Youth Basketball Coaching Guide

Youth Basketball Coach Chart and BallYouth Basketball is a lot of fun. It’s chaotic, it’s exciting, and it’s a joy to watch your child playing basketball. For those parents who are asked to volunteer to coach their child’s basketball team, it may not be a lot of fun. You may have even played organized basketball in the past but being a spectator cheering from the stands is a lot different than sitting on the bench with a group of energetic kids needing direction to work as an organized team. Coaching Youth Basketball is not easy but it can be, if you read and learn from the many coaching tips found in this web site.

One very important coaching tip is always remember that your actions as a Youth Basketball coach will have an impact on your team’s young lives. It is your primary responsibility to honor the game. That is teach kids to play hard, play smart and always gives a winning effort despite what the score of the game may be. You may have parents who will view youth basketball games as a life or death situation but for your kids, it’s just a fun game of competition.

Another important coaching tip is to respect every member on your youth basketball team. You will have different levels of skills from each player on your team. It is natural to lean on the players that will help you win but be fair to all of the kids on the team. Make every effort to give playing time to every team member. After all, this is Youth Basketball, not the NBA. It will help you if you can evaluate your wins and losses on team effort and execution. The kids will always remember the fun they had playing youth basketball with their friends and teammates. The final score of the game won’t matter later in their lives.

Basketball Youth DribblingAs a Youth Basketball coach, you must be eager to read, learn and understand all facets of the game. Aside from learning the rules and fundamentals of basketball, there is an overwhelming task of running practices. One has to know what drills to utilize to enhance the skills of your players. Fortunately there is an abundance of educational materials and coaching tips available for being a youth basketball coach. As the great UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, once stated, “the most important responsibility of a coach in regard to the actual playing of the game is to teach his players properly and effectively to execute the various fundamentals of the game, he is, first of all, a teacher.” Read, learn and understand the game to teach it properly. This Youth Basketball Guide can be your learning avenue to becoming a confident and knowledgeable youth basketball coach.

Make Youth Basketball to be fun for the kids. Do your best as a coach. This means be prepared, be informed and be confident. You must never forget that as a coach you are a leader not just a person of authority. You have tremendous influence on your young players. Handle this responsibility with care. You are in the prime position of molding the character of young people in their most formative years. This is one youth basketball coaching tip that you should always remember.

Now go out and be the Best Youth Basketball coach you can be! Utilize this Youth Basketball Guide web site. Be prepared, be confident, and have fun!

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admin, May 12th 2010 | Posted in Youth Basketball

Shooting the Basketball

boy shooting basketball

Boy Shooting the Basketball

All basketball players love to shoot the basketball. This is one fundamental that everyone wants to practice. Shooting is the most important skill in basketball. All of the other fundamental skills in basketball: passing, dribbling, rebounding, and defense are important but in the end, basketball players have to shoot the ball into the basket to score. An accurate shooter forces the defender to play tighter defense, which makes the defender vulnerable to the fake and allows the shooter more opportunities to pass, drive or shoot. It is for this reason that accurate shooting can overcome weaknesses in the other fundamental skills in basketball. Accurate outside shooting most often enhances the success of your basketball team.

The keys to proper shooting are confidence, rhythm and tempo. Basketball is a mental sport as well as physical. One needs to be confident with their shooting to be successful. Even rhythm and tempo enhances proper mechanics in shooting. The goal of any good shooter is to reduce doubt and promote the smooth execution of their shot.

