One of any dad’s simple pleasures is to be able to watch his kids play basketball on the hardcourt. However, many of them are too eager to get their kids shooting field goals that they haphazardly haul them to practice. But if you really want your kid to really get those court moves right and truly love the ball, you need to have a great practice plan to guide you. But where do you begin?
Choosing the drills
One important thing you need to keep in mind before even selecting the drills for your kids is that different age brackets require different sets of drills for their practice runs. You can’t really expect eight- to ten-year olds being able to handle the more complex drills that older players often start with.
When choosing drills for the younger ones (those in the7-11 year-old bracket), pick drills that can teach them the basic skills without requiring too much explanation beforehand. For instance, for passing drills, the following are best suited for this age group
3-man weave drill
3-lane push drill
5-man weave drill
For shooting, these drills should be included for the young ones:
One-hand shooting drill
Two-player pass and shoot drills
Creating your practice plan schedule
Once you have the drills, then you can map out the practice plan. Note that the practice plan for your young players should be divided into a master plan covering where you want your players to be after the training session, a weekly schedule, and a day-to-day schedule.
In planning the day to day schedule, make sure that you cover the following important areas before the actual basketball training drills:
Cardiovascular training-sprints, distance training, running
Strength conditioning-flexibility, push ups
Footwork-body balance, stops, turns, and pivots
Again, keep in mind that, depending on the age bracket you are coaching, you might have to omit certain exercises that are too much for them. Also, when it comes to younger players, there is no need yet for them to study the more complex aspects of the game like full- and half-court presses, so you can omit these from the itinerary.
A sample basketball practice plan for 7-11 year old players can be seen here (courtesy of Basketball Breakthrough).
Implementing your coaching plan
Keep in mind that, to ensure that the practice sessions go accordingly, you need to be consistent and firm in implementing the rules and regulations when it comes to practice. Of course, you also need to set an example yourself and make sure to follow the rules you put forth. This way, your players will better understand the value of discipline.
However, keep in mind that these are still kids you are working with. Don’t treat them like professional athletes. Instead, make sure that the drills and practice games fun-filled for them. You can even add useful mini-games during their breaks This way of conducting practice will in fact be a lot more productive, as your young players will adopt the skills outlined in your plan without even realizing it.
