids. THE NAME DRIBBLE GAME - Take groups of five kids and put them in a circle. Have each kid spell out their first name while dribbling the ball and alternating hands. After they are done they will pass the ball to their right and say their name out loud. Mix up the circles and within a week or two the kids will actually be saying the names of the other kids. It sure is better than hearing "Hey, Hey pass me the ball." CHEST CALL ME - The best pass is the one that seems to get lost once a game starts - the bounce pass. Realistically kids are not going to do a chest pass while they are in the middle of the game. Have your players form two separate lines. Now have them turn toward each other. Each player will say their name as they bounce pass the ball down the line. Be patient with the players because each will have their own form of the bounce pass depending on their strength of their arms. The goal here is to learn each other's name and to remember it is harder to steal a bounce pass. |
Loose Ball Drills A lot of times players watch as the ball rolls around thinking another player will grab the ball. Unforntunately, it is usually the other team. Here are a couple of drills I created. ON THE LOOSE - Form two lines at the top of the key facing the basket. Stand in the middle and bounce the ball toward the basket. Both players in the front of each line run for the ball. Once a player has the ball the other player becomes the defender. The player with the ball can shoot for one point or try for a lay-up for two points. Run the the lines twice and the team with the most points win. ON BOARD - This is for an older group of kids. It is run like the drill above except the lines are under the basket. You shoot the ball from the foul line and the front of each line try to get the loose ball and dribble down to the basket at the opposite end. Points are awarded the same as above. |
Shooting Drills Shooting can only get practice. You can teach a player the right way to shoot but at a younger age they are not strong enough. Here are some drills to help them make shooting a little easier. THINKING INSIDE THE BOX - Many players young and old forget the box on the backboard is not just decorative. Have the players practice shooting the ball off the backboard aiming at the square . This will help them get the ball into the hoop. Older players should practice shooting with one hand depending if they are on the right side or left side. This will help when shooting lay-ups with the correct hand. CRYING FOUL - Have your team practice foul shots just like in a real game. Most rebounds are lost after free throws because people don't get boxed out. Points are rewarded for the foul shot and the the team rebounding the ball. The foul shooter gets five points and the rebounds are two points. Why you ask does the foul shooter get so many points? Because you want to emphasize that these are free points and shots should not be rushed. This will force the shooter to concentrate harder on making the basket. |
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