YOUTH BASKETBALLCOACHES CLINIC

Goals

• What do you want your players to get out of this season?

• Have Fun• Promote the game (Positive Memories)• Be part of a team• Learn the game

Treat each player like they are all part of the team.

HELP PLAYERS LEARN THE GAME

Remember, you will have some players that have the potential to play basketball at a higher level, and others will call ‘youth’ hoop their career. Because of the diversity of talent/interest, take the time and effort into organizing your practices so each kid gets the chance to Get Better.

Fundamentals…Fundamentals…Fundamentals!

• Shooting – proper mechanics• Dribbling – right & left hand• Passing – different passes & timing• Defense – defend the opponent with the ball

and deny the pass.

#1. Shooting: Repetition…and practicing correctly.

• Havlicek Shooting• Perfect Shooting• Lay-ups (R & L)• Block-Block (Elbows/Corners/Wings, etc.)• Spot Shooting• P.C Shooting• 6-Minute Shooting• Beat-the-pro/Bird-Cage/Jaguar Shootout

#2. Dribbling:

• Ball Handling• Dribble Protect & Dribble Speed – Low dribble

and use body to protect…Push the ball out front on a fast break.

• Dribble Attack• Chair/Cone Drills• 2-Ball Drills/Mirror Dribbling• Dribble K.O/Dribble Tag

#3. Passing:

• Partner Passing(Chest-Bounce-Over Head)

• Machine Gun• Shuttle/3-man weave/5-Star/4-Corners• Circle Clap• Timing? – Pass the ball when their teammate is

cutting, not after the cut. Catching the ball is a whole other discussion. {Don’t forget, there is a defense on the court too.}

#4. Defense:

Playing ‘D’ starts with all the clichés: (Attitude, Desire, etc). After all that, you must STOP THE BALL. This is best done by getting in the proper stance where athletes are quicker at reacting to what the offense is doing.

DEFENSIVE DRILLS:

• UCLA (Stance Drill) or Claw Drill• 1v1 zig-zag• 1v1 Deny entry passes• 3v3 Shell • Post Deny (Bull in the Ring)• 4v4 Shell Drill• Transition drills (Circle/4-44/5v3+2)

REBOUNDING

• Umbrella Box-Out • 1v1 Box out Challenge• 2v2 Box out & play• 4v4 Rebound Shell• 5v5 Reb. & Transition

HAVING FUN & PROMOTING THE GAME

Even at the high school level we resort to activities of ‘FUN’ on occasion. Some that we do…

• Free-throw ladder• Bird cage shooting• Beat The Pro!• 11-man continuation…Fast break drills.• Jaguar Shootout

Some “Coaching” Advice:

• Show up to all practices and games 10-15 minutes early.• Stay after practice until all the kids have been picked up.• Use the whistle to control practice.• Coach through positive reinforcement. • Address issues of attitude on the spot. • Try to use scrimmage vests rather than shirts and skins.• Accept that you are there to help the kids. Wins and

losses (The kids will keep an eye on the score) are by-product of hard work and team work.

SAMPLE PRACTICE TIME-LINE 6:00- Talk to kids, warm-up & warm-up drills 6:10- Offensive skill focus: Machine gun Passing & 3-man weave 6:20- Offensive skill focus: Block-Block, Elbows, & spot shooting 6:30- Offensive focus: Teaching your play(s) 6:40- Defensive skill focus: UCLA & 1 v 1 zig-zag 6:50- Defensive skill focus: 3 v 3 shell (Ball pressure, deny) 7:00- Team Defense: Teaching man-man defense 7:10- Scrimmage: 7:20- Fun Drills: 3v2 to 2v1, Jaguar Shootout, Beat the Pro, etc. 7:30- Conclude with brief talk with the team.

QUESTIONS