| 1.) One of the most difficult things to teach young players is how to
beat the press. There are a number of strategies that you can
employ. Bob Filipkowski, the 2004 NYSCA Volunteer Youth Sports Coach of
the Year (North Brookfield, Mass.), offers the following advice. "Every
coach says you break the press by passing, not trying to dribble through
it. Try this: Stand at half court and have an offensive player go to
the baseline under the hoop. Place five defenders in front of the
offensive player and tell them to get you the ball. The player will more
than likely try to dribble through the defenders, which usually means a
turnover. After several attempts, tell him to pass the ball. Passing
proves that even though a pplayer is outnumbered, a good one can beat the press
every time."
2.) The better your youngsters become at handling the basketball with
both hands, the more success they are going to have - which also translates into
more enjoyment. The following drill helps develop a player's weak hand and
teaches players who grab offensive rebounds to shoot the ball quickly without
dribbling.
A player stands under the basket with a ball. Once the coach blows the
whistle, the player begins shooting on alternating sides of the basket.
When the player is on the right side of the basket, he must shoot with his right
hand. When he is on the left side, he must shoot with his left hand.
The shooter should use the backboard on every shot and the ball should never
touch the floor.
After one minute, conclude the drill. Players should keep track ofhow
many baskets they made with each hand so they can track their progress as the
drill is used throughout the season. It also can be fun to see who can
make the most baskets during the one-minute span. You can ad your own
twist to the drill, such as deducting a point every time the ball touches the
ground, to keep the interest level high.
3.) Dribble Tag - Start by giving each player a basketball and
designate one person as "it". On your signal, the players start dribbling
while the person who is "it" dribbles around trying to tag another player.
When someone is tagged, that person is "it." The drill will teach players
how to dribble without looking at the ball, as well as how to maneuver and
change directions. To increase the drill's difficulty, have each player
dribble with his or her weaker hand.
4.) Grab the pin - This will teach your players hwo to be
aggressive. Clip two clothespins on the back of each player's jersey -
around the shoulder blade area - and give each a basketball. On your
command the players must dribble around the court and try to pluck the
clothespins off the other players. Once a player loses both clothespins
they are out of the game. The player with the most clothespins wins.
However, the ones that are out must go down and practice their shots!!!
5.) Get Open - Choose two players for offense and two for
defense. Stand on the sideline with the ball and have the offensive
players work to receive the in-bounds pass while the defenders try to deny the
pass. Rotate hte players so they can play both offense and defense.
6.) Fast Break - This is designed to teach your players how to play
offense and defense, as well as improve their conditioning. You need seven
players - four on offense and three on defense. Have the offensive players
run a fast break with one player in the middle, two on the wings and one
trailing the play. AFter a shot goes up, the shooter and the player who
made the last pass must run back on defense. The three defensive players
must now run a three-on-two fast break the other way.
7.) Double Trouble - Split the court in half lengthwise. Organize
groups of three by putting a group on each half of the court. One player
in each group is on offense and the other two are on defense. The
offensive player must dribble to the other end of the floor, trying to beat both
defenders. If the defenders steal or knock the ball away, the offensive
player gets the ball back at that spot. Once the offensive player reaches
the other end of the floor, he or she must move to defense. One of the
defensive players must move to offense.
8.) Red Light, Green Light - Start the team at one baseline and allow
for plenty of space between each player. When you shout "Green Light," the
players dribble forward. when you shout, "Red Light," they stop. To
change up the game, throw in some other colors as well. For example, when
you shout "purple" they must turn and dribble to their left, or when you shout
"orange" theymust turn and dribble to their right. To increase the
difficulty, make each player dribble with his or her weaker hand thoughout the
drill.
9.) No Dribble - Conduct half-court scrimmages of 3-on-3 and 4-on4
where the players aren't allowed to dribble. Thsi is an effective way to
work on passing skills, and help each player learn how to spot the open
teammate.
10.) Block-Out Drill - Lnie up three players at the top of the
free-throw line and line up three more players just inside the free-throw
line. The object of this drill is for the three players closest to the
basket to block out the other three players after the coach shoots the
ball. To keep the kids' interest, award a point each time a team gets a
rebound. Play up to five or 10 points and then rotate teams.
For more drills and tips, visit the following webites:
www.basketball-drills-and-plays.com/youth-basketball-drills.html
www.y-coach.com/CD/Basketball_Drills.htm
www.basketball-drills-and-plays.com/youth-basketball-drills.html
www.sacredhoops.com/youth.html
www.onlinebasketballlines.com/Drills/index_drills.htm
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