Anybody coach baskeball? (Read 410 times)

Yes, that age was the last time I helped coach my son's team.

First, much of practice should be spent on the fundamentals of passing/catching, passing/catching while running, and dribbling.

Second, you don't need fancy plays. Give and go and pick and roll are basic and they work.  If your kids can learn those basic things and do it without turn overs, you'll do just fine.

Third, play everyone, even if they aren't good.

One other tip I heard from my brother-n-law who coaches his son's team (also that age) is this... and this is somewhat controversial...

When doing layups, he teaches his kids to do a jump-stop/shoot rather than trying to shoot while running full steam. He does this for two reasons: 1) the kid shooting normally doesn't have the body and ball control to gently shoot the ball, so normally they miss the shot.  2) if there is a defender, they likely run past the person shooting because they aren't expecting the shooter to stop and shoot.   

Now, you might have some parents bawk at this idea, but he says it works. Since kids want to make baskets, this will increase their enjoyment because they'll make more shots.

First, much of practice should be spent on the fundamentals of passing/catching, passing/catching while running, and dribbling.

 

Second, you don't need fancy plays. Give and go and pick and roll are basic and they work.  If your kids can learn those basic things and do it without turn overs, you'll do just fine.

 

Third, play everyone, even if they aren't good.

I think BoilerTom90 hits the high points with his assessment.  You are teaching the kids the rules of the game and the basics.  That’s it.  Have the kids focus on dribbling in control at various speeds (using their right hand for a set and the left hand for the 2^nd set), the proper techniques of passing (chest/bounce/etc), pivoting and starting in a triple threat position, and spacing.  Simple concepts on defense like staying between the person you’re guarding, and the basket, etc.  Stationary ball handling drills are really good too.  I love the suggesting of the give and go, and pick and roll.  There is some really good stuff on YouTube that will give you good ideas.  Be sure to teach them the rules too.  Take the ball out of bounds after a score, lining up for free throws, traveling, etc.  That’s huge.

The biggest mistake people make with the younger kids is talking too much.  If they constantly get lectured they check out quickly.  Also, reward good practices with scrimmages and use that as the carrot.  While the majority of your practice should be instructional, scrimmages are what the kids are looking to do (if you practice for an hour let them play for 10 or 15 minutes).  Also, make sure it’s fun.  Breaking up in to 2 teams and then having shooting contests from the block (a layup) or the elbow (foul line extended) make it fun and a competition.  It also helps them put together the techniques they’ve learned shooting the ball at game speed.  The losing team can do 5 push-ups, 1 sprint, or whatever.    Whatever you do make sure you have a plan and write it out.  Try to break down the practice into  5 or 10 minute increments at the most, give them a water break every once and a while, and then let them play.  You can tweak the structure of practice but you want them to eventually learn what’s coming next so there is consistency.  Feel free to direct message me if you need ideas for drills.  I’m happy to help and love this stuff.

When you catch the ball you face up to the basket without dribbling like this so you can 1) dribble 2) pass 3) shoot

Cheap shots are later in the curriculum.  It's also where I teach the kids to stay away from Finance guys who suck at math.  It's during the "life lessons" chapter. 

Jan you need to PM amreiner.  I think he's a Ref.

 Oh that is right! Thanks.

I played college basketball, and have coached traveling basketball for four years now (4th, 5th, 6th, and now 7th grade).  Kudos to you for volunteering.  I think it can be more difficult to coach kids who haven't had much experience with the game because you have to focus so much on the basic fundamentals, but I agree that ball-handling, passing, jump stops/not traveling, and shooting form are most important.  coachesclipboard.net is a good resource for some free drills, although some are probably too advanced for 3rd and 4th graders. 

Try to focus on shooting form if you can - in 3rd and 4th grade, lots of kids shoot two-handed, almost like a pass - but it is possible to teach them correct form. 

I usually break practice into 10-minute increments - that's about the attention span the girls have, and the more you can demonstrate instead of just talking at them, the better.  This is where lacking basketball skills may get tricky for you.  Also, I've found that after about 10 minutes of working on one thing, that the girls think they've "got it" and don't need to practice it further, so it's best to keep switching it up, or they get bored and sloppy.   dribble tag (everyone is dribbling, and one person is "it" and tags people out) and knock-out are both good drills to work on ball-handling while the kids still have fun. I usually reward the kids at the end of practice with scrimmaging (anything from 2-on-2 to 5-on-5, depending on how many people are at practice) or lightning or 21.