4 Youth Basketball Drills That Teach the Fundamentals
You can begin teaching your athletes the fundamentals of the game of basketball as early as third grade (or even younger). Showing youth athletes proper footwork and how to play man-to-man defense will lift them to a higher standard when they get to high school. Here are a few youth basketball drills that emphasize those fundamentals and help kids understand the game.
Quick Feet
- Line Hops – side to side (feet shoulder-width apart)
- Line Hops – front to back
- Line Hops – left foot side to side (jumping and landing on the balls of your feet)
- Line Hops – right foot side to side (jumping and landing on the balls of your feet)
Dribble Dribble
- Line up 6 or 7 cones 2 feet apart
- Left hand dribble through cones as fast as you can with head up and knees slightly bent
- Right hand dribble through cones as fast as you can with head up and knees slightly bent
- Crossover knee to knee through cones working on foot speed and hand speed while keeping your head up
Shoot Your Shot
- Start in the middle of the lane three feet from the basket
- Place feet shoulder-width apart
- Shoot your shot, focusing on firm form and following through with your finger tips
- The goal is to work your way back behind the free throw line using the proper fundamentals
BUM (Ball U Man)
Teaching man-to-man defense and encouraging our future stars to come and give help when the ball is two passes away. Three on defense and three on offense:
- Set 1 – defending the pass, jump to the ball, and be in help or passing lane
- Set 2 – defending the drive, help and recover to your man, stay low and sprint
- Set 3 – defending the ball screen; let teammate know what side screen has been set, hedge out, open up, and sprint back to your man
- Set 4 – defending the screen away; going under the screen against a non-shooter, stay low and get over top of the screen against a good shooter
- Avoid switching as much as possible so your team can maintain effective matchups. In case of a “necessary” switch, make sure to switch back when play is on the perimeter or next defensive set.
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4 Youth Basketball Drills That Teach the Fundamentals
You can begin teaching your athletes the fundamentals of the game of basketball as early as third grade (or even younger). Showing youth athletes proper footwork and how to play man-to-man defense will lift them to a higher standard when they get to high school. Here are a few youth basketball drills that emphasize those fundamentals and help kids understand the game.
Quick Feet
- Line Hops – side to side (feet shoulder-width apart)
- Line Hops – front to back
- Line Hops – left foot side to side (jumping and landing on the balls of your feet)
- Line Hops – right foot side to side (jumping and landing on the balls of your feet)
Dribble Dribble
- Line up 6 or 7 cones 2 feet apart
- Left hand dribble through cones as fast as you can with head up and knees slightly bent
- Right hand dribble through cones as fast as you can with head up and knees slightly bent
- Crossover knee to knee through cones working on foot speed and hand speed while keeping your head up
Shoot Your Shot
- Start in the middle of the lane three feet from the basket
- Place feet shoulder-width apart
- Shoot your shot, focusing on firm form and following through with your finger tips
- The goal is to work your way back behind the free throw line using the proper fundamentals
BUM (Ball U Man)
Teaching man-to-man defense and encouraging our future stars to come and give help when the ball is two passes away. Three on defense and three on offense:
- Set 1 – defending the pass, jump to the ball, and be in help or passing lane
- Set 2 – defending the drive, help and recover to your man, stay low and sprint
- Set 3 – defending the ball screen; let teammate know what side screen has been set, hedge out, open up, and sprint back to your man
- Set 4 – defending the screen away; going under the screen against a non-shooter, stay low and get over top of the screen against a good shooter
- Avoid switching as much as possible so your team can maintain effective matchups. In case of a “necessary” switch, make sure to switch back when play is on the perimeter or next defensive set.
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