Here are the principles in the fundamentals of shooting the basketball:


1. Eyes on target (basket).
2. Feet set and shoulder width apart.
3. Point Toes straight forward.
4. Foot on the side of shooting hand forward.
5. Align toe of the back foot to the heel of the shooting side foot.
6. Bend legs at the knees. Flexed legs give power to your shot.
7. Head should be slightly forward.
8. The shoulders should be relaxed.
9. Shooting hand directly behind the basketball.
10. Non-shooting hand under the ball for balance.
11. Keep shooting hand thumb relaxed.
12. Index finger (first finger) placed behind the midpoint of the basketball.
13. Basketball is held in front of and above of shooting side shoulder between the ear and shoulder
14. Keep shooting elbow in. This will align the ball with the basket.
15. Slightly tip basketball back on shooting hand.
16. Proper tempo and synchronized rhythm to extension of legs, back, shoulder and shooting elbow at the execution of the shot.
17. Flex shooting hand wrist and hand forward and down.
18. Final release of basketball comes off your shooting hand index finger. This creates a backspin on the ball and a soft touch on the shot.
19. Non-shooting hand should be on the basketball until the point of release.
20. After release of the basketball, fully extend your arms, index finger pointing straight at the basket and palm of the shooting hand facing down.
21. Always keep eyes on the target.
22. After shot, quickly look for rebounds on missed shots and assume proper defensive position.

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coach, June 30th 2010 | Tags:
Posted in Shooting Technique

Rebounding

Rebounding the basketball after a missed shot is one game fundamental that you cannot do too often. A team can dribble too much, pass too much, shoot too often or even try to steal or to block shots too often but you can never rebound the basketball too often. The team that controls the rebounding usually controls the game.

Second Effort Rebounding

Second Effort Rebounding

The main principles to rebounding a basketball are attributable to these basic factors. They are desire, anticipation and position. There are other factors involved with rebounding but these are the important principles to teach your young players.

Desire or the wanting to grab every missed shot is very important in developing young player’s rebounding skills. The intense attitude of going after every rebound can be the difference between a good and a great rebounder. Since not all rebounds go to the first player that touches the basketball, the extra second and third effort will make the difference in rebounding.

Anticipation is another important factor in rebounding. The great UCLA coach, John Wooden, always stressed to his players to assume that every basketball shot will be missed. This bit of anticipation will give a player an added edge in grabbing the basketball first. Also, teach kids to observe angles and length of shots. Usually the majority of shots will rebound off the opposite (weak) side and longer shots (3 point shots) will rebound longer. Long rebounds on the defensive boards are the best set ups for your fast breaks on offense.

Position to boxing or blocking out your opponent is a key to
defensive rebounding. This means getting inside position to the rim and going for the basketball. Boxing out means blocking out your opponent’s path to the ball. This can be accomplished by teaching your kids to make contact with their opponent and to put their back into the opposing kid’s chest. Sometimes it is easier to teach young kids to use their butts to get more room behind them and their opponent. Position also requires kids to maintain a balanced stance, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, back straight and head up.

One Handed Rebound

One Handed Rebound

Instruct kids to always have both hands up above their heads when rebounding and catch and protect the basketball with two hands. If a two handed catch is not possible, teach kids to use one hand to keep the ball in play until he or she or a teammate can grab it. Stress to kids to jump as often as they can to get the rebound.

Kids should always attempt to come down with the rebound in a balanced stance. On defense, be ready to pivot and make the outlet pass to start the fast break. On offense, be ready to go right back up with a shot or pass it back to a teammate.

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coach, June 30th 2010 | Tags:
Posted in Rebounding

Passing the Basketball

One of the most critical and important fundamental skill in Basketball is Passing. Passing a basketball is simple. First the player must step towards his target, look at the person they are passing, snap their wrists and to extend their arms to complete the pass.

Girl Overhead Pass

Girl Overhead Pass

There are four basic passes in basketball. The standard basketball pass is the Two Handed Chest Pass. Players hold the ball at chest level with their fingers on the side of the ball and their thumbs behind the ball. Players step to the target, extend their arms and snap their wrists. At the start of the pass, fingers are on the sides of the ball and when completing the pass, the thumbs end up in the downward position. Players with smaller hands can accomplish this Chest Pass with one hand on top of the ball and the other hand beside it. Holding the ball in this way is the same as a player would do in the triple threat position. Triple threat position means that the player is holding the ball to move into a shot, dribble or pass position.

