Basketball Drills For Youth

Here are some fun basketball drills for youth. One such drill for youths improving their basketball skills is called No Dribble Keep Away.

Its purpose is to teach kids to move when they don't have the ball, to get open for passes, etc. It gives the child with the ball a chance to work on keeping the ball away from defenders while they look for an open team-mate.

The offensive team keeps control for two minutes. With kids who have played the drill before, you can have them perform it to music, which makes it more interesting for them. The team with the ball gets a point every time one completes a pass to another teammate. They MUST pass every five seconds, and if they don't, they lose a point. After the first round, defense and offense change roles and you go into round two.

Play for two or three cycles and reward the kids who have the most total passes. If it's a young group, you can reward everyone. Another one of our favorite basketball drills for youth that concentrates on FUN as well as technique is the Pass N Switch Drill. This is suitable for all ages. This drill simulates game situations, where kids will have to think and move quickly. Kids who know the basic fundamentals will like the drill because it moves FAST.

Each player has a partner. The first pair will start with the ball. They pass the ball to their partner and then sprint over to change places with them. Then add the next duo. This drill should continue moving quickly, and all players need to pass the ball and then sprint to their partner's location. As both balls are crossing the court, they can try to beat the balls to the other side after they pass.

Another of the basketball drills for youth that's FUN for kids is the Defensive Challenge Drill. This drill is effective because it gives the kids a fun and positive twist to scrimmaging, and it rewards the defense, rather than the offense. It helps your kids get into the “I want to play defense” mode.

You can work this drill with 3-on-3, 4-on-4 or 5-on-5, and depending on the number of kids, you can use half-court or full-court. Split the players into two teams. ONLY the defense can score points, and they do this by rebounding a missed shot, or by forcing a turnover.

Each time the defense gets a rebound or turnover, they get to stay on defense. If the offensive team makes a basket, or if a defender fouls an offensive player, the offensive team gets to play defense.

You can play to any total of points, but make it an achievable goal so that the kids don't lose interest. If your defense is having trouble every play, help them learn to play it correctly, so they will know how they should react the next time.

Our last drill is a competitive one on one drill. To start this drill, place two chairs near midcourt on the right side of the court. Players will start at the baseline, facing the chairs. The outside player will have the ball. On the word “Go!”, both players take off running toward the chairs.

The offensive player dribbles, and the defensive player just runs. Both players run around their chairs on the right side of them, and then head toward the basket. Then it's up to the defender to stop the offensive player with the ball from making a shot. After a shot or a rebound is made, reverse positions.

These drills will be fun for your young players, and will teach them the fundamentals without the boredom of simple repetition.

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