Effective Practice Planning for Coaches: Basketball Drills Designed For Young Athletes

As a youth basketball coach, one of the toughest challenges can be keeping players engaged during practice while also developing their skills and teaching the basics. Whether you’re working with beginner, intermediate, or advanced players, creating a basketball practice plan that balances the fun with the fundamentals is the ultimate key to success. To help lighten your load, we’ve created this basketball practice plan for you to use as a guide this season. Take a look below at a few basketball drills and team-building activities that will help keep your players engaged.

1. Build Your Basketball Practice Plan In Advance

Every successful youth basketball practice needs a clear and concise plan to keep the team on track and engaged. As a coach, it’s helpful to know what the goal is every session. Here’s an example of how you might structure your time with your athletes:

• Warm-Up (10 minutes): Start with dynamic stretches and lighter movement to get your players up and active. Some example exercises to use at the beginning of practice could include jumping jacks, high knees, shuttle runs, or light jogging.
• Skill Development (20–30 minutes): Next, focus on core skills like passing, shooting, and defending. Rotating through basketball passing drills, rebounding drills, and defensive drills ensures well-rounded development and keeps your players engaged by switching up activities.
• Scrimmage or Game Situations (15–20 minutes): Put your practice to work by having your players apply what they’ve learned in game-like scenarios by dividing two teams up evenly and having them scrimmage against each other.
• Cool Down and Team Huddle (5 minutes): End your sessions with stretching and a quick team huddle to go over what went well and to make sure you communicate any important information (including upcoming practice and game times).

‍

2. Incorporate a Variety of Basketball Drills

Young athletes thrive on energetic drills that involve movement. Incorporating a variety of basketball drills prevents boredom and encourages effort. Here are three examples of hoops drills that you can start implementing today:

Rebounding Drill: “Box Out Battle”

1. Divide the team into small groups or pairs.
2. Each group/pair needs a basketball and a spot on the court near the key.
3. Designate the offensive player and the defensive player.
4. The offensive player will set up near the free-throw line. The defensive player will set up between the offensive player and the basket in a defensive stance.
5. A coach or player will take a shot from outside the key.
6. Both players compete for the rebound once the ball hits the rim, with the defensive player focused on successfully boxing out to guard against an offensive rebound.

‍

Basketball Passing Drill: “Rapid Fire”

1. Divide the team into small groups or pairs.
2. If in a group, players will stand in a circle. If in pairs, players will stand 6–8 feet apart.
3. Set a timer for 30 seconds to one minute.
4. Instruct players to call out the names of the person they are passing the ball to.
5. Use chest passes or bounce passes.
6. After each pass, have players take a step in a different direction while continuing to pass.

* Add more basketballs or reduce the distance between players for an added layer of difficulty.

‍

Basketball Defense Drill: “Closeout Challenge”

1. Line your players up at the baseline.
2. Place an offensive player on the wing with the ball.
3. Pass the ball to the offensive player.
4. First defender sprints to close out the offensive player.
5. The defender stays low using one hand to contest the offensive advance and keeps the other hand close to the ground.
6. The offensive player should drive to the basket or shoot while maintaining control of the ball.
   

‍

3. Make Time for Intrasquad Scrimmages

Intrasquad scrimmaging is a great way to let your players put practice into play. Use this opportunity to give constructive feedback on individual performances and team dynamics to empower your players to feel confident in testing their newly learned skills and bringing them to game day

‍

4. Constantly Communicate

Practices are a great time to encourage team communication on and off the court. Dedicate practice time to drills that require communication. Here’s an example of a drill you can use to help get your team comfortable talking on the court:

Basketball Passing Drill: Weave Drill

1. Divide players into groups of three at the baseline.
2. The first three players begin by passing the ball as they run down the court using a weave pattern. The middle players starts with the ball and passes it to the player on their right or left. After passing, the player who passed the ball must run behind the teammate they passed to. The player who receives the pass dribbles forward and passes to the opposite side. The passer always runs behind the player they passed to.
3. Players call out the name of the teammate they’re passing the ball to. Players on the receiving end shout “ball” when they are ready to receive the pass.
4. The drill continues until the group reaches the opposite basket.
5. The last player to get the ball will attempt a shot or layup.
6. After scoring, the players should run back using the same weave pattern.
   ‍

By incorporating a variety of basketball drills focusing on rebounding, passing, and defense, coaches can help their team build confidence and camaraderie. Use this plan as a starting point to build on the fundamentals to help your players reach their full potential throughout the season.

‍

Want to learn more? Check out these other youth basketball posts from GameChanger:

Navigating the Drive Home: How Basketball Parents Can Best Support Their Young Athlete After Competition

Building a Winning Team Culture: Essential Strategies for Youth Basketball Coaches