31 Ways to Positively Influence Youth Basketball
The base of basketball in our country is developed and nurtured at the youth basketball level. The quality of commitment and training at this level can greatly alter the overall health of basketball in the United States.
Those who coach youth have an incredible opportunity to shape youth as students, players, and young men. Character and values, along with a sense of teamwork, listening skills, and hard work, are the components of a strong philosophy for youth coaches. Too often, however, this important work is picked up at random and followed through with little effort and commitment. The result is a group of young people who are uninspired by the game of basketball and carry with them apathy and low skill development.
At CoachRB, our goal is to enable and challenge youth coaches to take their homework seriously and learn as much as they can before and during the coaching experience. We are here to guide and provide youth coaches with the tools they will need to positively lead and develop young basketball players in our communities and in our country.
To those of you who put your heart into coaching youth sports, hats off to you. His countless hours and efforts are used to improve the skills and enjoyment of thousands of young players. The work he does could never be appreciated by those who never trained or played in their youth. Congratulations, Coach!
Outline of positive experiences in youth basketball The perspective of coaches
1. Develop your own training philosophy
has. State your main reason for training.
b. Be flexible and adapt your philosophy to the learning and experiences of each day.
against The youngsters you train should be your first priority.
d. Keep it extremely simple… this is true from youth to the NBA.
2. Communicate with young people
has. Develop the art of communicating with children. This ability will be the key to your achievement as a coach and the enjoyment of the children.
b. see the game through his eyes, not yours.
against Instruction should be positive or constructive only.
3. Work with parents
has. Being a leader means setting guidelines for parents and players. By doing this, you will minimize most potential roadblocks with parents.
b. Let players and parents know your policies and philosophies.
against Consider the best interests of the child as if they were your child.
d. Define “Success” and share it with parents and children THEN work to meet that definition every day.
4. Develop a Fundamentals Program
has. The best coaches are the ones who know that the game is about passing, dribbling, shooting and teamwork. Y they can teach them to their players on a daily basis.
b. The fundamentals of teaching are a step-by-step process, every day.
against Set up a “Fundamentals Mastery Game” where players are evaluated according to their ability to exhibit the key fundamentals. By doing this, players will constantly work on passing, dribbling, shooting and teamwork. WHY? FACT: NBA players aren’t even “masters” of the fundamentals of the games, so why should we think kids are?
d. Always sacrifice fundamental work and solid exercises for games. We play too many games in our country at young ages.
5. Establish a positive and energetic practice environment
has. Share your practice goals with the players before each practice.
b. Simple design, single purpose drills that engage all players.
vs. Keep practice short and to the point, mixing a fundamental emphasis with 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 competition.
d. Use a practice checklist to help your practice organization.
me. End the practice by discussing the outcome of the goals for that day.
6. Playtime — Teaching Life Lessons
has. Games are for kids, period. Make this your goal and you will greatly improve your chances for enjoyment, satisfaction, and success.
b. Determine the game time in advance and stick to it at the time of the game.
Offense: If your players can pass, dribble and shoot, they can play. Design an offense that is space and movement oriented NOT game oriented. The coaches undermine the entire experience with “plays.” Leave the plays and fancy strategy to the older kids.
d. Defense – teach players to run back, point out the player they are defending. A MUST is to properly teach players the concept of “staying between your man and the ball”.
me. Teach players to run into the game and run out of the game.
F. Meet with your team before and after the game away from the field. Talk about how great the opportunity to play and remember the fundamentals of the game is. Teach lessons that will stay with these youth for a lifetime.
They may not remember you in 30 years, but they will. what you taught them!
7. Evaluation—Pre-season and Post-season
has. One of the biggest mistakes coaches make is avoiding this crucial opportunity to help their players.
b. Before the season, evaluate each player against a menu of skills that will be taught during the season. Do this in great detail, as it will pay off later. Share this with the kids and their parents so they know where YOU see them before the season starts.
vs Use this information to remind players of areas for improvement as they gain skills and confidence throughout the year.
d. After the season, evaluate each player the same way you did before the season. THIS IS WHERE KIDS GET EXCITED. Your improvement in many areas will show them what your hard work, listening, and attitude did for them. Parents will also greatly appreciate your efforts to show each player’s improvement. Also show areas for improvement that they can tackle on their own in preparation for the upcoming season.
me. You would be surprised how many middle school, high school, college, and professional coaches miss out on this golden opportunity. This could be his greatest contribution to the basketball lives of his players.
Trainers, I encourage each of you to put your heart and soul in your training. The good youth coach knows that it is 100 times more about communicating with the youth and keeping it simple than it is about fancy plays, bad habits or winning!It’s called Youth Basketball for a very good reason. It’s not about the coach, the Ws, the parents or anyone’s ego… IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS!