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 young men have an incredible opportunity to mold young men 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 taken haphazardly and followed through with little effort and commitment. The result is a group of youngsters who are uninspired by the game of basketball and carry with them apathy and poor skill development.

At CoachRB, our goal is to empower and challenge youth coaches to take their job 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.

For those of you who pour your heart into coaching youth sports, hats off to you. Their 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!

Diagram 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 young people 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 skill will be the key to your accomplishment as a coach and the children’s enjoyment.

b. see the game through their eyes, not yours.

against Instruction must 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 of the potential obstacles with parents.

b. Let players and parents know your policies and philosophies.

against Consider the best interests of the child as if it 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 show them to their players on a daily basis.

b. The fundamentals of teaching are a step-by-step process, every day.

against Setting up a “Basics Mastery Game” where players are evaluated according to their ability to exhibit 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 core work and solid drills 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 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 practice by discussing the outcome of that day’s goals.

6. Playtime — Teaching Life Lessons

has. Games are for kids, period. Make this your goal and you will greatly improve your chances of enjoyment, satisfaction and success.

b. Determine game time in advance and stick to it at game time.

Against Offensive: If your players can pass, dribble and shoot, they can play. Design an offense that is space and movement oriented NOT game oriented. Coaches undermine the entire experience with “plays.” Leave the moves and sophisticated strategy to the older kids.

d. Defense: Teach players to run back, point to the player they are defending. ESSENTIAL 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 off the pitch. Talk about how great the opportunity is to play and remember the basics of the game. Teach lessons that will stay with these young people 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, rate each player the same way you did before the season. THIS IS WHERE THE KIDS GET THRILLED. 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 address on their own in preparation for the upcoming season.

me. You’d be surprised if so 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 W’s, the parents or anyone’s ego… IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS!