Basketball Drills for Kids

Teaching basketball to children takes effort, patience and great communication. Kids who want to play basketball are usually doing it because they enjoy getting on the court, running up and down and shooting the ball in the basket. That's a great starting point. But if they are going to really enjoy it, they are going to have to learn skills like shooting, dribbling, passing and defense.

  1. Chair Drill

    • This will help young players learn how to dribble with both hands. Line up four chairs every five feet. Give the player the ball at mid-court. Have him dribble the ball to the right of the first chair, the left of the second, the right of the third chair and the left of the fourth. When he finishes one length of the court, have him go back down the court in the same manner. This will help children learn to dribble with both hands.

    Give and Go Drill

    • The essence of basketball is team play. When you have the ball on offense, you are supposed to find the open man. Children are not too young to learn this. Work this drill with two players. Have player A take the ball past mid-court and throw the ball to her teammate B at the right elbow of the free-throw line. Have player A cut through to the basket, and have player B hit her with a pass just as she reaches the basket for a layup. Then have the players switch positions and do this drill again.

    Shuffle and Sprint

    • This is one of the best defensive drills for young children who want to play competitive basketball. Have all your players start out on the left sideline. When you blow your whistle, they should shuffle their feet and go as fast as they can from the left sideline to the right sideline. When you shuffle, you do not let your feet cross. This is essential for becoming an effective defensive player. When the players reach the right sideline, they should sprint back to the left sideline as fast as possible. Running fast is another essential to playing great defense.