Another basketball pass is the Bounce Pass. Players hold the ball with their fingers on the sides of the basketball and their thumbs behind. The player will complete the pass by stepping towards his target, bouncing the ball halfway to the receiver so that ball will reach the player’s waist. If the pass is bounced less than halfway to the receiver, the ball will rise too high. If the ball is bounced to close to the receiver’s feet, the pass will be too difficult to catch.

Another way of passing a basketball is the Overhead Pass. Players should hold the ball in both hands over their head. The player will complete this pass by stepping toward their target, extend their arms and snap their wrists. Always teach your players to make this pass by snapping their wrists and try not to move their extended arms forward. Snapping the wrists will complete the pass faster than passing the ball with their arms. Strength is needed to complete this pass and younger players will try to use their arms to make the pass overhead. For rebounders, the overhead pass is a good outlet pass to clear the ball and prevents the player from bringing down the ball where it can be taken away.

The fourth basic basketball pass is the Lob or Baseball Pass.
This is usually a long pass to push the ball farther up the court. This is a one handed pass like a baseball throw. Teach players to turn their thumb inside when throwing the ball. This will keep the ball on a straighter path than if their thumb turns outward.

Two player passing drills are the best way to work on passing. Have one player be the passer and other to be the receiver. Always emphasize, to step towards the target as they are passing the ball, look at the receiver, extend their arms and snap their wrists.

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coach, June 30th 2010 | Tags: ,
Posted in Passing the Basketball

Dribbling and Ball Handling

Dribbling the Basketball

Dribbling the Basketball

One of the most important skills in the development of a young basketball player is dribbling and ball handling.  It is one skill that should be emphasized in all practices. As a youth basketball coach, one of the most important skills that you notice in young basketball players is their ability to dribble and to handle the basketball.

An important principle to stress in the skill of dribbling is to tell your players to always Keep Their Heads Up. Explain that one cannot see the basketball court if one has eyes glued to the basketball. Another point to stress is dribbling the basketball with their Fingertips not with their palms. Fingertips control the basketball better (ball handling) than the palms of their hands.

Most basketball players will have a dominant hand that they will use in dribbling a basketball. A youth basketball coach can encourage players at a very young age to start practicing ball handling using the non dominant hand. In this way, a young player can develop dribbling skills to go with either hand.

Other points of importance in teaching good dribbling and ball handling skills are staying low with the basketball and protecting the ball with your body. Staying low gives one better control over basketball. Less height of the bounce on the ball, the less chance of the ball being taken away. Also using your body assists in shielding defenders away from the basketball.

Emphasize to your players that the dribble is used to drive to the hoop for a score, to buy time to find someone that is open or to  escape from defenders or pressure. At end of quarters or at the end of the game, dribbling is used to stall or take up time. Excessive or unnecessary dribbling usually leads to turnovers especially in youth basketball. Passing is always a better alternative to move the basketball faster.

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coach, June 30th 2010 | Tags: ,
Posted in Dribbling and Ball Handling

Catching

Boy-Catching-Basketball

Boy Catching Basketball

Catching the Basketball

One skill that is usually overlooked in basketball is the actual catching of a basketball. This skill is as critical as learning to pass a basketball. As a youth basketball coach, one should teach this skill as much as teaching a young basketball player any other individual basketball skill.

Hands and eye coordination are very important in the catching of a basketball. The player must keep his eyes on the basketball until it is safely in his hands. Young basketball players have small hands so it is critical that the player watches the ball come into their hands. Catching turnovers usually occur when the player starts to do something with the basketball without having full control of the ball.

When catching a basketball, a player should come to the ball, ready to meet the ball, keeping his knees bent, and showing his or her palms to the passer. This gives a good target for the passer to complete the basketball pass. The player coming to the ball with his knees bent, catches the basketball in a balanced position to establish a pivot foot and a triple threat stance.

Youth Basketball Coaches can teach young players to
develop “soft hands.” Players can do this by developing a feel for the basketball by catching the basketball with both hands, bringing it into the body and securing it in a balanced position. Eyes and hands are the important components to catching a basketball.

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coach, June 30th 2010 | Tags: ,
Posted in Catching