Many young basketball coaches are unsure where to begin or what to teach their players. So, we hope to be of assistance to you in this regard. We offer some suggestions on what to educate young basketball players in the sections below. We divide it into three tiers. As you master each level, you’ll be able to progress to the next level, where you’ll be able to teach new skills and concepts.
No matter the age, all new players should commence at Level 1. As a basic guideline, we list ages next to each level. You’ll move through the stages at varying speeds depending on your age and level of skill. You’ll probably see that you’ll invest four years working with children aged seven to ten on Level 1. Simultaneously, after two weeks of working with a group of 13-year-olds who are learning to play basketball for the very first time, you could be able to move to Level 2.
Every year, I would recommend starting at Level 1. A large number of high school and college coaches start at Level 1 each year. They just advance through the ranks faster than a youth rank. It’s an excellent approach to instill basics in your athletes year after year.
We recommend devoting a few hours to creating a master practice program for the season, so you can gradually teach them the abilities listed below. It’s okay if it takes a couple of years to teach all of these abilities at one time. We want to emphasize slow but steady development for youth athletes, not how many games they win when they’re 11.
If you try to move them along too rapidly, you’ll end up hurting them in the long run. First and foremost, you must lay a firm foundation. You ought not to try to teach them every dribble move or every offense option in a single year. Similarly like you can’t teach momentum to someone who doesn’t know Newton’s Laws.
Read more: 5 Important Reasons to Get Your Child Involved in Youth Sports
Level 1 For 7 to 10-Year-Olds
Here’s what to teach, ordered by priority:
- Layups
- Footwork
- Shooting form
- Ball handling
- Athletic and movement skills
- Basic passes
- Offense
- Basic cuts and how to get open
- Defense
- Basic off-ball principles
For the sake of development, we are against zone defenses for this age range.
We HIGHLY suggest the DVD Coaching Youth Basketball the RIGHT Way to anybody coaching this age group (By Bob Bigelow). You’ll receive a large number of drills and learn how to cover the most crucial concepts.
Read more: 3 Important Lessons Kids Learn Playing Youth Basketball
Level 2 For 10 to 12-Year-Olds
Proceed to more advanced skills for all the ones mentioned above. Make sure the Level 1 skills are perfected before you proceed to the next level. This is an advanced approach of the same strategies.
- Layups
- Teach more cuts
- Focus on shooting form
- Ball handling & dribbling
- Passing
- Passing under pressure
- Teach basic screens
- Footwork
- Rebounding
- Basic post moves
- Spacing
- Offense
- Defense
For the sake of development, we are against zone defenses for this age range.
We HIGHLY suggest the DVD Coaching Youth Basketball the RIGHT Way to anybody coaching this age group (By Bob Bigelow). You’ll receive a large number of drills and learn how to cover the most crucial concepts.
Read more: What Kids Can Learn from Kobe Bryant’s Work Ethic
Level 3 For 12 to 14-Year-Olds
Proceed to more advanced skills for all the ones mentioned above.
- Continue to teach basic cuts and add more cuts.
- Ball handling and dribbling
- Passing
- Passing under pressure
- Teach basic screens
- Footwork
- Rebounding
- Post moves
- Spacing
- Offense
- Defense
- Man to Man Defense System
For the sake of development, we are against zone defenses for this age range.
